Dear Friends,

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with him; they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah, but David remained at Jerusalem (2 Sam 11:1).

We greet each other in friendly terms. He is the CEO of my client. I am the attorney for the corporate board. We haven’t always agreed, but we have worked together for a long time. I have been requested by the board to make this appointment to deliver some news.

“What’s on your mind?” he asks me.

“I’m here to talk about what’s in the file,” I say. “I think you should read it first.” I lean forward and push the file across his desk. He picks it up, opens it and begins to read as I watch him in silence.

He is a star at the zenith of his career — charismatic, successful, distinguished family, astute business strategist, husband and father, respected church and community leader.  The business has become dominant in its market since he took over its management.

But there were reports that he was “coasting,” taking “shortcuts” with expense reports, customers, contracts, and female employees. An audit has revealed discrepancies that cannot be overlooked.

He begins to argue, “It’s not what it looks like . . . the auditor is mistaken . . . do you have any idea what I’ve sacrificed for this company?!?”

I hold out my palm to him to stop. “There’s too much evidence and it all points to you. You’ve given up on yourself and betrayed the trust placed in you. The Board is relieving you of your responsibilities.” I hand him the termination letter signed by the board chairman.

He skims through it as the color first rises and then fades from his cheeks.

When he looks up, I ask him softly, “What happened to you?”

He stares at me with anger for a moment. Then he turns and looks out the window. I can sense his struggle. He’s likely thinking, “Do I admit anything, or do I stonewall this? How can I leverage a severance package?”

“I got tired and bored,” he finally says. “Enough never seems to be enough for me.” Then he flares again, “Does the board really understand that they have no one else who can do this job?”

I look him in the eyes and say with an even tone, “The Board regrets having to terminate you, but it is prepared to move one.” Then I tell him when he is expected to turn in his keys and company property. His computer access has already been cut off and his ID badge revoked. A public statement has been prepared and will be issued.  “I appreciated the opportunity to work with you, and I am sorry that this had to happen, but it did. I am going to bring in some boxes and you can pack up your personal things. I’ll be waiting outside when you are ready to go and I’ll walk you out.”

The Greeks called it hubris, an overbearing pride and arrogance that precedes a fall from authority. Solomon said, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Pr 16:18).  It is predictable, but it is never pleasant to witness. Scripture records a vivid story of hubris and its disastrous aftermath.

David was successful in middle age. He had already achieved legendary status as a warrior-poet and shepherd king. His slaying of Goliath with a slingshot was an iconic moment for his nation. His struggles against the dark regime of King Saul defined him. His military victories had expanded Israel’s borders and brought security to its people.

There were still enemies out there. Joab was leading the army in the field to the east of the Jordan against the Ammonites, besieging their capital of Rabbah. David wasn’t with him. The scribe notes this with a hint of disgust: “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle . . . David remained in Jerusalem.”

Why did David remain at home while his army went to war? Was he enjoying a rest in his new capital after the decades of desperate fighting to get there? Was he making the transition from field general to governor dealing with the finances and policies of the kingdom?  Was he in mid-life crisis, bored and sated with glory after all his accomplishments, no longer desiring to sleep on the ground and eat camp food?

He was at loose ends, bored in the noon-day heat, napping in the afternoon, waking to idly watch the city from the palace roof. He saw Bathsheba bathing and sent for her. God’s anointed king became a voyeuristic lecher. Adultery, murder and cover-up quickly followed. The fall from grace was swift. What happened?

David had abandoned God’s purpose for his life by staying home from war. Say what one will about the advantages of delegation, but if a leader isn’t actively leading, is he or she a leader? David was coasting on past glory.

Moreover, David was focused on his own desires. He had become complacent and self-absorbed. The lines of worship and prayer that kept him connected to God had gone slack. A loss of spiritual momentum will inevitably lead to moral drift.

When temptation came, David looked into it instead of turning away. Temptation happens and it is no sin, but in the words of the Apostle James, when temptation is indulged  it conceives desire that in turn “gives  birth to sin, and that sin when it is fully grown, gives birth to death” (Js 1:14-15). David’s spiral of depravity was a testament to the truth of James’ observation.

