The year I
studied David’s story for the first time, I was as devastated with his fall
from grace as much as I was enthralled by the Israelite boy who slew a lion and
a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-36) and ‘the uncircumcised Philistine who dared to defy
the armies of the living God’ because ‘there was a cause in Israel’ (1 Samuel 17:26,29).
His Israelite blood coursing through his veins with valour and warrior spirit
won my heart. I considered him one of the inspirational voices of the Old
Testament as I followed his rise from the heroic Israelite boy to the king of
the golden age of Israel.
David’s
achievements impressed me but his psalms blew me away. His words appealed to the
poet in me. I was enchanted by the depth of his soulful worship of Jehovah and
the national sovereignty of Israel that was so closely knit with his heart. However,
I learnt much from David and his humanity. He showed very well that no matter
how high you climb, the ground beneath your feet is never 100% steady. In this
life of uncertainty, if we are not alert enough, we will likely one day fall. The
worst of it is when the fall costs you your exaltation.
Despite all his great accomplishments David made one very big
error of judgment. He became very comfortable as a monarch of a successful
kingdom. This comfort zone became detrimental to his ability to endure to the
end. As his kingdom ran like a well-oiled machine, his approach to his kingly
duties became somewhat lax. "At the time when kings go forth to
battle" (2 Sam 11:1) David chose to send Joab and all Israel to fight
Ammonites while he remained in Jerusalem, strolling upon the roof of his house
to cool off in the heat of the night.
This was David's first and big mistake that began his gradual
demise into depths of sin from which he could not extricate himself. Sin seldom
happens in one giant leap. As Elder Boyd K. Packer says: "I don't think
anyone steps off a precipice into the depths of immorality and apostasy. They
slide down the slippery sides of the chasm...." (Improvement Era. May
1970, p. 7)
It would seem that David didn't think he needed his armour of God
on such a hot night while he was lounging and relaxing away from battle but the
adversary doesn't take sabbaticals and he took advantage of David's lack of
protection. David spotted a temptation bigger than the Goliath he slew so
valiantly some years prior. Not turning away once he happened to see a woman
washing herself his gaze lingered enough to discover she was beautiful. Not
content with leaving it there, he inquired about her. This should have stopped
him in his tracks for the reply he got was that her name was Bathsheba (which
means "daughter of the covenant") and that she was married to a man
called Uriah (which means "Jehovah is my light").
The adultery that happened next was tragic but what happened after
it was devastating. David dared to believe that he could conceal his sin, not
just from Israel but from God. As he devised one plan after another to cover
his sin, he developed a treacherous character that led him to the loss of his
salvation. When he failed to entice Uriah to spend time with his wife so that
the conceived child could be passed off as his, David allowed the spirit of
murder to enter his heart. He devised a plan that would ensure Uriah's death at
the front lines of battle and took Bathsheeba to be his wife.
At what point do you think David could have stopped himself from
advancing towards the edge of the precipice? None of this need have happened if
David was at the right place at the right time, namely, out on the battlefield
instead of the roof of his house.
A warrior with a battle he so tragically lost….a loss that no
doubt pierced the heart of Jehovah…..
What win I
if I gain the thing I seek?
A dream, a
breath, a froth of fleeting joy?
Who buys a
minute's myrth to wail a week
Or sells
eternity to get a toy?
For one
sweet grape, who would the vine destroy?
Or what
fond beggar but to touch the crown,
Would with
the scepter straight be stricken down.
- William Shakespeare
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: David's First Victory by William Strutt (1825-1915)
