The Camel in Your Tent - the Enemy’s Subtle Tactic Robbing Our Effectiveness in the MarketplaceSýnishorn

Today we will explore a biblical example whereby a man did not recognize the enemy subtly leading him further and further into sin. This story can be found in 2 Samuel 11 and focuses on David’s actions surrounding Bathsheba, a woman living nearby who was married to Uriah.

The start of David’s ruin was when he first saw Bathsheba bathing from his palace roof (2 Samuel 11:2). He did not look away and move on but continued to watch. This was the moment the camel’s nose entered his tent.

Following this, David’s response was to send his servants to find out about Bathsheba and bring her to the palace (2 Samuel 11:3-4). This act had now allowed the camel’s head into this tent.

David then committed adultery with Bathsheba, and she became pregnant (2 Samuel 11:4-5). Therefore, the camel’s neck was now in the tent.

After David heard that Bathsheba had conceived a child, he tried to cover up his sin and, in the end, devised a plan to kill Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband (2 Samuel 11:6-24). After Uriah had been killed, David then married Bathsheba. He had allowed the camel to take over his whole tent, leaving him alone in the cold desert.

The consequences of allowing the camel into the tent had generational devastation for his family. Firstly, David’s newborn baby experienced significant pain and died seven days later. Years later, David’s son, Absalom, rebelled against David and publicly humiliated him by sleeping with all his concubines. It is interesting, that Absalom betrayed his father through a sexual act – the same sin that David had committed with Bathsheba. This fulfilled Nathan’s prophecy to David in 2 Samuel 12:12 “What you did in private, will be done to you in public.” Additionally, David’s son, Solomon, was also sexually perverted, evidenced by the fact he had 1000 wives and concubines. This was the cost of letting the camel into David’s tent.