KEY VERSE
“Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.’”
2 SAMUEL 12:11
Read 2 Samuel 16:21-22; 13:1-30; 15:14; 18:33; Galatians 6:7
One of my mentors has recently gone to be with his Lord. Arthur Williams founded the Stauros foundation which ministers to people with addictions and offers support to their families. So, you won't be surprised if I tell you that Arthur was once an alcoholic from whom his family lived in fear. As Arthur came in the front door of the house drunk, his wife, Beth, and their children ran out the back door. His anger, aggression and mood swings made him impossible to live with. His excessive drinking led to Arthur being sectioned in a mental institute, however, it was there that he met Jesus Christ!
Arthur had never set out in life to be an alcoholic. In fact, the reason he left home was due to the alcoholism of his own father. He had vowed to never be like his dad. Arthur later discovered that his father’s father had also been an alcoholic. There had been a pattern stretching back generations. God is the God of miracles and when Arthur came to Christ, that pattern was broken. Today, Arthur’s son serves as a missionary, his daughters are following Jesus and his grandchildren have grown up knowing Jesus instead of a pattern of destruction and abuse.
In our reading today, we see the same pattern of brokenness and sin reaching from one generation to the next. David opened a door to sexual sin and murder through his lust over Bathsheba and we read in the chapters following of sexual sin, violence, murder and division in the house of David with one son even plotting to overthrow his father and take the kingdom by force. If we choose to open the door of sin into our house, the Bible is clear that it has an effect, not just in the here and now, but also in the generations to come. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows”. (Galatians 6:7)
A key verse for freedom in this area is found in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live”. Arthur made the choice to follow Jesus - to choose life. It transformed his life, and the life of his family. The choices you and I make today will impact the House - either to help it stand or cause it to be divided. Today, choose life by turning away from any sin that has entangled you and enter into the freedom found in Christ.
If this strikes a chord with you today, then please contact your Life Group leader or a Pastor and begin your journey to freedom.
Author: Adrian Porter - Elder, Living Hope Church, Isle of Man