David's Greatest Enemy Was His Self-Confidence
David's greatest enemy was neither Saul nor Goliath but his self-confidence. We read of how David had become such a successful king that he had grown overconfident. 2 Samuel 11 details for us the ugly truth of David's self-confidence. It was the time for kings to go to war but where was David? He still tarried in Jerusalem.
The situation of David's adultery was pretty much a middle aged man with a very young woman. Bathsheba was obviously young enough to be his daughter. Her grandfather Ahitophel was once an adviser of David. It's possible that David once burped Bathsheba as an infant when he was a young king. But it was already his downfall when he got overconfident. Maybe, he never thought that the young Bathsheba that he may have treated with due respect would become his downfall. One should also consider how he broke God's law by multiplying wives (Deuteronomy 17:17).
The idleness led him to commit the unthinkable as Bathsheba was another man's wife. She was married to Uriah. We don't know exactly why Bathsheba came to David. It was possible that she was either newly married to Uriah since there was no record of her having children by him. The only children Bathsheba had in her record are those recorded such as Solomon, Nathan, Shamuah and Shobab (1 Chronicles 3:5). It was most likely that her husband having been too far away and her having no children may have made the temptation easier. She gave in to David's request and had committed adultery with him.
This should be a lesson against self-confidence. Are you trying to keep yourself pure by the power of your flesh or by the Spirit of God? You may even observe how many men would end up having mistresses later in life after staying so faithful to one's wife for so many years. You may even find an elderly woman in the act of adultery when she's past her childbearing stage. Let us learn to see how David's self-confidence to his downfall with Bathsheba.
This is where David's self-confidence became his downfall. Perhaps he thought he had served God so faithfully, he has won many battles - all the while he never expected that his midlife crisis (David was most likely in his late 40s when he saw Bathsheba) would bring his downfall. Solomon was 20 when David was 70 - which may make David 49 years old when he saw Bathsheba.
The situation of David's adultery was pretty much a middle aged man with a very young woman. Bathsheba was obviously young enough to be his daughter. Her grandfather Ahitophel was once an adviser of David. It's possible that David once burped Bathsheba as an infant when he was a young king. But it was already his downfall when he got overconfident. Maybe, he never thought that the young Bathsheba that he may have treated with due respect would become his downfall. One should also consider how he broke God's law by multiplying wives (Deuteronomy 17:17).
The idleness led him to commit the unthinkable as Bathsheba was another man's wife. She was married to Uriah. We don't know exactly why Bathsheba came to David. It was possible that she was either newly married to Uriah since there was no record of her having children by him. The only children Bathsheba had in her record are those recorded such as Solomon, Nathan, Shamuah and Shobab (1 Chronicles 3:5). It was most likely that her husband having been too far away and her having no children may have made the temptation easier. She gave in to David's request and had committed adultery with him.
This overconfidence that he had led to a string of crimes. His pride caused him not only to covet after Bathsheba but he also stole her and committed adultery with her. Three of the ten commandments were broken in one night. Soon, he arranged for the murder of Uriah to cover up his sin. This led to Nathan rebuking him in 2 Samuel 12 where he ended up condemning himself. The whole family fell into chaos all because he was overconfident.
This should be a lesson against self-confidence. Are you trying to keep yourself pure by the power of your flesh or by the Spirit of God? You may even observe how many men would end up having mistresses later in life after staying so faithful to one's wife for so many years. You may even find an elderly woman in the act of adultery when she's past her childbearing stage. Let us learn to see how David's self-confidence to his downfall with Bathsheba.
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