The Devil's Playground

But David remained at Jerusalem (2 Samuel 11:1)

​When we read about the tragic event surrounding the adulterous affair of David and Bathsheba, the way the story begins is very telling.  “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.”  Notice: “the time when kings go out to battle…But David remained in Jerusalem.”  Why was David not out leading the battles like all the other kings?  Why did he send Joab instead?  We may never know why, but one thing we do know is that David was not doing what he was supposed to be doing and he was not where he should have been.  This leads to David walking around on the roof of his palace during the day when he sees Bathsheba bathing.  His lust and covetousness kick in and then we are told that “David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her.”  David was in a place he should not have been, doing what he should not have been doing, at a time when he should not have been there.  How often does this describe us when we fall into sin and temptation?  It’s for this reason scripture says in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  And in Ephesians 5:15, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time,…”  We can avoid a great many sins and temptations and heartache when we engage our minds in the study of scripture, in the reading of theology, and engage our time and energy in ministering to the saints and reaching the lost.  When we are in places where we should be, doing what we should be doing, at a time when we should be there, we won’t have time to fool with sin.  David is a living illustration of that old adage: ‘An idle mind and idle hands are the devil’s playground.’