Title: The Pain of Selfishness/ Topic: Sin

Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 11; 2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51; Matthew 23

Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:1-4
1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her.

Observation: This is a case study in how a person's self-centeredness and self-indulgence leads to great destructiveness and heartache for many people. First of all, David wasn't where he should have been. He should have been with his men fighting a war. Secondly, he indulges thoughts of lust when he sees a beautiful woman. He puts his own desires above his love for God, his family and one of his most loyal friends (Uriah the Hittite was one of David's 30 mighty men that had been faithfully protecting him during the entire time Saul was seeking to kill him). He made a number of choices that went against all of the moral convictions that he held. His self-indulgent behavior caused him to commit adultery with the wife of a good friend and then to murder him to cover up his sin. His family, his nation and he himself suffered horrible consequences as a result.

Application: It seems that when we want to have something, even when we know in our hearts it is the wrong thing, we can find reasons to justify our actions. But self-centered choices make outside of God's boundaries always lead to destruction, and the unfortunate thing is it is almost never only ourselves that we hurt. Other innocent parties, usually the ones we love the most, suffer greatly as well.

Prayer: Father, by the power of your Spirit, root out all selfishness from me. I want my thoughts, actions, and choices to all be based on the principles of your Word and the promptings of your Spirit to my heart. I never want to bring heartache to you or to others.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.