Displeased the LORD.

The account of David and Bathsheba, contained mostly in 2 Samuel 11, is a riveting example of an otherwise faithful person making a bad decision, and then piling other bad decisions on top in a sad attempt to cover up his first bad decision.

The final two verses of that chapter imply that David might have successfully gotten away with his wicked scheme. But then comes the bone chilling final sentence of that chapter (2 Samuel 11:27, KJV),

But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

Yikes! We wouldn't want to be in David's shoes!

Of course, we often put ourselves in exactly those shoes. We engage in some action, concoct some scheme, or follow some path that directly violates God's commandments. We might not even consider God, and when we (temporarily) get away with it, we think no-harm-no-foul!

Before embarking upon any action, we must stop to contemplate whether it might displease God. Had David done that, he could have avoided some of the horrific grief that would soon fall upon him.