- The Portal Sin
By Dr. Ken Matto
(2 Sam 11:2 KJV) And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David
arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and
from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very
beautiful to look upon.
A portal is described as an entrance to something. It is the door from
one room to another or from one place to another. The portal also represents
the end of something and the beginning of something. When we walk through a
portal, we are leaving something behind and entering something new, even if
we have been there a thousand times before.
A portal can be the beginning of a new life or the beginning of a
destructive life. This article is focused on the subject of the portal sin.
The portal sin is the first time we try or experience a sin. The portal sin
will come to us as a temptation and may come as an invitation from a friend
to try something new. The problem with the portal sin is that the
anticipation is always much greater than the results it delivers. Another
problem with the portal sin, there is never any thought given to its final
consequences. Whenever sin is portrayed on television, it is always
portrayed without any negative consequences.
The principle of the portal does not change whether a person is saved or
not. We make conscious decisions every day and part of those decisions is
whether I should succumb to temptation or not. One of your friends brings a
bottle of alcohol to a group and tells you that you need to try it because
it relaxes you or it allows you to be the real you. Satan will always have
his people dressing up the deceptions as something which “you need to try.”
Just because you are saved does not mean that you cannot fall into grievous
sin with many life changing consequences, and those life changing
consequences are not for the good.
At the top of this page, I started off with a verse that depicts David
as King of Israel who was walking on his roof and saw a beautiful woman
bathing on another roof. Keep in mind that David was a saved man and yet he
allowed this temptation to overtake him. Let us take a look at the
progression and the consequences that David faced by not turning away from
that sin. I will be taking verses from 2 Samuel 11 and 12.
2 Samuel 11
1) Verse 1 - …But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
At this time Israel was at war with the Ammonites and the Scripture
states that it was the time “when kings go forth to battle,”
The problem here was that David decided not to go and be
with the army while they were at war. What we have here is that David should
not have been in Jerusalem at this time but should have been with Joab and
the army as they fought the Ammonites. If David was where he was supposed to
be, the entire situation with Bathsheba would have never taken place. Many
times God sets us up a scenario where we need to be somewhere else doing the
work of God. Whenever we shirk our duty, Satan will be right there with his
alternative plan. Since David did not go out and be with the army, Satan was
about to deliver his plan to bring down David as best as he could. If God
directs you to be somewhere for a specific reason and you neglect to obey,
you are opening yourself up to the portal sin of disobedience.
2) Verse 2 - “…and from the roof he saw a woman
washing herself;”
David was obviously taking a nap in the evening and had decided to take
a walk on the roof and while he walked, he saw a very beautiful woman
bathing. Here was the conscious portal sin of David. If at this point he
would have turned around and walked away, he would have saved much
heartache. It was at this point that David needed to reject what he saw and
run for his life. The word in the Hebrew for “saw” is a word which is very
common in the Hebrew Scriptures. It not only denotes seeing something with
the eyes but it also carries with it the meaning of “gazing upon” or “stare
at.” Instead of David turning away from this portal sin at this juncture, he
instead, gazed or stared upon Bathsheba. David ensnared himself by gazing
upon Bathsheba instead of turning away and leaving. Now that he was ensnared
and walked through the portal, his next level was action. Whenever we have a
visual temptation, it is at that point that we are to reject it and turn
completely away from it. If we do not allow it past our eyes and ask the
Lord to help us remove that from memory, we will have a victory and it will
save us from much future heartache.
3) Verse 3 - “And David sent and inquired after
the woman.”
Now that David had walked through the portal, he was now beginning to
act on that sin. He sent for his advisors and asked who that woman was? Now
his lust had become enflamed and wanted to know more about her. Since he was
the king and had five wives, he would have no problem adding a sixth.
However, David never anticipated what was ahead for him and how each
successive sin would compound his disobedience. We must realize one major
principle and that is, that sin is never satisfied being parked in the
garage of our mind, eventually, as we dwell upon it, it becomes so strong
that we will act upon those thoughts. Once the first action is taken, it is
like a river which has been released from behind a dam.
4) Verse 4 - “And David sent messengers, and
took her;”
Now David actually sends his messengers to bring her to his palace.
David’s lust for her is now so enflamed that he has taken the bold step of
actually bringing her to him. David was now blinded to the fact that he was
sinning against God. This is what sin does to us. It blinds us to the
reality of sinning against God until we start reaping the consequences and
then hopefully we repent and return, but not without scars. Since David had
sent messengers, the whole palace would have known what he was up to.
Sometimes sin is so bold that we do not hesitate in bringing others into our
sin. Here he involves not only Bathsheba but also the messengers. This is a
principle that we must realize and that is no one can sin by themselves.
Every sin which we commit will eventually involve others. David’s sin was
not private as he was already involving others. David was also told that she
was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. This means that David did not care
because his lust for her had impeded his walk with God. Sin does not care
who it hurts. Do you see how the sin escalated? All because David chose to
walk through the portal.
