Caution: Proceed At Your Own Risk

It was indeed a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  Because of unseasonably warm temperatures, the recent snow had evaporated except in just a few patches here and there.  My family and I decided to enjoy the weather with a walk in the nearby nature center.  Even though the temperature was very comfortable (we even set a record high that day!), there was a small pond in the area that was still covered in ice.  We were surprised to see two college-aged young men walking across the frozen pond, while a friend of theirs watched from the safety of the bridge.  Now, I realize I'm not much of a risk-taker, but I really don't see myself walking across an iced-over pond.  The benefits just don't outweigh the risks for me.  Apparently, though, these guys saw something worthwhile in it.  As we laughingly watched the two men slowly and carefully shuffle across the ice, the inevitable happened.  Just as the other side was almost within reach, one of them called out "This is fun!" and promptly fell through the ice.

I'm sure King David understood how that young man felt.  David knew that what he was doing was sin.  But the heart wants what it wants, I'm told, and his - royal or not - was no exception.  When David saw the beautiful Bathsheba, he decided that, whether it was right or wrong, he was going to follow his heart.  Of course, once you start making excuses for sin, it's hard to stop.  David didn't stop with adultery.  As soon as the deed was done, he tried to cover it up.  It's not like no one knew about his acts - soldiers, guards, and I'm sure some attendants had discovered the deed.  But soon David even committed murder to keep himself from shame.  I guess David thought that the king was above the consequences of the law.  He was wrong.  There are always consequences (2 Samuel 11-12:23).

Now, there's nothing sinful about walking on ice.  I'm not saying the young men were doing wrong - they weren't.  They were just having fun and enjoying the warm temperatures.  But the similarities are still striking.

Just as the young man assumed he was safe, he felt the ice cold temperature of the water.  David must have thought he had missed any consequences - after all, Uriah was dead, Bathsheba was now legally David's wife, and everything seemed to be returning to normal.  Or so he thought.  Then Nathan the prophet showed up and condemned David's actions.  Soon David's infant son died.

There are always consequences.

That warm winter day, as soon as one of the men fell through the ice (it was barely more than knee deep), the other adventurer carefully hurried back to the safety of the shore.  When one man suffers the consequences of his sins, any one plotting with him is sufficiently warned and sometimes chooses to leave their ways.  As the very wet young man crawled onto the bank of the small pond, none of the onlookers (including his friend on the bridge) felt tempted to follow his example.  When a man falls into the consequences of his sin, everyone around him sees his actions for what they are - sin.  It doesn't look as tempting when we see the consequences that come with it.

Be sure your sin - and its consequences - will find you out (see Numbers 32:23).  There's just one thin layer between you and the icy water.  Later, as my family and I continued on our walk, we passed the three young men we had seen earlier.  "We are good," the now-drying young man assured us.  And he was.  We all are once we get off the pond.

Photo Credit: markuso from FreeDigitalPhotos.net