November 16, 2023
Author: Benji Cowart
“For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life-except in the case of Uriah the Hittite” – 1 Kings 15:5
I was on my way to a solid low 80’s round of golf on a course I’d never played before (which is a good round for me on a new course)…until hole 15. It was a par five and I went into cruise control mode. I peeked up on my driver and hit a bad shot into a terrible lie. I spent the rest of the hole scrambling which led to a triple bogey…which led to a double bogey and a bogey on holes 16 & 17. I finally pulled it together and parred 18 but the damage was done. I barely made it in under 90.
In the book of 2 Samuel, King David is is on a role. The first ten chapters read like a highlight reel. Each chapter starts with headings like:
”David Anointed King”…
“The Ark Brought To Jerusalem”…
”David Defeats The Ammonites”
And then comes Chapter 11…
“David And Bathsheba”
David has one moment where he’s in cruise control mode. He makes a terrible decision in having Bathsheba, a married woman, brought to his bedchamber. He gets her pregnant and spends the next season of his life trying to cover up what he’s done to the point that he has her husband Uriah killed on the battlefield. He doesn’t pull it together until he finally confesses and truly repents after being confronted by the prophet Nathan…but the damage is done. Though David is still known in the Bible as “a man after God’s heart”, there will always be an “except” to an otherwise flawless legacy.
What season are you in right now?
Are you in a season of winning momentum where it’s easy to coast?
Father,
Keep us ever aware of the fact that we are always one decision away from adding an “except” into our story. Even in winning seasons, keep us on our faces before You knowing how much we need you to keep us and protect us from ourselves.