5) Verse 4 - “and she came in unto him, and he
lay with her;”
Here David commits adultery full knowing well that she is a married
woman. He had allowed his lust to rule so strongly that he set aside the law
of God. (Exo 20:14 KJV) Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Here David commits the sin that he had anticipated would satisfy him. The
problem with sin is that the mental anticipation is always greater than the
actual sin and that means the sin is a letdown. Satan always builds up the
sin that it is going to be the height of our lives when in reality, sin is
the real letdown in our lives and it leads to a life of destruction.
6) Verse 4 - “and she returned unto her house.”
Right after they had committed adultery, she returned unto her house.
This was nothing more than a sexual encounter because she went home right
after their session. There was no love here because David was not concerned
about love. He was only infatuated with her beauty and wanted to have sex
with her. David being king probably thought that it was his right to have
her if he wanted her. At this point after the sin was committed, David
probably thought that this situation was over as she returned to her house
and everything was back to the way it was before he sent for her or was it?
You see sin’s consequences are not always visible immediately.
7) Verse 5 - “And the woman conceived, and sent
and told David,”
For a while David probably thought that he had gotten away with this sin
but any time from two weeks on a woman will know when she has become
pregnant. So David had a small respite until she sent and told him that she
was with child. Now David had committed adultery with another man’s wife and
the penalty under the law was stoning for the both of them. (Lev
20:10 KJV) And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife,
even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer
and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
David was in absolute violation of God’s law. This is the deceitfulness of
sin, it causes us to get in much deeper than we could have ever imagined or
desired to. David was now committed because Bathsheba had conceived. It was
no longer a sin which could be hidden or denied. The evidence of his sin was
now obvious and this news would have spread throughout all Jerusalem as well
as the palace.
8) Verse 6 - “…Send me Uriah the Hittite.”
Now David has come to a sense of reality in that he must do something to
cover his sin. He then hatches a plan to send for Uriah the Hittite and has
him come to the palace to give him a report of how the battle was going.
David was not concerned about that, instead this was all part of a planned
cover up of his sin. He then sends Uriah to his house in hopes that he would
have sexual relations with Bathsheba and this way David’s sin would be
covered and he would have his way out from responsibility for his sinful
actions.
9) Verse 9 - “But Uriah slept at the door of the
king's house…”
Uriah showed that he was more committed to the battle than David was. He
did not go to his house but slept at the door of the King’s house. Here we
see a situation where God was not going to allow David to think that he got
away with his sin. As David was trying to cover his sin, God had blocked his
efforts to do so. General Uriah showed his loyalty to David and Israel.
(Num 32:23 KJV) But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned
against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.
David would eventually be held accountable for his sin
because to God, it does not matter what rank a person holds in any kingdom.
10) Verses 14-15 - (2 Sam 11:14-15 KJV) And it came to
pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it
by the hand of Uriah. {15} And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye
Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him,
that he may be smitten, and die.
David now increases his sin by adding murder to it. He could not cover
his sin by making Uriah sleep with Bathsheba, so instead, he will now try to
cover his sin by murdering Uriah. Here we see another example of how one
person’s sin affects a person who was totally innocent in this situation. It
proves once again that we cannot sin in isolation. Sin always involves
others even though we think it may not.
11) Verse 17 - “…and Uriah the Hittite died
also.”
The second part of David’s nefarious plan was successful. He wanted to
have Uriah killed and it happened. Now David thought that he was free from
the responsibility of his sin. His desire to cover his sin resulted in the
death of a man who was truly loyal to him and Israel. I wonder if David ever
thought that his sin would progress so far that he would engage in
conspiracy to commit murder, which in court could be considered the same as
murder itself.
With Uriah the Hittite dead, David could now state that Bathsheba had
slept with him before he was killed in battle and she conceived by him. The
problem is that there was something which David was not counting on and it
is the same thing that those who walk through the portal of sin do not count
on and that is….
The Day of Reckoning
12) Verse 27 - “But the thing that David had
done displeased the LORD.”
When a Christian goes deep into sin, they forget the reality that God is
still watching them and sees the sin along with all the manipulations and
justifications that go with it. The word “displeased” in the above verse
carries with it the meaning of “grievous.” David’s sin was grievous in the
sight of the Lord. Anytime a Christians sins, even a seemingly small one, it
is grievous in the sight of the Lord. This is another reality that no
Christian can ever sin in isolation because the eyes of God are always upon
them and sees what they are up to.
2 Samuel 12
13) Verse 1 - “And the LORD sent Nathan unto
David.”
About a year has gone past and David was probably confident that this
episode was over and that he was back on the right road again. The problem
was that God does not view things from the same perspective that we do.
Obviously David had done nothing to repent of his sins. In fact, he had no
remorse in taking Bathsheba to be his wife which if he was spiritually
sensitive to what he did, she would remind him of what he did. The problem
is that going deep in sin can harden a Christian to the point that they see
nothing wrong in their actions. David’s day of reckoning was about to occur
and the consequences of his sin will not be pretty.
