II Samuel 11:1
“And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.”
– English KJV
“ויהי לתשׁובת השׁנה לעת צאת המלאכים וישׁלח דוד את יואב ואת עבדיו עמו ואת כל ישׂראל וישׁחתו את בני עמון ויצרו על רבה ודוד יושׁב בירושׁלם”
– Hebrew Text
“hâyâh teshûbâh shânâh êth yâtsâ' melek shâlach dâvid 'êth yô'âb 'êth ‛ebed ‛im 'êth kôl yiśrâ'êl shâchath 'êth bên ‛ammôn ‛al rabbâh dâvid yâshab ye rûshâlaim ” – Hebrew Pronunciation
Kings of the ancient Middle East usually went to war in Spring because this ensured good weather and an abundance of food along the way.
As we can see, the army of Israel went to war against their enemies, however, king David stayed behind.
David, being the king, had a duty to his people and his army. He should have been with his army in the field, leading them to victory. That is where he was needed. That is where God wanted him. However, we find that David was not where he was supposed to be.
God has a vision for each of us. This vision often requires of us to be somewhere or do something at a specific time. God has already made the way, all we need to do is walk that road in faith. When we move away from the road God made for us we step into enemy territory. Sometimes the road God made for us can be difficult, but that is nothing compared to the wilderness that God has not prepared for us.
The enemy is waiting for the moment when we are most vulnerable. When we walk the path that God made for us we know that victory lies ahead, however, when we wander off of this path we are walking in the flesh and victory becomes far more difficult and even impossible to achieve.
The giant that slew David:
2 Samuel 11:1 tells us “at the time when the kings go forth in battle”. David needed to be at the battlefield. God may have had an awesome victory planned for the Israelites, a victory to finally defeat their enemies and completely conquer the promised land. Unfortunately we will never know what God had planned because David decided not to be where God wanted him.
Satan knew what a great threat David was to the ungodly armies and nations and must have been devising many plans to defeat David. Satan tried a few times before, especially with the confrontations between David and Saul, but David did not falter. David has, up to this point, been walking on the road that God planned for him, however, by staying home when he was supposed to be in the fields, David wandered off of the path and started walking in the flesh.
David finally made himself vulnerable for attack. Satan must have been waiting for this moment for a very long time...
As we know, while David was home, standing on his palace roof, he saw Bathsheba washing herself. This lead to him lusting after her so much that even the fact that she was married to one of his mighty men could not deter him from acting upon his desire. She fell pregnant and many problems entered David’s life.
Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah. David brought Uriah back from the battlefield, hoping that he could cover up what he did, however, Uriah proves to be the example that David should have been. Uriah refused to go to his house and wife while his fellow soldiers were in the fields fighting. David then ends up sending Uriah to his death on the battlefield.
Notice that everything in 2 Samuel 11 and 12 could have been avoided if David had just been where God wanted him to be!
There are three things David did that gave the enemy a foothold in his life:
1) Neglecting his duty:
Not being where God wants him to be and not doing what God wants him to do.
2) Love of ease:
David decided to stay in his comfort zone, rather than to go out there and do the work God wanted him to do.
3) Entertaining temptation:
David knew it was wrong to sleep with Bathsheba, however, he entertained the idea and it overwhelmed him. At the end he was so overcome by the temptation that he passed beyond his own self-control.
There will come times where God asks us to do things that we do not like or even understand, but there is a reason behind it. God may ask of us to forfeit certain luxuries to do what He needs us to do or be where He needs us to be.
We have to be ready to forfeit some sleep or a social gathering in order to spend time with the Lord. Have you ever heard of someone saying “No, I can’t go to the movies on Friday, because I am spending the evening with God in quiet time”? Unfortunately we do not hear things like that. We are much more likely to hear “No, I can’t make Friday night because I have made other plans with some other friends”. Have we gone crazy? How can we forfeit an evening with the almighty creator of the universe to go out with some friends?
When we accepted Jesus as Lord of our life we had to give up our old selves and become new creations in Christ; so too we must give up some luxuries to embrace God’s vision for our lives. We do not see all ends, but God does. He knows where He needs you and why, all you have to do is trust Him.
Where could God possibly need me to be?
Let us look at a few examples:
1) Sunday services, cells and prayer meetings:
Sunday morning is a good time to be at church… God may want you in church because He wants you to hear, see or learn something. God may also want to use you to edify someone, or even the entire congregation. Obviously there are times that one cannot attend church for some or other valid reason, but be assured that when you skip church for no good reason the enemy will be there with a trap (Just as he had been with David).
2) Outreaches and fund raisers:
When the church organizes some sort of event and you can attend, you should! God may need you to be there. If you went to the event you may have had the opportunity to lead someone to the Lord, instead you do something else and the enemy waits for you in ambush.
3) Quiet times
God wants us to have quiet times. When we focus on God in our quiet times we grow close to Him and we are able to fend off the enemy. Imagine how difficult it becomes for the enemy to trap you if you spend an hour every day in prayer! During your quiet times the enemy has great difficulty attacking you, but if you decide to skip your quiet time the enemy will be waiting in ambush. Instead of spending time with the Lord you end up watching an ungodly movie on TV!
We must be careful and focus on the Lord to find out what His plan for our life is and how we can walk on the road He has prepared for us!
Spend time in prayer and ask God to reveal His vision for your life. Always make sure that you are walking on the road God prepared for you. It may not be easy, but it is a lot better than going in the wrong direction!
So to ensure that you walk the path God has prepared for you as well as to allow the enemy as little foothold in your life as possible remember the following:
Refuse to entertain temptation!
Be where God wants you to be!
Keep yourself busy by doing what God wants you to do!
