Lessons From Kingsنموونە
King David - Location, Lies, and Letting Go
In real estate, it is often said that "location is everything" and in the life of King David that thought held true. Think about this, David was delivering sandwiches to his brothers and Goliath got in his way, making him famous! Unfortunately, just like a shack on the beach is worth big bucks, a mansion on a mud hill is worthless. In King David's story, this held true too .
2 Samuel 11 speaks of a time in David's life where an improper location cost him, big time. We read "In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war" how David stayed back home and found himself restless, on a roof top, and watching a woman bathe. King David was in the improper location, which set him up to be tempted. The enemy knows where we should be and he knows how to tempt us when we are out of alignment.
David saw how beautiful Bathsheba was and inquired about her, finding she was married to one of his men. A few verses later, we find David committing adultery and Bathsheba getting pregnant. Uriah (Bathsheba's man) came home from war causing the situation to spiral out of control as David weaved a web of deceit and ultimately had Uriah killed in battle in order to cover up the scandal. But God knows everything and sent His prophet Nathan to show David his mistakes (2 Samuel 12:1-12).
Location led to temptation which led to sin which led to cover ups which led to a choice! David being the man of God he was, humbled himself before God and repented asking for forgiveness. He let go of the web of lies and accepted the consequences his sin brought. We read later that the child of the affair died, but King David's story doesn't stop there as he continued on to be "a man after God's own heart."
David allowed his improper placement to pull him away from God’s will; however, he didn’t let his sinful actions remove him from the ultimate plan and purpose that God had for his life! Just like David, we are vulnerable to temptation and sin when the enemy finds us in an improper location in our walk; however, we can always seek repentance and move back to where God wants us to be. We get to make the choice and it always takes action on our part.
Reflection:
Have you ever found yourself in a place you shouldn't be, being tempted to sin? Have you ever tried to cover up sinful actions in your life? Have you ever dealt with the consequences of mistakes you have made?
Despite your failures, God still has a purpose for your life. Choose admittance, repentance, and acceptance allowing God to restore you today!
About this Plan
Most people have favorite books of the Bible but 1 and 2 Kings are not usually high on the list! The lives of the Kings in the Old Testament offer a wealth of wisdom. In this devotional, we will look at the accounts of Saul, David, Solomon, Josiah, and Jesus. By drawing lessons from their recorded failures and successes we can gain wisdom to apply to our lives today.
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