“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 Samuel 11:1, NIV)
Surrendering to the temptation of sin cost King David dearly. When you read the rest of 2 Samuel 11, you discover he not only committed adultery with Bathsheba, but even tried to conceal his sin by ordering the death of her innocent husband, Uriah. Could David have avoided this sin? An AAR (After-Action Review) of this episode yields a valuable clue in the phrase “at the time when kings go off to war.” Although it cannot be proven, it seems fair to suppose that David would not have committed this sin had he been with his army. “But David remained in Jerusalem.”
Two applications seem evident here. First, avoiding the disasters of sin often begins by consciously staying away from situations that tempt us to do the wrong thing. Secondly, giving serious thought to the adverse consequences of sin can dissuade us from committing the wrong act. Sin can be avoided. Everyone wins.
