On Monday nights at 7pm, I get the honor of communicating messages each week to a great community of post-college young professionals called Forward, the young adult ministry of CrossRoad Church. We are currently looking at the life of David and particularly, the David and Bathsheba story. It is a soap opera to say the least. As we sit in this story, I am hoping that we'll discover and get honest about areas of temptation that we are facing, but also the grace that is available to us in Jesus. We have three more weeks left in this series and I am excited to see how God will use this story.
I am not proud to admit that I have lost the battle of temptation more times that I want to say. One of the statements that I make (to myself or whoever caught me) afterwards is, "If only I knew then, what I know now." Something in me says that if I had more information, I would've been able to make a better choice. That statement only works, however, in my own brain.
In 2 Samuel 11:1-3, we read the beginnings of a tragedy unfolding. David sees a woman bathing and finds her beautiful. What's a man to do right? What I realized is that by the time we hit verse 3, David has more than enough information to make the right choice.
1. This woman has a name [Bathsheba]. She's a real person with real needs, hopes, desires, and responsibilities. She is not an object or scenery. She deserves to be treated as a human being.
2. This woman is someone's daughter [Eliam]. She is cared for by others simply because she exists. She has history. She has relational value and therefore deserves respect.
3. This woman is someone's wife [Uriah]. She has made commitments. She is connected to someone else and that union must be honored.
David, knowing these three details, had more than enough information to make a better choice than he did. And the truth is, in the situations where I am tempted, I do not need any more information. I have already been given enough insight to love my God, love my neighbor and forgive my enemies. I already know enough details to love justice, seek mercy and walk humbly with my Creator.
Not having enough information to make the right choice is an excuse. And a bad one at that. I do not need another book or counseling session. I need to act on what I already know.
I pray that you and I will make great choices this week. I pray that you and I will see that in most cases, we know enough information to love well and live in truth. So let's do it...
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