TEMPTATION THAT LEADS TO SIN
TEMPTATION THAT LEADS TO SIN
It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.” —II Samuel 11:2-5
David was out for a walk. He should have been at the battle with his men. While walking he saw a woman bathing. At that point he should have looked away and walked away, but he didn’t. He looked upon her and observed that she was very beautiful and temptation started to enter his mind. He should have walked away… speedily, but he did not. He formulated a plan. The temptation was turning to sin. He inquired as to who the woman was and then sent messengers to bring her to him. He should have stopped, but he didn’t. He lay with her and then she went home, but shortly sent a message that she was pregnant.
David quickly formulated another plan to try and cover his wicked deed. He had Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, sent back to him from the battlefield. Uriah was a faithful soldier to David and was willing to put his life on the line for his king. When Uriah arrived David asked how the battle was going and then got Uriah drunk in hopes he would go down and have sexual relations with his wife. In this way he thought he would “cover his tracks” and nobody would know. But Uriah was dedicated to the king and to his fellow soldiers and stayed with the soldiers. He would not go down to his own house (II Samuel 11:13).
David quickly formulated yet another plan to try and cover his wicked deed. He wrote a letter to the commander of the army, Joab, and told him to set Uriah in the heat of the battle and withdraw from him. David sent the letter of Uriah’s planned death by Uriah’s own hand to deliver to his commander. And so it happened, Uriah was put into the heart of the battle and was killed (II Samuel 14-17). I am sure King David felt a sense of relief, thinking now his wicked deed would not be found out.
David quickly formulated another plan to try and cover his wicked deed. After Bathsheba was done mourning for her husband he sent for her and she became his wife (II Samuel 11:26). “There,” I am sure he thought, “Everything is OK now.” But there was One that knew and He was displeased with what David had done!
Then came along Nathan the prophet and told David about a man who had many sheep, but when the man had a visitor instead of killing one of his own sheep he went and took by force the only sheep of a man who had loved that sheep. He killed the man’s sheep and gave it to his guest. David was outraged and said, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity” and Nathan responded to David, “You are the man!” (II Samuel 12:5-7).
How much time goes into our thinking, planning to cover up our sin? Temptation is not sin; it is when we give in to that temptation and act upon it… that is sin. That is what David did and he worked hard to cover his tracks. Are you? Are you trying to hide some sin from people? God knows and “you may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). Repent (turn from) and confess (I John 1:9). He is gracious to forgive!
Dear Father please help me when I am tempted and flee from that temptation. If and when I sin, please help me not to seek to hide it, but confess immediately to You. May this be so in the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Jesus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ZWEO36jok My desire is not to sin against You!