47 Days of Justice 2024 - Day 5: Looking away from what is right, leads into 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. 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 ‭11:2-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Oh no! King David, weary of battle, stays home to rest, and has let his eyes wander from what is right. Now he sees something that has caught his attention and he is about to enter into temptation.

Temptation is when you have gone beyond the point of just observing or looking at something, gone beyond a random thought. Now, in reaction to some stimulus, desire is stirred. As desire is stirred, thought processes kick in to plan a way to fill that desire as consideration is given to what it would be like to have that, or to do that, etc., if that desire is acted on. That imagination, fully engaging in what had been just an observation or thought, becomes the corridor to destruction.

“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 ‭1:14-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now, there are people who have been doing wrong for so long that it’s anyone’s guess as to when it all began. But make no mistake, it had a beginning.

Even when someone has been doing right for a long time, if for some reason (weariness, disappointment, frustration, boredom, and so on), they waiver from their steadfastness, a perfect storm for sin is on their horizon.

So, King David sees a beautiful woman. [Please bear in mind that at this time, Kings had many wives. And, there’s no need to get into a debate as to whether this was something God ordained or not. It’s just the way it was, and is descriptive, not prescriptive.] Naturally, David wants to know who she is.

Now, here comes his moment of decision: David hears that this very beautiful woman is someone else’s wife. Prudence would have ended the matter in David‘s heart and mind, knowing that Bathsheba belonged to someone else. But, when you have wavered from your steadfastness and looked away from what is right, upon seeing something that stirs desire, the carnal mind will attempt to block any argument of conscience, often, by employing rationalization (see “Day 2”).

Many times, when confronted with temptation, we tell ourselves that we’re just having a flirtation in our mind about something and we will know when to stop. After all, we know where the “line” is.

You may look at someone who has done something so heinous that you wonder what “sort” of a person could do such a thing. Well, many times, it is the sort of person who—just like you—thought they would never cross the line they are about to cross. But getting too close to that line, proved to give a place for the devil to push them from temptation into evil doing.

Think of it, haven’t you engaged in some dangerous behavior (e.g., peeling something towards you with a sharp knife, looking away from the road when driving, not chocking a car on an extreme slope, etc.), and nothing went wrong…until it did?

“and give no opportunity to the devil.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:27‬ ‭ESV

James’ admonition in the above scripture, is regarding continuing to allow anger to fester. But this admonition is applicable to the entertaining of any sort of deviation from what is right before God, deviation from what is holy.

But, back to King David. He has seen something he wants, and been told that it belongs to somebody else. Surely he knows where the “line” is. Doesn’t he?

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#resolveforhim #47DaysOfJustice