Reading passage: 2 Samuel 11. 1- 17
“The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths; … shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? 2. Sam 11:11
It was wartime. Kings were expected to be in the battleground! King David, nevertheless, decided to take rest and, that culminated in his moral fall. Lazy people fall in to sin. Had David gone to the warfront, he would never have seen Bathsheba bathing and fallen in to adultery with her. (At least he could have prayed for the soldiers… After all, it was evening, his prayer time! Ps. 55:17) Satan speaks more to idle people. Better be busy with Godly matters.
Stumbling on a steep path does not end up in one single fall. We fall and roll! This is what happened to David. To cover up his one sin, he committed many more sins! Crookedly he asked his soldier Uriah, the Hittite, husband of Bathsheba, to go home and spend the night with his wife. Remember, he was a Hittite, not pure Israelite. Nevertheless, he said… “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths; and my lord Jo’ab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” 2 Sam 11:11
Look how loyal he was towards his mission! He could think of nothing, but war! His personal pleasures did not touch him…
Here, is an underlying question to David… King David, how could you eat, drink and indulge in lustful pleasures when your people are camping in the open field to capture terrains for you? You even went for illegitimate pleasures, while Uriah chose to deny normal things like eating and drinking at home and sleeping with his wife…
We see a pleasure loving society around us. Even people like David, mighty men of the Lord, men “after Gods own heart” are after personal pleasures! “What is wrong with enjoying life?” they ask. The answer is… the battle of the Lord is undone… How can we?
Prayer: Lord, I know that I cannot indulge in worldly pleasures as the battle of the Lord is yet unfinished. Help me to be busy with Godly affairs, Amen
Further reading: 2 Samuel 23 13-17 1 Corinthians 7. 29-31
