“But all the men of Israel complained to the king, “The men of Judah stole the king and didn’t give us the honor of helping take you, your household, and all your men across the Jordan.” The men of Judah replied, “The king is one of our own kinsmen. Why should this make you angry? We haven’t eaten any of the king’s food or received any special favors!” “But there are ten tribes in Israel,” the others replied. “So we have ten times as much right to the king as you do. What right do you have to treat us with such contempt? Weren’t we the first to speak of bringing him back to be our king again?” The argument continued back and forth, and the men of Judah spoke even more harshly than the men of Israel.”
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2 Samuel‬ ‭19‬:‭41‬-‭43‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David was not a contentious man. He had spent a lifetime being needlessly pursued and persecuted by others only to show them grace. He loved his enemies and forgave any transgression against him, except that which explicitly went against God. Even so, his behavior with Bathsheba left an opening for sin to take hold amongst his people. Where they were once unified in their love and fealty for David, they now stood fractured. They were divided on whether David was really fit to be the king anymore. David had finally returned to his throne, but not without uncertainty. The kingdom had been irrevocably damaged by his sin. It should be a fair warning to us in our own sin. David may not have exited his sin compromised in his character, but his reputation was forever stained. Though God, in David’s contrition, deemed him a man after his own heart, he no longer appeared it to the watching world. The grace that David had always shown to others would not be shown to him as king any longer. Now he had to work for the unity he had once enjoyed and the fealty that he still deserved.

David’s Character: A man of grace and forgiveness, except for sins against God.

Impact of David’s Sin: Fractured the kingdom’s unity and damaged David’s reputation as king.

Consequence of David’s Sin: Lost the automatic grace and fealty of his people, requiring effort to regain trust.