2 Samuel 11:2
“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.”
David is one of the most famous men in history. He was a gifted singer, song writer and musician. By today’s standards, he would be considered a superstar. He was also a war hero, who led armies to great victory. No doubt, in that era, David would experience the same treatment as our most famous athletes. His popularity spread throughout the nation, so much so, that songs were being written about him. After reading of a lifetime of successes, we come to a striking passage where we read,
“. . . it happened one evening. . .”
One evening forever changed the life of David. What a different testimony he would have had if only the events of that evening had gone differently. Had he closed the blinds, stayed off the balcony, heeded the warning signs, or even admitted his mistakes, the rest of his life would have been drastically different. It seems to me, David made certain compromises along the way, making it next to impossible for him to resist the temptation of the bathing Bathsheba.
First, although David was a married man, he allowed the culture to define his married life, rather than the Word of God. In our world, when a person succeeds, it is common to get a new car, house, or some bling. In David’s day, when the oriental kings succeeded, they would add wives. The more wives, the greater your success. However, multiplying wives violated the Word of God.
Second, it seems David had learned to compartmentalize his life. As wives and concubines increased, he still worshipped, offered sacrifices, planned for a Temple, and ruled the nation. He truly loved God, but he struggled with his flesh. It was not until he came in contact with Bathsheba, that his subtly sown seeds of disobedience caught up with him, and he fell into adultery. David ultimately faced a temptation so great that he could not resist.
The same is true for each of us. Those careless glances and long stares will build a fire that will one day burn us. The battle for our holiness, purity, and even our marriages, is won long before the temptation is faced. It is daily living that will give the victory. A marathon is won at the alarm clock, the breakfast table, the donut shop, as much as it is won on the track and field. If we hope to win the battle for holiness, we must win the battle at the computer terminal, the magazine rack ,and the TV screen.
Third, once David fell, he spent his time with a cover up. He learned the art of private browsing and how to delete his search history. This cover up had a devastating effect upon his life. The man who was once filled with such mercy that he spared the life of Saul, is the same man who is ready to kill a man for stealing a lamb. Sin had so hardened David, he began to change. He was no longer recognizable as the “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). Guilt is like that. It has the ability to harden, the heart like tempered steel, so we are changed into someone we never wanted to become.
Fortunately, this is not the end of the story. David repented. A marriage that began in a bad way, was redeemed by God. A woman who once seduced the king, found her way in the genealogy of Christ. it is important to remember, no matter how badly we have fallen, His grace is greater than all our sin. It has been said that He is a bigger Savior than I am a sinner.
No matter how you have fallen, Jesus wants to restore you, and redeem what has been destroyed. He can redeem a broken life, a shattered marriage, and a destroyed witness, if you will let Him. It is time to make David’s prayer the cry of your heart.
Psalms 51:10
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Pastor Jim
Without giving us the details, David describes the condition of his life as being in a horrible pit of miry clay. A mire is an area of wet spongy earth, like a bog or marsh. David was saying he was stuck in a very difficult place, and it seemed as though there was no escape. Unfortunately, life can be like that. Even when we are walking with the Lord, we come to times of great difficulties that seem to carry on and on, without hope of ever ending. Sometimes, these miry bogs are the result of what appears to be unrelenting waves of trials. Before we get our head up from one strike, we are hit with another. John Bunyan referred to these times as “The Slough of Despond.” if you are currently facing one of these times in your Christian walk, be encouraged with two things.
It is easy to become weary in the service of the Lord. This is especially true when it seems we have failed. David sent a group of men as ambassadors of Israel to King Hanun of Ammon. He desired to show kindness to the king after the loss of his father, Nahash. What seemed to be a relatively easy mission, turned out to be an embarrassing failure. Instead of being met with kindness, these men were treated with contempt. King Hanun’s men shaved off half their beards, and cut their robes so that their buttocks hung out, then sent them home in shame. Ammon’s actions were such as to incite war and Joab led the charge. As the battle was about to begin, Joab encouraged the men, by reminding them what they were fighting for.
I am a sports fan. I enjoy watching a variety of athletics, and am always fascinated when an athlete achieves victory, almost effortlessly. No matter what the opponents do, they are unable to stop him. Over the years, I have come to understand that those who seem to win with the least effort, are really the ones who have put in the most effort. They are the ones who are first in the gym and last out. Their diets, workouts, sleep patterns, even off days, are regimented so as to keep them in the best possible condition for victory.
During the reign of Saul, Israel faced constant attack from within and without. From within, they faced uprisings from the Philistines; while beyond their borders, they were threatened by Moab, Ammon, and Syria. Saul’s foreign policy was to react to attacks as they came; once an enemy showed signs of attacking the armies of Israel, they would respond. David had a different approach. He decided to go on the offensive and remove the threats once and for all, even drawing a line in the sand to make his stance very clear. 
Reflecting upon the Lord, and what He has done for you, is a valuable asset to your walk with God. David thought back to the time when he was the forgotten son of Jesse, caring for a few sheep in the outskirts of Bethlehem. His memory was flooded with the call God placed upon his life, and the amazing way he climbed from shepherd to king. His story is one filled with times of tremendous faith, as well as bouts of weakness and yielding to the flesh. Through all of his experience, David would say “. . . O Lord, You have brought me this far.”
This Psalm is written as a result of David’s meditation upon what motivates people to sin. It seems to me, if we can understand what leads to sinning, we can avoid a lot of pitfalls. According to David, the number one reason for sinning, is “there is no fear of God.” To fear God means to be more concerned with pleasing God, than pleasing self or others. When a person puts God first in their life, and seeks to do what pleases Him, he will avoid much of what leads to sin.
Looking back on the history of Israel, there are certain days that stand out above others. The day Abraham received the covenant, the day Israel was set free from Egypt, and the day Joshua led the nation across the Jordan. These are but a few of the nation’s highlights. I don’t think it a stretch to add the day the Ark of the covenant was delivered to Jerusalem. This was a day of national celebration, including music, dancing, feasting and sacrifice. It seems the whole city turned out for this festive celebration. There was, no doubt, a buzz of excitement in the air as people celebrated the goodness of God, and made public confessions of faith. It is with this as a backdrop,that we read these awful words, “Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.”
After taking the throne and ruling over all of Israel, David focused his attention on three crucial areas that would help to guarantee a long and successful reign.
Jim Gallagher 