2 Samuel 11:2: “Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.”

June 20th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This chapter of 2 Samuel is the scriptural record of perhaps the most infamous act of adultery in all of human history—King David and Bathsheba. It took place in spring, the time of year when because of better weather and plenty of food from the harvested winter crops, kings would led their armies out to battle. But for some reason, that year, David stayed back and sent his men to battle without him. By not leading his men out, he found himself with time on his hands; and as the old saying goes, “An idle mind is the devil’s playground.” David thought that since he was king he could do whatever he wanted.  Success quite often carries with it the hidden danger of creating a lifestyle without restraint. And this attitude led David to make the biggest mistake of his life, a mistake that resulted in fatal, inescapable consequences for his family, consequences that took decades to play out completely.

The phrase, “he saw a woman,” carries an indication that David saw her and then looked intently at her for an extended period of time. It wasn’t a quick glance, but rather a lingering second look. This would be a problem in any believer’s life, but how much more so for a man like David who, according to 2 Samuel 5:2, already had a problem in this area: “And David took more wives and concubines to himself.”

Job, from the Book of Job, stands in sharp contrast to David. Job knew himself well and determined in his heart how he would handle such temptations before he was ever tested. He said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes not to look upon a maiden” (Job 31:1). This is a simple but profound decision that must be made long before the temptations actually come. We must be careful to build into our lives time for daily, godly, habitual patterns of prayer and Scripture reading, which will serve as a self-imposed roadblock to sin.

“LORD, we need Your help to keep this covenant with our eyes. Please keep us from temptation and give us strength to simply not look the second time.”