David and Bathsheba

“In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.” 2 Samuel 11:1
So begins the account of David’s greatest sin: his act of adultery with Bathsheba, which led to him arranging for her husband Uriah to be killed. See 1 Kin. 15:5. The trouble started because David stayed at home. Instead of going out with the army, as was customary, David sent his chief commander Joab instead. With many men gone from the city, it was only a matter of time before he saw Bathsheba bathing on her rooftop. One thing led to another, and David tried to cover it up. He thought he had got away with it: Bathsheba’s husband was killed in battle, then David took her in publicly. We read in 2 Sam. 11:27, “but the thing David had done displeased the Lord.” I think that’s an understatement.
What can we learn from this? Often, when we should be somewhere but instead sit at home, that’s when temptations can arise. Instead of going to church, we might sit at home and watch TV. Or, instead of going to work, we pull a sickie and fritter away the day on other things. Those are the times that allow temptations to arise, that otherwise wouldn’t have been there. If David had gone to the battles, as he should have done, the affair with Bathsheba would never have happened. The Bible tells us not to be idle (1 Thess. 5:14, 2 Thess. 3:6). We need to be diligent, every day.