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It was the last week of summer when some boys who had spent the summer playing together became restless and bored. School would start the next week and they found themselves not knowing what to do, wearied from all the other summer activities that they had enjoyed. On a hot August afternoon the boys decided to play a round of pitch and putt at a local golf course. At least this would give them something different to do and keep them from complaining to their parents about how bored they were -- which was what they had been doing for days.

At the end of their rather lackluster round of golf, the boys noticed some soft drinks stored in a shed. It was obvious that the soft drinks were intended for the vending machine and that someone must have been refilling the machine when he was called to another task. Certainly he didn't want to leave soft drinks out in the open. With no one watching, the boys stole several bottles, stashing them in their golf bags. They left the golf course without being caught.

In the cool of the evening the boys sat in the shade drinking their soda pop in a carefree manner. Doug's father saw him and asked where he had gotten it. It didn't take too long before the father realized that the boys had stolen the soft drinks from the golf course. The father lectured the boys and told Doug to go immediately to his room as punishment. He told them they should be ashamed of what they had done. The next day Doug's father came home for lunch to take him back to the golf course so that he could apologize to the owner for stealing soda pop, return the unopened bottles, and pay for the ones he had already drunk. Doug said he didn't know what was worse, being caught by his father or having to confront the man he had stolen from. It was a lesson Doug would remember the next time he was tempted to do something he knew was wrong.

Mighty King David had experienced a meteoric ride to power and fame: a lowly shepherd boy was anointed king. It seemed that everything David did was a great success; all his battles ended with a decisive victory. He united the two kingdoms, he returned the famed ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, and he even talked about building a new temple to house it. The people just loved him, giving him the highest approval rating of any king. To the people David could do no wrong. A problem arose, however, when King David began thinking that he could do no wrong.

David grew restless and bored at the palace. Our lesson opens in the spring of the year, "when kings go out to battle." But David did not go out to war, instead he remained in his palace, rather bored by the whole thing. In his younger days David would have been right in the middle of the action, alongside his generals. David had a reputation for leading by example. Now a mid-life crisis struck David and he no longer desired to go to battle. He lingered at the palace with days of endless boredom. Besides he was rather secure in his position; it wasn't as though someone would challenge him.

Late one afternoon, after rising from a nap, David took a stroll on the roof of the palace. As David gazed out over his kingdom he couldn't help but be impressed with what he saw. Standing on his rooftop, David took a deep breath and momentarily felt pretty good. As David looked out over his kingdom he couldn't help but notice a woman bathing on a nearby rooftop. During the hot months wealthy people would eat, sleep, and apparently bathe on the roof where it was cooler. David, who hadn't felt much of anything in his restless state, suddenly became possessed by the beauty of the unknown woman. Upon inquiry, he discovered that the woman was Bathsheba, the wife of one of his soldiers, Uriah the Hittite. David became consumed with one thought: he must have this woman. David acted in a thoughtless, completely spontaneous manner -- he must have this woman no matter what -- without even considering the consequences. Mighty King David, who in the eyes of the people could do no wrong, committed a sinful act, breaking one of the ten commandments.

David's sinful act would be the beginning of his downfall. Life would never again be the same for David and his entire family or for the whole kingdom. We are accountable to God for the way we live our lives. Evidently David forgot about God since he was of the opinion that he could do no wrong. What David did was wrong; it was abuse of his power as king.

Before too long Bathsheba sent word to David, "I am pregnant." What no one else could do, Bathsheba did with only three words. She caused King David to panic. What David did was bad enough, but he would only make matters worse by devising a plan to cover up his act. David was still in control of the situation, at least that was what he thought. David immediately sent for Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. If he could get Uriah to spend some time with his wife, there would be no suspicion when neighbors saw her with child. Uriah had been off fighting the king's battle for quite some time, he would certainly appreciate some rest and relaxation. At least that was what David was counting on.

Even though King David sinned, he thought he would get away with it; after all he was king. David would painfully discover that his sin would cause more trouble than he ever dreamed. It doesn't matter if we are kings or ordinary people, when we sin there are bound to be consequences to follow. There are always consequences to our actions.

Let me tell you about someone who made this discovery in her life. Her name is Pat. She had committed a crime, was convicted, and sentenced to serve time in jail. It was too much for her, so she ran away, trying desperately to escape from the consequences. It's always easier to run from the past than to confront it head on. During that time she lost touch with her family. Pat realized that she caused her family plenty of pain and heartache. She not only disgraced herself; she had disgraced her entire family. Pat ran away from her family and her painful past.

Five years later Pat once again became involved in an illegal act. Her past caught up with her. Pat found herself without a home or personal possessions. It was at this lowest point of her life that she realized she could not escape from her past. Pat courageously turned herself in and began serving her earlier conviction.

