You can’t hide your sin

I love murder mysteries, especially those by Agatha Christie. Columbo is also a lot of fun.

I love Agatha Christie because I like trying to guess who the murderer is. But I like Columbo because I like seeing how the murderer gets found out.

God once told the Israelites, “You may be sure that your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23)

And that’s exactly what happened with David.

David thought he had committed the perfect crime. That nobody knew what he had done. He had slept with a man’s wife, and when she got pregnant, David killed her husband.

But in 2 Samuel 11:27, it says,

But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

In other words, God knew exactly what David had done. Despite all of David’s efforts to hide his sin, God knew.

But I think David would have been very naive to think that he had fooled everyone else too. Joab certainly knew about it. Did Joab tell anyone else?

Surely the messenger was highly suspicious when he was told to give the message of Uriah’s death to David.

“Why is Uriah’s death so important?” he must have thought to himself.

But then when he found out Bathsheba was pregnant and that David had immediately married her, he must have guessed the reasons for Joab’s message. What whispers did he start?

How about David’s army? Did anyone who heard the battle plan question it?

Uriah was one of David’s top soldiers. Surely someone must have said, “Why are we doing this? It’s such a stupid battle plan. Somebody’s going to get killed.”

And all Joab could say was, “Shut up and do what you’re told.”

What whispers went on within the army when they found out that David had married a pregnant Bathsheba?

Then there’s Ahithophel, David’s counselor, grandfather of Bathsheba, and father of another of David’s top soldiers, Eliam.

What whispers did he hear from his son about the battle that killed Uriah? And what suspicions did he have when he saw David marry his granddaughter?

I’m not sure, but I have to wonder if this is one of the reasons he supported Absalom in his attempted coup of David’s kingdom. Certainly, there’s some irony behind Ahithophel’s advice to Absalom.

Lie with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace.

Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench in your father’s nostrils, and the hands of everyone with you will be strengthened. (2 Samuel 16:21)

Was part of Ahithophel’s thinking, “It would only serve David right for what he did to Uriah and my granddaughter”?

The point is, we cannot hide our sin. People will find out. We may think we’re fooling them, but oftentimes, they see much more than we expect.

Even if we do manage to fool them, however, we’re not fooling God. And as he did with David, he will call us to account.

How about you? Are you hiding sin in your life? Do you feel like you’re fooling everyone?

You’re not fooling everyone. And even if you are, you aren’t fooling God.

So don’t deceive yourself. When you sin, deal with it quickly. Don’t try to hide it. Confess it.

It will come out sooner or later. Either on this earth, or on the day of judgment.

And it’s much better for you if you deal with it now than in the hereafter.