For eight years in the desert when he was unjustly hunted as a fugitive, David’s faith, though often tested, stood firm. Now again David’s faith is tested, but this time he fails terribly. The case of David and Bathsheba is the great tragedy of David’s life and one which would have serious consequences from here on. This is why the author of Samuel, writing during the Babylonian exile around 400 years later, includes this story here (it is omitted in Chronicles). It would be a sobering lesson for the Jewish exiles who needed to face their failures. So why does David’s faith fail right when he is enjoying the blessings of God’s faithfulness to him? This would seem like the worst time to fall away from God. And indeed it is. But this situation is something God always warned his people about. God knew that blessing and prosperity would breed complacency, and complacency leads us to fall away from God. Here is the warning: “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God…Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands… Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 8:10-14). It isn’t the hard times that test our faith most, it is the good times. These are the times when we have to watch ourselves most vigilantly. How are you going?
Examine your own heart in the light of this.
Read 2 Samuel 11
