David & Bathsheba

One of the most grievous stories of the Old Testament is given to us in the 11th and 12th chapters of Second Samuel.  It is the account of King David’s seduction of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah (who himself was incredibly devout to God and unquestionably loyal to David).  The details of this sin in David’s life are all too familiar to us. David was basically lounging around, saw Bathsheba bathing on a roof top and had her fetched to his palace. She was seduced by King David and became pregnant as a result. After unsuccessfully attempting to cover his sin by bringing Uriah home from the battle front on leave (Uriah refused to go home and lay with his wife while the Ark of God and the men of Israel were in tents), David arranged to have Uriah killed on the battlefield.  Following Uriah’s death David brought Bathsheba into his household. Ultimately, though, David was confronted by the prophet Nathan and repented of his sin. That is the story in a nutshell.

Here are the lessons from David and Bathsheba.  Don’t be sitting around the palace when you should be out on the battlefield (it was the spring when kings go to war, not when they hang around the palace).  The temptation of your eyes will ultimately result in the full fledged sin of the body (especially good reminder for men who find themselves entangled with pornography).  One sin leads to another, the seduction of Bathsheba lead to the murder of Uriah (a saying I remember from Doug Parsons was that sin will take you further than you ever intended to go and make you pay more than you ever intended to pay). The consequence of sin can be generational extending even beyond the life of David on to his offspring.  And finally, at the end of it all God is waiting to offer His forgiveness if we can just come to Him in confession and repentance. Too bad that from time to time we are like David in that we sin against God - but the wonderful news is that God is always faithful to forgive and restore.

Not surprisingly, the same situations present themselves today.  In Dallas there is a Christian based ministry headed up by Bob Buford called the Halftime Institute. It is designed for men and women who have reached their life or financial goals and are in the position to decide what comes next.  They are basically trying to decide what to do with the second half of their life.  Just like David needed to be wary of his success as King of Israel, there are a couple of the sobering facts that should make men today especially wary of “success”.  The Halftime Institute reveals that within two years of men reaching their financial goals and retiring to enjoy the good life, most have divorced their wives and within ten years most are dead.  God doesn’t expect us to be hanging around the palace when we need to be about the business of our heavenly father.  The lessons are fundamental: guard our hearts, be busy doing good and always trust in God’s mercy and forgiveness.

- Doug Robison