Self Deception

Last week I preached from 2 Samuel 11—King David’s fall into sin (the message was entitled “David’s Scandal”).
Here’s one of the introductory statements I made:

We are very good at deceiving ourselves—no one is immune.

I quoted this Bible verse:

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? 
– Jeremiah 17:9

I wish this wasn’t true, but it is. I wish it wasn’t true of me, but it is.

Think back to the most embarrassing sin you ever committed. Somehow, if only for a moment, you managed to convince yourself of a lie. You disregarded God’s commandments. You hardened your heart to what God was telling you. You decided the rules didn’t apply to you.

We’ve all been there, and David was a prime example. He knew what it was like to walk with God. He trusted God to defeat giants and enemy hordes. He refused to take Saul’s life, even while Saul was pursuing him with murderous intent.

But even this great man of God deceived himself. He could have had any woman in his kingdom except Bathsheba, yet he chose her. His adultery would lead to a coldly calculated murder of one of his own faithful soldiers. He couldn’t see his own wickedness until confronted by Nathan, God’s prophet.

If it can happen to David, it can happen to any one of us. We are masters of self-deception. Accept this truth—embrace it. Doing so will free you of pretenses and allow you to see yourself as you truly are. This requires bravery—it is a frightening process. But the end result is a closer walk with God and freedom from sin.