David sinned deliberately when he acted on his lust and sent for Bathsheba and slept with her. David had a choice. We always have a choice when it comes to sin or virtue. That choice isn’t between sinning or not sinning. We have neither the wisdom or strength to consistently make good choices on our own.

The choice triggered by temptation is whether to go our own way (always fatal in the end) or to go to the Lord in prayer for strength. The Apostle Paul succinctly summarized this choice: “Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:15).

David knew what he needed to do. He had written an insightful prayer for deliverance from his enemies, “those who are workers of evil” (Ps 28:3). He understood the saving power of the Lord’s intercession.

Blessed be the Lord,

    for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

    in him my heart trusts;

so I am helped, and my heart exults,

    and with my song I give thanks to him.

The Lord is the strength of his people;

     He is the saving refuge of his anointed.

(Ps 28:6-8).

In his pride in his status and power, David willfully overrode his conscience. He had succeeded in doing the Lord’s bidding, risking body and soul in the process. Now, he though he’d achieved the right to gratification of his flesh. What use was it to be the king if you can’t have what you want? David has lost his moral bearings on a rooftop in Jerusalem in the midst of another battle between human pride and God’s grace.

Pride is always an enemy of grace because it refuses to acknowledge weakness and need. David owed his power as king to God, but his summons to Bathsheba denied that only God alone could supply David’s real needs. Selfish pride always leads to bad choices and turning away from God always leads to a fall. The fall of David was epic.

There was another thing that David could have done to avoid the cascade of sin before it started. He should have sought out godly companionship to encourage him in his hour of trial.

David’s power and choices isolated him and made him vulnerable to temptation. Going out with the army would have given him the counsel of his closest friends and kept him focused on mission. Bringing his family close to him would have also helped, but there is no mention of them in this story. David was going it alone and that is a dangerous thing to do, both in spiritual and practical terms.

Even before the fall, the Lord said, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Gen 1:18). Back when David was on the run from Saul’s persecution, Jonathan sought David out and “he strengthened David’s hand through the Lord” (1 Sam 23:16). The prophet Malachi observed that when those who revered the Lord talked with each other, “the Lord took note and listened” (Mal 3:16). Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matt 18:20).

David’s son, Solomon, took heed of this problem and wrote, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help . . . And though, one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold  cord is not easily broken” (Ecc 4:9-10,12). Without the counsel of the Lord or the encouragement of godly friends, David was ripe for the defeat he experienced.

In his prayer for forgiveness in Psalm 51, David confesses the weakness of his flesh and the impurity of his thoughts and actions that led to the loss of his vital relationship with God. He acknowledged the resulting damage to his spiritual leadership and moral authority. No amount of religious effort could restore him to God’s favor. The only way out, the proud warrior realized, was unconditional surrender to God.

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;

    a broken spirit and a contrite heart;

O God, you will not despise.

(Ps 51:17)

Going to God is always the answer regardless of the question. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (Js 4:8). Turning away from temptation, seeking strength in prayer, and joining in the fellowship of the faithful all point to God. Diversion from your purpose, neglecting prayer and worship, looking into temptation, and proudly going it alone will all contribute to spiritual and moral disaster.

None of us is immune to temptation. The stronger that we think we are on our own, the more we are in danger. Our unguarded strength is always our greatest weakness. That’s why Jesus cautioned his disciples in Gethsemane, “Watch and pray that you may not enter temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38, ESV).

Think about these words: “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle . . . David remained in Jerusalem.” In this season of your own life, where has the Lord called you to be? Is that where you are?

“O taste and see that the Lord is good. Happy are those who take refuge in him” (Ps 34:8).

Under the mercy of Christ,

Kent

P.S. If you received this it is because you requested it or someone you know passed it on to you. If you wish to continue to receive this weekly meditation, simply send an email to me at khansen@claysonlaw.com with the word “subscribe,” or tell whoever forwarded it to you to keep sending it.

If you do not wish to receive any more of these messages, please send an email to khansen@claysonlaw.com with the word, “unsubscribe.” This only works if you received the message from me directly. If someone else forwards the message to you and you want them to stop, please email them back and tell them to stop sending it. Thanks.