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 11:2
Reading the tragic story of David’s affair with Bathsheba, the Bible reveals something remarkable about temptation: seldom does it ever present itself to us with an old and disheveled appearance. No, sin most always presents itself with a certain beauty and charm that seems undeniable.
But deny it we must.
The apostle James writes, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed” (James 1: 13-14).
Here, James tells us that the spiral into sin begins with a harmful thought, and this thought isn’t from God. We would all do well to awaken to this great truth! And these thoughts are sure to come, as we all have selfish pride and fleshly desires that are always waging war within us. But we are never to allow these thoughts to take us captive.
But even before David notices this beautiful woman, the author points out something very peculiar about the setting of this situation in the opening verse.
“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. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem” (2 Sam. 11:1).
David wasn’t where he was supposed to be. How often is it that sin finds us in places where we’re not supposed to be? Isn’t this where the spiral begins? Standing on the roof of a palace; sitting in a bar by ourselves; a phone number written on a slip of paper tucked in a coat pocket… a friend request from an old acquaintance on Facebook; a texting conversation that becomes more than just casual conversation. Temptation is always lurking nearby. And while it might seem harmless initially, our hearts conceal what our minds are thinking. These are from satan, not God.
He was enticed by the beauty of sin and dragged away by his own evil desire. James tells us what happens next.
“Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:15).
Death, you say? Yes. The plot to conceal his affair with Bathsheba not only ends with the death of her husband Uriah, but also the deaths of several of his fellow soldiers. And later on, the death of the child that David and Bathsheba had conceived that afternoon. Death, death, and more death. But more than that, the worst kind of death – the separation from God.
If only David had given more thought while standing and gazing on the palace roof that day… Things had been going well for him up to this point. God had looked favorably upon his reign, his people loved him, and he was victorious over all of his enemies. But his eyes betrayed him. David clearly had a problem with women. And because of this, no one would ever think of him without thinking about this tragic story. Although victorious in all of his military battles, the battle he lost with himself would haunt him for the remainder of his life.
Temptation to sin can happen to the godliest of people. None of us is immune from what happened to David. Are we where we’re supposed to be? Can we see through the outward beauty of sin and cringe at what lies beneath?
May we be ever mindful of David’s example, remembering that beauty isn’t in the eye of the beholder, but rather in the heart of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Former Blackout Artist 