14) Verse 7 - “And Nathan said to David, Thou
art the man.”
Nathan had gone to David and told him a story about a rich man who had
many ewe lambs and a poor man who had only one ewe lamb. The rich man took
the one ewe lamb from the poor man and this story made David very angry to
the point that he said the rich man should die. Then Nathan surprises David
by stating that “he was the man.” Then Nathan tells David all the sins which
he committed including adultery and murder. Nathan also states that the Lord
told him that if what David possessed was not enough, He would have given
him more. David now comes face to face with his sin and its consequences.
15) Verse 10 - “Now therefore the sword shall
never depart from thine house;…”
Consequence No. 1 - David is going to have continual family problems
including the deaths of his sons. This was because he had despised God while
he was committing all those heinous sins. This is another example of the
fact that we can never sin without affecting others, even those who are
innocent.
16) Verse 11 - “Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will
raise up evil against thee out of thine own house,…”
Consequence No. 2 - The Lord Himself is going to cause the household of
David to suffer these things. One thing we have to be certain about, when we
sin and reap the consequences of those sins, we can never blame Satan
because it was us who voluntarily walked through the portal of sin. David’s
own wives will be given unto his neighbors right in his sight. He will see
the disintegration of his family.
17) Verse 12 - “For thou didst it secretly: but
I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.”
Consequence No. 3 - As David tried to hide his sin by sending Uriah to
his house and then subsequently having him murdered, God was going to bring
His judgment on David publicly before the nation of Israel and the
surrounding nations would also know of what he did. (Psa 90:8 KJV)
Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of
thy countenance. All secret sins are eventually
brought out into the light. As much as we would love to keep them hidden,
sin always has a way of eventually exposing itself to the light.
18) Verse 14 - “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast
given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme,…”
Consequence No. 4 - David was a man who loved the Lord and all Israel
and the surrounding nations knew that he was a man who walked with God. Now
that David had committed these sins and other people knew about it, it would
also bring shame upon the Lord. The Lord’s enemies in the surrounding lands
will blaspheme the name of the Lord because of David’s sin. Whenever a
Christian wanders through the portal of sin, and when it becomes known, not
only are we shamed and lose our testimonies but this gives the enemies of
God an opportunity to blaspheme His name because the unbeliever will judge
the Lord by the actions of His people, just as parents are judged by the
actions of their children. So here is another example of a Christian unable
to sin in isolation because it brings the Lord into it.
19) Verse 14 - “…the child also that is
born unto thee shall surely die.”
Consequence No. 5 - Here is the second death which is associated with
David’s sin. The child which was conceived on that night would die as a
result of David’s sin. David’s sin has now affected the life of a newborn
infant who would die because of his one time lustful sin. Remember this the
next time someone says to you, it is only this one time.
20) (2 Sam 13:33 KJV) Now therefore let not my lord the
king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are
dead: for Amnon only is dead.
Consequence No. 6 - The death of Amnon
21) (2 Sam 18:15 KJV) And ten young men that
bare Joab's armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
Consequence No. 7 - The death of Absalom
22) (1 Ki 2:24 KJV) Now therefore, as the LORD
liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my
father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put
to death this day.
Consequence No. 8 - The death of Adonijah
Summary
When David had seen Bathsheba bathing on her roof, it was at that time
that he should have walked away and rejected the temptation, but he did not,
and chose to walk through the portal of sin. Let us summarize the effects
and consequences of David’s sin. Keep in mind that this was initially just a
one evening tryst because Bathsheba had gone back to her home afterward.
Walking through the portal of sin is not limited to sexual sin but it can be
anything such as a first alcoholic drink, a first drug encounter like
smoking marijuana, a first cigarette, a simple criminal activity, or
anything which fits the description of 1 John 3:4. (1 John 3:4
KJV) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law. David probably did not
expect his sin to go beyond that one night and we also do not expect
extended consequences to our sins but below is a summary of what can happen
when you walk through the portal of sin just ONCE!!!!
The cost of David’s sin to himself and to others.
- Committed adultery
- Committed murder
- Grieved the Lord
- Death of the child
- Death of his three sons
- All Israel and surrounding nations knew of his sin
- His sin caused God’s name to be blasphemed among the enemies
- If you look at this list, you will notice that five people had died in
connection with David’s one night stand with Bathsheba. Do you think that
David would have believed someone if they told him before what would have
happened? The problem is that sin blinds us to reality. God had included
this in the Bible to warn us that one seemingly innocent sin can lead to
destructive consequences which means there is no such thing as a “seemingly
innocent sin.” Do not think that you are different and can get away with
sin. Anytime you walk through that portal, you have made a life changing
decision but if you see the portal and you walk away from it, you will be
making another life changing decision but this one will be to your advantage
and not your detriment.
-
(Mat 11:15 KJV) He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.