I've been reading the Book of Samuel 1&2 recently, which primarily concerns David, a king of Israel.
If you're at all familiar with his story, you know that Daniel was a man after GOD's own heart -- he loved the LORD dearly, and the GOD loved him from his youth. No doubt you know also about David and Goliath...how David killed the mighty man (the Tanakh doesn't say Goliath was a giant) using only a sling shot. That was the beginning of 'stardom' for young David, as GOD never let him lose a battle (as far as I've read, anyway). GOD gave him a kingship, territories, wives, riches and anything his heart could desire.
But one day, as David was walking on the balcony or roof of his castle, he spied a beautiful woman bathing. He had his servants fetch her. King David and the woman -- whom he discovered was married to one of his soldiers -- had sex and he sent her on her way.
2 Samuel 11 (NKJV): 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. 3 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?” 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.
Remember, David already had numerous wives and concubines. Also, the Commandments says folks aren't to covet -- desire that which belongs to someone else -- nor to commit adultery. But apparently the very just and wise King David gave no thought to the law.
So everything was going fine until this woman found out she was preggers with the King's baby. Uh-oh. What was David going to do? Fess up and ask his loyal subject and GOD for forgiveness and try to smooth things over? Nope. King David decided first he'd try his hand at some trickery.
He called back the woman's soldier husband from the battlefield and tried to get him to go home...since men who've been away at war for long periods of time want to hook up with the wife as soon as they return...I guess. But the loyal soldier remained at the castle to protect the King. Oh well, that didn't work too great. What now?
David then decided to have this loyal, innocent soldier placed at the front of the battle so that he would be killed. Sure enough, that plan worked. So David brings the newly widowed woman with child into his home and plans to go on with life as usual after having just committed sins of adultery, lust, coveting and murder. However, GOD wasn't going to turn a blind eye -- kings, common folk, priests, prophets, etc. aren't exempt from His law.
So GOD judged David by killing the baby and cursing his house with violence. Overtime, one of David's male sons raped his half-sister; another son killed that brother in revenge; the murderous son eventually seizes the kingdom from David, who ends up on the run. How far the mighty have fallen!
As I was reading these passages, I kept wondering how David could have so easily sinned, so easily forgotten his GOD's laws. After all, he was the one his servants came to for judgment and settling disputes, and his decisions were usually righteous and fair. What on earth was he thinking by taking another man's wife and then murdering the man? He could have had any other woman on the planet! Now GOD had to take him low for him to regain his right standing with the LORD.
But we all do that, don't we? We're not so different from David. We say we love the LORD, yet many of us still have yet to kick these nasty, unrighteous, unbecoming habits...like drunkenness, greed, cursing, lusting, fornication, cheating, stealing, lying, etc. None of us are perfect, but goodness, if you can't be distinguished from the rest of the world then what kind of Christian are you? That is the whole point, after all, isn't it? To separated from the world because you do not do as the world does. You do as Jesus the King does...live a clean life.
Is there anything in particular that you're trying to change in your life to improve your walk with GOD? As for me, I'm trying to work on my temper...I have too many knee jerk reactions to some things that should be handled with a bit more maturity and calmness.
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