Something very unexpected happened while Pat was in jail. "I have found God in my life stronger than I ever imagined," she claimed. Pat realized that God had been with her to help her face the wrongs and to deal with them. While in prison Pat made new friends with people she never thought possible. "The love of God and these friends make each day bright," she said of her experience. Slowly Pat's relationship with her family was also improving, with a lot of hard work on everyone's part.

"Because of my total fall I have learned total dependence on God," Pat said, "and that has given me wings to fly once again." Pat was freed from the wrongdoing of her past and started a new life from a new perspective. We are accountable to God for the way we live our lives. Even at those times when we fail miserably, God is still there with us. God has an uncanny way of providing the right people to enter our lives at just the right moment. There are consequences to our actions, but with God's help there is also a way out.

David's problem increased because he did not include God in his problem solving. David depended on his own power to solve his problem. David thought he could take care of things himself. Uriah the Hittite arrived at the palace as he was ordered. David asked him how the battle was going, as if that was the reason he was summoned. Uriah told of the latest military news from the front. David thanked Uriah for his informative report and as a reward for his devoted service David told Uriah to go home, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet," he said. David even sent a gift home in appreciation for all his dutiful work.

There was one thing David in all his scheming did not count on and that was Uriah's loyalty. Uriah was at war and displayed a single-minded devotion to both king and nation. Uriah would not eat, he would not drink, and he would not lie at ease while the battle was raging on elsewhere. In fact, all soldiers took an oath to that effect. For those reasons, Uriah did not go home that night, but slept in the entrance of the king's house with other servants. The next morning David was told that Uriah did not go home and this infuriated the king. David asked Uriah why he didn't go home. "The ark and Israel and Judah remain in booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field," Uriah explained, "Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will no do such a thing." Uriah was deadly serious with his loyalty to army and king.

It was back to the drawing board for David to once again devise a plan to solve his dilemma. David would get Uriah drunk, send him home, and let nature take its course, thus solving his problem once and for all. Before the night was over Uriah had drunk a little too much, and crashed on a couch with the servants, still not going home to be with his wife. David's plan failed once again. It seemed as though nothing would get Uriah to visit his wife, certainly not David's deceitful efforts. Uriah remained a faithful soldier.

What started out as spontaneous passion developed into a complicated plot to cover up David's sin. King David was getting desperate. Something had to be done as soon as possible. As Uriah slept David paced the floor above him devising one more sure-fire plan. Before morning David wrote a letter to General Joab. The letter contained the order to have Uriah killed, but to do it in such a way as not to raise suspicion. "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him," David wrote, "so that he may be struck down and die." You have to feel sorry for Uriah since he carried the letter with the order for his own death. Uriah, the dutiful soldier, hand delivered his death warrant to General Joab. The order was carried out. Uriah died in battle.

David knew the ten commandments, yet still managed to break three of them. David was responsible for another man's death. As the story of David is told it would appear that he showed no sorrow, just as there was no hint of caring or love when he called Bathsheba to his palace.

This lesson teaches us that there are consequences to our actions that have a rippling effect in our lives. There are times when we think we might get away with our indiscretion, but it always seems to come out before too long. Our sinfulness cannot be ignored, but by the grace of God we can be forgiven. The good news of our faith is that we can turn our lives around and follow Jesus. It doesn't matter how badly we have messed up, or what sins we might have committed, as long as we seek forgiveness. God does not intend for anyone to suffer. Through Jesus, God calls us to begin a new life.

By anyone's definition Lupe has had a difficult, even painful life, living in the streets of Los Angeles. Lupe is only in his late thirties but looks twenty years older with considerable gray in his hair. Persons who meet him can't help but notice a tear tattooed at the corner of his left eye. Lupe admits that he has been a drug addict since he was thirteen. It wasn't all Lupe's fault either because his mother and two of his uncles were also drug addicts. His brother was serving time in prison. Lupe also has served time for his crimes. The only place Lupe felt love while growing up was with a local gang. "I knew I would die with a needle in my arm," Lupe said of his experience, feeling doomed with no way out.

It was while Lupe was living in the streets that some people from a nearby church reached out trying to help him. They shared their stories with Lupe, telling him that they too were once addicts but now had turned their lives around and were followers of Jesus. They told him if they could turn their lives around then he could, too. They would help him make that all important step. Lupe felt that God had sent these people to him. He believed that this was his last chance.

Shortly after this encounter Lupe found himself running and hiding from drug dealers. It was while he was hiding out, fearful for his very life, that he realized that he did not want to die. "God," Lupe prayed, "if you are real, give me a way out. I will serve you. I will give you my whole life." God heard his prayer and showed him the way out. Lupe embraced Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and turned his life around. With God's help and the help of other Christians he was able to break his deadly drug habit.1
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1. Charles Colson, The Body. (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1992), pp. 350-351.