“…But
the thing David had done displeased the Lord.”
2
Samuel 11:27b
Most
of the recent postings on this blog have focused on the admirable quality
traits that King David possessed. His kindness. His patience. His
worship-centered spirit. Etc. But David was certainly not a perfect man, and
today’s review reminds us of that fact. If David’s weaknesses could be placed
under a spiritual microscope the reoccurring fault that would require the most
examination would be his sensual/sexual improprieties. David was unable to
remain satisfied martially with just one woman. Over time, he slowly and surely
collected a bevy of wives. In the process, he marginalized the sanctity of
marriage and created an improper wedded balance, choosing to gratify physical
pleasure alone, rather than complementing it with emotional and relational
intimacy.
Today
we observe a dark moment that forever changed David’s life: the moment David
committed adultery with Bathsheba. The king of Israel found himself as a
crossroads of sorts, and he chose the wrong path. The journey that David
embarked upon as a result of his affair with Bathsheba was laced with pain,
betrayal, and regret. This biblical narrative provides believers of God sober
warning about the ultimate dissatisfaction and destruction that sin generates
in our lives.
Scripture
affirms that David was a fierce warrior. He was not afraid to fight, even when
the odds appeared stacked against him. Therefore, it is somewhat surprising to
note that David was not leading Israel’s army as they were engaged in battle in
2 Samuel 11:1. The reason for David’s absence from war is not given. But the
consequence of this decision would cost David. One night, David, perhaps unable
to sleep, got out of bed and strolled along the roof of the palace. As he
looked around Jerusalem he noticed a beautiful woman bathing. The curiosity
about this woman’s identity plagued him, so he quickly charged a palace staffer
to ascertain her name. When informed that the mystery woman was a married lady
named Bathsheba David later sent for her, and slept with her.
Part
of what makes this story so compelling is that a few small seemingly
insignificant mistakes can lead to a crisis of epic proportion. Why wasn’t
David with Israel’s army? Why couldn’t David sleep that fateful night? Why did
David believe city gazing would cure his inability to rest? Why was Bathsheba publicly
washing so indiscreetly? Why did Bathsheba surrender to David’s sexual
advances? The sequence of unwise decisions that David and Bathsheba unleashed
set in motion a string of events that not only negatively impacted them, but it
cast an adverse net over many others. Their affair led to conspiracy,
deception, murder, rivalry, and sorrow.
When
we fall, we fall greatly. David had virtually everything one could ask for.
God’s favor and blessing. Wealth and prosperity. Power and fame. People who
were enthralled by him, and vehemently loyal to him. Yet he was not content
with it all. He hungered for more. Women essentially became carnal conquests. Unaddressed
sin is so dangerous because it longs to be fulfilled in the flesh. David lost
much in the aftermath of his infidelity with Bathsheba. He lost credibility
with Joab, his army general. He lost the child conceived in the adulterous act with
Bathsheba. He lost self-dignity. It was a transformative moment, but for all
the wrong reasons.
In
sum, sin offers nothing spiritual redeeming or beneficial, which is why God is
so eager to steer us away from succumbing to it. May David’s biblical fall,
along with our own past and present transgressions, compel us to be on guard
against sin’s allure, and properly shield ourselves from yielding to it. May we
buffer against the dissatisfying, destructive temptation of iniquity by
injecting ourselves daily with the Word of God, and pray continuously for doses
of divine strength, discipline, and integrity.
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