“Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, ‘Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’ » (2 Samuel 11:2, 3).
WHAT WAS DAVID DOING on the roof of his house at the time the kings were going out to battle? The armies of Israel, under Joab’s command, confronted the Ammonites in Rabbah, but instead of commanding his faithful soldiers, David preferred to stay in Jerusalem. Why?
The problem was that, as Israel’s external defenses strengthened, the internal defenses of David’s character were weakening. The borders of his kingdom had reached the level of development predicted by the Lord to Abraham (see Genesis 15:18-21). As Israel’s leader, David enjoyed the respect and admiration of his own people and of strangers. Moreover, the nation’s economy had reached its highest level of prosperity. What could he ask for that he did not already have? And whom could he possibly fear?
What David did not know was that his own success would end up being his greatest enemy, and that his life of comfort would expose him to a greater danger than that of any foreign army. As Patriarchs and Prophets rightly states, «It was the spirit of self-confidence and self-exaltation that prepared the way for David’s fall. . . . David was surrounded by the fruits of victory and the honors of his wise and able rule. It was now, while he was at ease and unguarded, that the tempter seized the opportunity to occupy his mind.» —ch. 71, pp. 717, 718).
In other words, David’s transgression, more than a fall, was a slip-up, a gradual fall. Imperceptibly, his trust in God was weakening, and when temptation came upon him, he did not flee. Before he realized it, his evil desires were awakened, and the result was sin and death.
What does the fall of this great man of God teach us? First, that our only security is to depend on God and His Word every day, both in our successes and in our failures. The second thing is that for our own good, we must stay away from the terrace!
Have you identified your «terrace» yet? Whether it’s a place, a person, or a thing, stay away from temptation! Matthew Henry was correct when he said, «Don’t go near the forbidden tree, unless you want to eat the forbidden fruit!»‘
Help me, dear Lord, to maintain a close communion with You every day; and please give me the will I need to stay away, far away, from temptation!
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
