Bath-She- Bars

Day 89

Reading: 2 Sam. 8:1 - 2 Sam. 11:27

God has great plans for us. However, one of the challenges of today is to ensure we maintain momentum. The enemy understands that a rolling stone gathers no moss and will do everything to derail us. David persisted in pursuing the enemies of Israel making a great name for himself. Every place he conquered gathering wealth for the building of the House of God. David was not amassing wealth for himself but to build the House of God. Is it any wonder that God gave him such victories? David had a system in place to ensure. Success is backed by sound systems that are fine-tuned to bring about longevity and ease in achieving success. However, today's scripture reading will reveal two sides of David God's servant, warrior and king. I need to make a disclaimer before I write any further. As I write this today I have no intention to demean anyone or make excuses for failings. 

David didn't forget the covenant he made with Jonathan. Jonathan made him promise to show kindness to Jonathan and his family when he becomes king. David sought for a member of the family and was advised by Ziba, a servant of Saul, that Jonathan had a son who was lame named Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth means an exterminator of shame. He was 5 years old when his father died. While being carried by the nurse he fell and the injuries he obtained led to his disability. Mephibosheth, the bearer of a promise that was born to exterminate shame, was now lame. Talk about a conundrum. His physical ailment was not his only challenge. Mephibosheth was living in a town called Lo-debar, which means a place with no pasture and was resident in someone else's home. The one who was to exterminate shame, needed help to move and dwelt in a place without pasture that was not his. Mephibosheth exemplified the life of many who have royalty in them yet live beneath what is theirs.

Many today are with great prophecies and dreams, however, their lives are ashaming and they find that they have no rest. Many today are bound in poverty similar to the place of Mephibosheth. However, don't be disheartened by the circumstances that have plagued you. Mephibosheth didn't know of the covenant his father had with David, yet his life was about to change. Please get ready to seat at the king's table. Mephibosheth on meeting David humbles himself and reveals his mindset. He was so low in his self-esteem that he considered himself a dead dog for surely he must have thought he was a finished case. Many years had passed from when his father died to the day David was looking for him, however, he was restored to the place of royalty.

It doesn't matter how far or how long life has pushed you away from exterminating shame, God is coming for you to bring you to a royal table. God will exterminate shame in your life. From being a squatter Mephibosheth was given a place of prominence. The land of his grandfather was restored and servants given to him to serve him. If God could do it for Mephibosheth how much more us. However, do you know what activated the covenant of his father? What could have made David remember that he had a covenant with Jonathan and he needed to keep it? Mephibosheth may have been lame, living below what he was meant to have but he was a man of faith. Mephibosheth had a son called Micha, meaning Who is like Jehovah? You can't praise God and show faith in God with such an audacious declaration of who is like Jehovah and expect to remain down in life.

For some unknown reason, David didn't go to war during the season of war. When you don't do what is expected of you in a particular season you open up for a satanic attack. David had a weakness and one that he didn't deal with. He had an appetite for women. He had numerous wives and concubines already by the time this scene is recorded. He watched a woman taking a bath and her name was Bathsheba,  whose name means the daughter of an oath. Her beauty attracted him and soon he had her brought to him. He not only sleeps with her knowing that she is someone's wife but he also on finding out she is pregnant schemes to try and get the husband to take responsibility for the pregnancy to try and cover his misdeed up. However, Uriah doesn't sleep at home and instead David schemes how he will be killed in the war. On receiving the message that Uriah was dead in an evil scheme that he undertook he makes a statement that unknowingly would plague his family, 'the sword devours one as well as another'. David committed adultery, murder, was deceiving to Uriah, all in disobedience to the commandments of God.

Reading this passage as a man I grieved for David because this weakness would now affect his success story. Many men can attest to knowing greatness and yet their frailty is very much before them. It would become a blight on his illustrious walk with God. David didn't flinch in doing this. A one stand led to a heinous crime. This passage brought the reality of my own failings and weaknesses in the midst of being strong for others. David the king is typical of the syndrome of men today. I have no intention of pointing the finger at anyone. My desire is to help bring safety to our homes. This is also a stark warning to every lady and man out there that the enemy is looking for a weakness to derail you. Anyone can fall into temptation men and women alike. The reason we keep walking is that God is merciful. God knows that we are weak and need Him to stand in the world we are living in. 

We all have strengths and weaknesses. David showed his strengths in conquering the enemies with brilliant leadership. He was a magnanimous character yet he also had a weakness. When a man is not in the right place he will pay attention to what is not his. Any person who doesn't understand why a lady will say the man in her life is not a bad person and not understand why she can say that after he has slept with someone else needs to look at the story of David. From killing Goliath to refusing to kill Saul, David's character was squeaky clean. However, we men are also prone to temptation and David was not exempt. I don't want to make excuses for sin. No that is not my reason for writing. As men, we need to avoid every form of temptation.

Let us work at helping each other avoid temptation. I know that is hard especially when we are living in a day and age where the boundaries of modesty are difficult to define and uphold. I wondered why didn't Bathsheba avoid sleeping with David. However, I don't want to go down that route because it pushes the blame on her and not David. To blame Bathsheba is to blame the lady with whom you commit sin and not accept responsibility for one's own actions. Adam pushed the responsibility of sin to Eve saying to God that he ate because of the woman. This is the story many give, yet in God's eyes, you are to take responsibility for your own actions. David as king was responsible for upholding the commandments of the Lord to the nation. He was to be a role model. Men as leaders in the home we are responsible for teaching our families the commandments and ways of God. When we don't, we allow the enemy to creep in. 

David's fault may have been drunkenness with power. Knowing that he could get anything made him forget that power belongs to God. His other problem was that he had an eye for women. Gentlemen, it's not the dress the lady wore. It's what we allow our eyes to see that can lead us to temptation. Ladies, it's not the power he wields that made you sin. Know thyself. Know thy weaknesses and do everything to flee soft spots. As Joseph fled the advances of Potiphar's wife we also can flee because when we don't she will 'Bath' you before you discover that 'She' is there to place you behinds 'Bars' that aren't the God kind of yoke.

Memory Verse: 2 Sam. 10:12

Decree

Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.” 2 Sam. 10:12(italics mine)