Safety in Service
28th JANUARY, 2021
In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army… But David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful [2 Samuel 11:1–2 NIV]
While Kings were at war, David stayed home, a few verses later he committed murder. That escalated quickly, wouldn’t you say? Who would believe that a man skipping his duties for a few days could result in a murder? Yet that is exactly what happened in the rest of the chapter.
The verses above begin the story of David’s most popular failure: adultery with Bathsheba. The passage tells us clearly that David was home at a time when he was supposed to be out serving the nation at war.
It was not long before boredom led him to take a stroll on his roof where he saw a beautiful woman bathing and shortly after, he tasted what did not belong to him. The woman got pregnant, and after unsuccessfully trying to trick her husband into taking responsibility for the pregnancy, David had him killed to cover his tracks.
It would all have been avoided if David had gone to war at the appointed time. Yes, wars are dangerous, but David’s service in the army would have kept him far away from another man’s wife and God’s punishment. In case you are unaware, we are at war. There are no peace talks with the devil. He wants to slit the throats of you and everyone you love.
Every time we allow our focus to shift, we put ourselves in danger of falling. That is why Paul said: “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” [Galatians 5:16]. He went on to tell Timothy: “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs…” [2 Timothy 2:4].
Child of God, remain engaged in service for it will keep you safe! You become a target for the enemy the longer you stay off duty.
Heavenly Father, please help me to commit to serving You with all my heart and keep me safe always. In Jesus name, Amen.
Further Readings: Isaiah 54:17
Bible In One Year: Genesis [41–44]
