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Of all the people in Scripture who served God, few were as blessed and honored by Him as King David. Being called a man after God's heart in 1 Samuel 13:14, David lived a life dedicated to wholeheartedly seeking, worshipping, and obeying Him from his youth. As a result, God helped him become one of Israel's most godly, successful, and beloved kings. However, despite his intense devotion to and numerous accomplishments for the Lord, David's sins were by no means exempt from His judgment, nor was the severity of His punishments for them lightened.
This is seen in 2 Samuel 12, following David's ruthless murder of Uriah and shameful act of adultery with Bathsheba. Because he selfishly committed these egregious sins despite the incredible prosperity God blessed him with, He proclaimed through Nathan the prophet that David's family would be violently divided and his wives would be publicly violated. However, one other severe judgment—the death of his child with Bathsheba—was pronounced for a specific reason. In verse 14 of the chapter (KJV translation), Nathan reveals that it was for David's sin giving God's enemies a great occasion to blaspheme Him. As this shocking account clearly demonstrates, God holds His children accountable to live in a manner that not only glorifies Him but also leads others to do so.
Unfortunately, most believers today fall woefully short of these high standards. Instead of exemplifying Christ and being the salt and light He calls us to be in Matthew 5:13-16, most of us continue to live outwardly sinful lives like those who are unsaved. Worse yet, some believers, especially those in significant positions of authority and influence, unwisely make ungodly decisions and foolishly align with movements and teachings that completely contradict God's Word. This severe lack of salt and light in the church is an immensely serious matter to God because our sinful behaviors, decisions, and compromises, like David's, give unbelievers to opportunity to mock and blaspheme Him. Furthermore, when this occurs, it hardens their hearts towards God and further increases their resistance to the Gospel. Thus, for the sake of carrying out the Great Commission and glorifying God in all we do, we must humble ourselves before Him and ensure our actions and decisions do not compromise these crucial goals.
Fortunately, there are three steps we can take to do this. For example, we must study and agree with all of God's Word. 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that because all Scripture is God's divine Word, every verse within it, regardless of our or the world's opinions, is true, relevant, and for our benefit. To not take this position showcases sinful pride within our hearts and makes room for Satan to plant destructive seeds of doubt concerning God's goodness and His Word's authority. Another crucial step is avoiding even the appearance of evil. This is commanded in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 because how we live dramatically impacts our witness' effectiveness. Unless we guard our conduct, behavior, and speech from this world's godless patterns, sin and hypocrisy will corrupt our lives and give the unsaved opportunity to mock our Savior. One other step is to always seek God's wisdom for our decisions. James 1:5 record's God's loving desire to share His perfect wisdom with us when we humbly ask Him for it. Conversely, trusting in our finite and sin-tainted wisdom makes us vulnerable to ungodly decisions that can damage our witness and unbelievers' perceptions of God. Although doing so disagrees with every fiber of our carnal mind and will, following these steps is mandatory to obeying God and pointing others to Him.
Like King David, our every decision, action, and even word has an impact on the hearts of those within a sinful world desperate for opportunities to mock and blaspheme our heavenly Father. Such is why we must strive to be salt and light before the lost, so that they would see and desire God's love and the transformational work of Christ's salvation. Through believing all of God's Word, avoiding even the appearance of evil, and seeking His wisdom for every decision, we can ensure our lives shine this perfect beacon of hope and avoid giving God's enemies the evil opportunities they seek.
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