Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 11, 12
The story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah cries out to us with great warning. If David, the man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14), could get to the place in his life that he was capable of such blatant and rebellious sinning, then none of us is immune to the lure of lust and hatred.
We tend to think that we will never be guilty of something like adultery or murder, but we all struggle with lust and hatred. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “I say to you, that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt 5:28) and “. . . whoever says 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire (Mt 5:22).
The difference between lust and adultery and the difference between hatred and murder is not a difference of kind. It is only a difference of degree. To compare lust with adultery is not to compare an apple to an orange … it is to compare an apple seed to an apple. When God looks at the lustful heart He sees adultery in seed form.
The key to breaking the power of lust over our hearts (or any other sin) is to replace lust with a greater pleasure … and that greater delight is God Himself. It is the power of a superior satisfaction. When the soul drinks at the fountain of infinite pleasure (God), it stops thirsting for sin. Once the heart tastes the goodness of God, it is no longer satisfied with lesser delights … and sin’s power is broken.
