September 24

Right Place, Wrong Time

David remained in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 11:1).

Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:1-5

Song: “I Need Thee Every Hour”

A swinging nightclub. A neighborhood bar. An adult entertainment establishment. These are hotbeds for temptation that can lead to sin.

King David’s story tells us that falling into sin can happen anywhere—even at home. Jerusalem was not exactly a sin city, and David’s palace was not a house of prostitution. But at the time of year when kings went to war, David did not. Israel’s commander-in-chief stayed home when he should have been on the battlefield. And it set the stage for his undoing.

In our text, David moves from seeing Bathsheba from the palace roof to desiring her, and finally to sleeping with her. The adultery they commit and David’s shrewd arrangement of Uriah’s death (v. 15) proved disastrous.

We are wise to shun locales that God obviously does not approve of. However, temptation can lurk in less obvious places, and the timing of our being there can open us up to it. For example, we stay late at the workplace when we should be home. We stay home when the family is gone; leaving the computer available for browsing. We spend time at a friend’s house when we should be in school.

We can avoid the same mistake David made by seeking God’s wisdom to keep us where we need to be, when we need to be there.

Lord, help me be alert that Satan can strike anywhere, anytime, even when I think I’m safe. In Christ, amen.

September 24–30. Sherri Langton is a magazine editor and workshop speaker at Christian writers conferences. She enjoys playing drums and percussion at her church, as well as walking and swimming. Sherri lives in Denver, CO.