“Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.” (2 Samuel 12:11)

“For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” (2 Samuel 12:12)

“And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.” (2 Samuel 12:13)

“Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.” (2 Samuel 12:14)

The principle of sowing and reaping is one that most of us are familiar with as a basic fact of life. The Bible tells us that a man will reap what he sows (Galatians 6:7). This is not so difficult to understand: if you sow corn, you will reap corn. Sow tomatoes, and you will reap the same.

The central aspect to the principle of sowing and reaping is that like begets like; kind begets kind (Genesis 1:21-25). In a word: you cannot get something out that you did not put in. Thus we see that reaping of a thing implies the active sowing of the same.

Another aspect of this principle is that you will reap what you sow. Just as you have to ‘put in’ in order to ‘get out’ – so also if you ‘put in,’ you will ‘get out.’ Although there are certain external factors that may render this aspect obsolete, it nonetheless is worthy of note, since it is the chief motivator for sowing, as it gives the expectation of a harvest.

Then we have the aspect of this principle as it pertains to the increase. From a single kernel of corn comes a stalk containing several ears, with each ear containing hundreds of kernels of corn. The potential for increase in the harvest is that aspect which we look at today, as we examine “Sin’s Harvest.”

In our text, we pick up the story of David, the king of Israel. Scripture bears witness to David as being a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). By this, reference is given to David’s active desire to do those things pleasing in the Lord’s sight; that is, David sought to win the Lord’s heart.

But here we find that David has become involved in an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, the wife of one of his most loyal soldiers. What discretion David might have planned implodes when Bathsheba became pregnant with his child. David ultimately has Bathsheba’s husband Uriah killed, and takes Bathsheba as his own wife as a way to cover his sin of adultery.

As we pick up the story after the birth of the child, the Lord reveals His displeasure with David’s actions. Several points are noted in this portion of Scripture (2 Samuel 12:11-14):

1. David knew his sin before he committed it. He was up on the roof top of his palace at the time of day that women were bathing in their sun-warmed baths. Seeing Bathsheba, he enquired after her.
2. David seized upon the opportunity to sin. The initial temptation to lust after Bathsheba conceived the sin of adultery. As David acted upon his lusts, the seed of sin was sown in his heart, while his own seed was sown in Bathsheba’s womb.
3. David tried to hide the corrupt fruit of sin. David called Uriah in from the battlefield and staged an opportunity for him to spend the night with his wife. However, Uriah showed more honor to David than he received; and refused to indulge in sensual pleasure while the other soldiers were dying in battle.
4. David tried to sanctify the corrupt fruit of his sin. David commanded his military leader to place Uriah in the most intense battle and then pull back, allowing Uriah to be killed. David than married Bathsheba himself so that no one would know he had impregnated her through adultery.

We can see, through these points, that sin begins with a seed – a thought – and follows a progression. The thought turns into a plan to commit that sin. After the sin becomes an action, every point along the way is an attempt to prevent the fruit from being known, and sin being exposed.

The Bible says that our sins – no matter how secretive they may be – will find us out (Numbers 32:23). That is, for all our efforts to avoid detection, to hide our corrupt fruit; we will reap what we sow. This is a principle certain enough to be assured by the Word of God. By sowing seeds of sin, we are guaranteed a harvest in the same.

And just as is the case with planting corn and other vegetables, more times than not, sin will always bring an increase in its harvest (Job 11:6; Isaiah 40:2; 61:7; Jeremiah 16:19; Revelation 18:6). That is to say, the corrupt fruit of sin is multiplied from the single seed sown in our life, so that we often get back more than we ever put in.

Worthy of mention here, as we examine this dark moment in the life of King David, is the fact that sin so often affects those we love more than it affects us. Our accountability personally is not diminished; and yet we see that those who actually reap much of our sin’s harvest are those nearest and dearest to ourselves. Although David repented of his sin and received forgiveness from God, we see the residual consequences of sin in the death of the child born of the adulterous union.

Child of God, know that if you sow to the flesh (sin), then you will reap corruption from the same (Galatians 6:8). “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). This corruption and death will eat away at yourself, your family, your entire life. Nothing good will come of your corrupt labor of sin; nothing but heartache, pain, and destitution.

Let not sin have its way in your life. Rather, follow the example of David and turn to the Lord in genuine repentance and Godly fear. (See Psalm 51, where David confesses this sin.) Yes, the Merciful God is ever-gracious to forgive you and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness of heart (1 John 1:9), as you submit your will to the Lord Jesus Christ and exercise the Power He has given us to live a life of Victory in Him.