Though David received mercy and his fellowship with God was restored after he committed adultery with Uriah’s wife and later killed him, the consequences of his adultery lingered throughout his life. Beyond the death of the child born from the sin, David’s strength and victories as a warrior king diminished. His last recorded victory was against the Ammonites, around the time he married Bathsheba—while Israel was still at war with the very nation that killed Uriah. After that, when he returned to battle, he narrowly escaped death at the hands of the Philistines (2 Samuel 21:15–17).
In his old age, David’s vitality waned. Scripture describes him as frail, cold, and weak, needing constant care in his final days (1 Kings 1:1–4). This decline reflected the toll of unconfessed sin in his earlier years: “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer” (Psalm 32:3–4). Though forgiven, the scars of sin shadowed the latter part of his reign.
A Warning to Us
Man or woman of God, have you fallen into adultery—or are you playing with its temptation? Beware! Sin has consequences. Retrace your steps immediately. Return to Jesus in repentance, confess your sin, and seek His mercy before it tears your life apart. Adultery reduces a man to nothing more than a piece of bread (Proverbs 6:26).
