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2 Samuel 11:26-27,  When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.  After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

This is a story that most of us know too well.  David messes up bigtime.  But I think it’s important that we realize this didn’t just happen.  There were certain circumstances that led David down this dark path.

Let’s look at the beginning of the chapter.  In the very first verse, it says that it was springtime when the kings go off to war.  David sent his commander, Joab, but he stays in Jerusalem.  David is a warrior.  That’s his giftedness.  But rather than go to war with his men, he decides to lounge around Jerusalem.

We all need downtime but there is a difference between downtime and idleness.  For whatever reason, David decides not to do what he is called to do and to simply waste time in the palace.  When we don’t feel purposeful, when we have too much time on our hands, when we’re not actively engaging in our faith, then that’s usually when things go awry.  And boy did things go wrong for David.

You know the story.  He sees Bathsheba bathing (hmmm…why was this Godly king hanging on the roof watching the women bathe?), finds her beautiful, and decides he must have her.  I want you to think about this.  He is the king of Israel.  She is the wife of a soldier.  My guess is she doesn’t have a lot of choice in the situation.  There is something we call that in today’s language – rape.  This man, who has always been so dedicated to God, going to great lengths to follow God’s will, has now raped a woman.

But it gets worse.  She becomes pregnant.  To cover-up this issue, he sends Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, into battle on the front lines, where he will surely be killed.  Now, David has added murder to his list of offenses.  After Bathsheba mourns her husband, David brings her into his home to be his wife.  But the Lord was displeased.

So we have to ask – what in the world happened to David?  From chapter 10 and the battle with the Ammonites to today’s chapter, what went on in David’s heart and mind?  To say he drifted from God would kind of be an understatement.  The idleness probably didn’t help but there had to be more, much more.  He became like the kings in the nations around him.  He forgot who he was and to whom he belonged.  He totally lost his way.

As I reflected on this chapter and passed some pretty significant judgment on David, God really hit me over the head.  Friends, we all have the potential to lose our way.  We all have the potential to be David and I think it behooves us to recognize that.  

What’s the answer then?  I don’t exactly know except that we have to be very, very intentional to walk close to Jesus every single day, every single second.  On our own, we drift and we lose our way.  We allow all kinds of sin to creep into our hearts and lives.  We need Jesus.  You need Jesus.  I need Jesus.  Not a little Jesus every now and then.  But all of Jesus all the time.

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, We need you all the time – when we wake-up, as we go about our day, as we close our eyes at night.  We need you.  Help us remember who and whose we are.  We belong to you.  More of you and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.