David could have defeated his temptation, for it is not sin to be tempted. He could have recalled God's Word found in Exodus 20:14, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," but he yielded to the temptation. And the sin of adultery led to the sin of murder. David covered these sins for at least a year before confessing them. Psalms 32 and 51 give the accounts of David's life during the difficult period. He became weak and sick physically; he lost his joy; he lost his witness; he lost his power. He would never again have the power God wanted him to have, for he did not follow God's will for his life. God gave David plenty of time to make things right, but he persisted in hiding his sins. God finally sent Nathan, not with a message of blessing as in chapter 7, but with a message of conviction. David admitted his sin and God was ready to forgive him, but He could not prevent those sins from bringing forth death. God's grace forgives, but God's government must allow a man to reap what he sows. David had declared to Nathan, "He shall restore fourfold," so God accepted David's sentence. The sword never departed from David's household. The baby Bathsheba conceived died; Absalom killed Amnon, who had ruined Tamar; and Joab killed Absalom (chapter 18:9-17). Adonijah was slain by Benaiah. David had said "fourfold." Add to these trials the awful ruin of Tamar, the shameful treatment of David's wives by Absalom, plus the rebellion of Absalom, and you can see that David paid dearly for a few moments of lust. He sowed lust and reaped the same; he sowed murder and reaped murder. Galatians 6:7 tells us, "For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.".
It is sad to see that David had no disciplinary influence in his own family. Chapter 13:21 tells us of David's anger, but we read nothing of his actions to correct things. We see here how the sins of the father have now affected the next generation of his family. Not only that, but we again see a parent's failure to discipline his children. When children are not disciplined, they are bound for almost certain misfortune in later years.
