A Life Lesson From King David

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Dear Friends,

Temptation: Give In or Resist?

I like to read about the men and women of the Bible. Although it's written in a time centuries before us, their lives are still relevant and we can learn much from them. The Bible doesn't gloss over their sins, mistakes or failures. It tells their whole story - warts and all.

Today I want to look at the account of King David when he was tempted to sleep with Bathsheba. You can find the account here: 2 Samuel 11:1-12:25 if you want to read it first.

There were steps which David took on the road to giving in to temptation and these same steps still apply to us today:

Step 1 - Look: the temptation

Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. 2 Samuel 11:2 (NLT)

At this point, the temptation is not a sin. David had a choice, to leave the roof of his palace and stop looking and stop dwelling on her. We too can choose to remove ourselves (body and mind) from the situation which is causing us temptation.

Step 2 - Desire/covet 

He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 2 Samuel 11:3 (NLT)

David desires her, and can't stop thinking about her and wanting her. 

Step 3: Action 

Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. 2 Samuel 11:4 (NLT)

He has already given in to the temptation in his mind, he now takes action.

For us too, temptation begins in our minds, this then can lead to sin in our hearts and minds even before we sin in deed.

Step 4: One sin leads to another 

Bathsheba becomes pregnant. David plans for Uriah, Bathsheba's husband to return from battle, and sleep with his wife so there would be no reason to believe other than that he is the father of Bathsheba's child. David is hoping to hide any evidence of his sin. But when this doesn't work, David orchestrates Uriah's death on the battlefield. 

David illustrates for us here what is written by James in the New Testament:

And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. James 1:13-15 (NLT)

And it's the same for us. In your own life, can you see how in the past one sin has led to another and another? Has it led to lies, deceit, cheating, stealing etc? 

Our sin breaks and damages our relationships with others. Those closest to us are often hurt the most, and our relationship with God breaks down too. 

However, there is good news for us as we once again see in the life of David.

David showed genuine repentance to God. He realised that he had committed a sin against God and sought God's forgiveness. 

God, in response, forgives David and shows him grace and mercy. God promises to show us grace, mercy and forgiveness when we too genuinely repent of our sin.

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9 (NLT)

“And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” Hebrews 8:12 (NLT)

This is so reassuring to me. God doesn't give up on me when I've sinned. When I show genuine repentance and turn from my sin he doesn't wash his hands of me. He wants to restore my relationship with him. He never stops loving me. He will never stop loving you.

Even when we repent and are forgiven we still have to face the consequences of our actions. You can read what the consequences were for David in 2 Samuel 12:10-12. There are always consequences for the choices we make in life. It can be hard to face those consequences, but God will give us the courage to do just that, to accept them and help us to learn from it.  

Please don't ever mistake the tough situation you are in as a sign that God hasn't forgiven you or God no longer loves you, as that is just not true. 

Although we can experience the wonder of God's love and forgiveness when we have repented of our sin how much better is it for us and for our relationships with others, when we don't give in to temptation in the first place, but rather, resist it?

Let's finish by looking at some practical strategies for resisting temptation.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NLT)

• Stay alert - the Devil is always on the lookout to trip us up and cause us to sin. He knows just what our weaknesses are and how to use them against us.

• Stand firm – know God’s Word, make it an important part of your life, just as Jesus did.

• Be Strong in your faith – grow in your relationship with God, keep close fellowship with him. Our strength comes from having the presence of the Holy Spirit with us. 

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. 2 Timothy 2:22 (NLT)

• Run away from temptation – remove yourself from it, don't put yourself in a situation where you know you are likely to be tempted.

• Pursue a relationship with God - when you focus on your relationship with God, putting him first in your life, then you will find it becomes easier to resist temptation. (Easier but not necessarily easy.)

• Build relationships with others - other Christians can provide us with support, encouragement and accountability, just as we can do the same for them.

To Think About:

Can you think of a time when you gave in to temptation? Can you see how you took the same steps David did?

If God has revealed to you a specific sin of yours and you want to seek his forgiveness, you could use Psalm 51 as your prayer of repentance. It's the Psalm David wrote after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

Consider again the strategies for resisting temptation. Are you already doing these things or is there some you know would be helpful for you to implement? How can you make them a part of your life today?

Vicki

Today's blog post was based on a message I gave at my home church on Sunday 22nd July. If you would like to listen to that message then please click here

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