Down and Out

O. T. #702 "Down and Out"
February 24, 2016
2 Samuel 11-Part 2
From the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 
2 Samuel 11:2 (NASB)

LET IT GLOW

FYI-Friends, I am going to be in San Diego, CA next week for a business meeting, so I am trying to get all of the lessons done ahead of time. If I don't make it, please join me next Monday.

Believe me, after this lesson, I am evaluating all the clothes I am taking on my trip. I want it to honor God and my husband. I do not want to be a stumbling block to other men while there. My blouses will not be allow my body to be down and out, putting it nicely. If only Bathsheba had done the same.

Late one afternoon, after his rest, King David went walking up on the roof of the palace. Wait a minute. David's army led by Joab was out fighting against the Ammonites. Apparently this chapter took place during the time of chapter 10.

The roof of a house was where people often spent their evenings, in that day. There were no front porches or patios in the rear of their homes. On the flat roof today is where families still gather in the Jerusalem area.

So, can you see David pacing back and forth on top of his roof. Maybe he was wondering how the battle was coming along, if his army was winning. Probably it was heavy on his mind, since he did not go with his men, as he usually did. Was some guilt there too?

What happened next, David's little decisions grew into big mistakes. His life went spiraling down as he looked down and out over his city. Afterwards, he became down and out, alright. Then David's eyes caught sight of a beautiful woman taking a bath on the roof of her house. He finds out that her name was Bathsheba, which is ironic, since she was taking a bath. Let's leave David on his roof, all bug-eyed for a moment and talk about her.

Bathsheba was the unlikely link between Israel's two most famous kings-David and Solomon. She was lover and wife to one, mother to the other. Her adultery with David almost brought an end to the family through which God brought good. Eventually Jesus Christ, the salvation of mankind, was born as a descendant of David and Bathsheba. (Life Application Study Bible)

Neither David nor Bathsheba were where they should have been. Bathsheba could have bathed inside her house instead of up on the roof. Or she could have waited until evening when it was getting close to dark. David should have been out with his army at war. Both decisions were little wrong decisions, which seemed harmlessly unimportant at the time. Yet, they put these two out of their normal place.

Little day-to-day choices prepare us to make the right big choices later. Do we include God in all of our choices? Are we asking Him what He wants us to do today or go today? Do we let our heart lead us astray or in the right way?



LET IT GROW

Our greatest battles don't usually come when we're working hard; they come we have some leisure, when we've got time on our hands, when we're bored.  (Swindoll)

Perhaps David heard some humming and splashing sown below, just beyond his backyard.

Raymond Brown suggests:

• Bathsheba cannot be entirely excused of her part in this.
• She was careless and foolish, lacking in the usual Hebrew modesty, for she would not have washed in a place where she knew she could not be overlooked.
• From her roof-top she would often have looked out to the royal palace and must have known that she could be seen.
• If she would have thought seriously about her action she would not have put temptation in David's path.
• It is not enough merely to avoid sin ourselves.  Christians must ensure that they do not become a stumbling block to others (Rom. 14:12-13).

Ladies, do we give thought to our actions, our dress, our looks, and our conduct? We should not even give a hint of allurement, lest another be tempted. Sure, we have to look longer and more intense for clothing that is modest, but it can be done, can be found. Do we look at our self, before leaving the house and ask, "Am I dressed to honor God and my husband as a godly woman?" Are my girls exposed? Is this too tightly revealing? Is it too short and reveals too much?

That's my soap box. Just as I don't want women causing my husband to lust and sin, in thoughts or otherwise, so I do not want to be the same for another's husband. We don't hear of any girls named Bathsheba, do we?

Okay, we have covered both views of the uncovered woman. Will we influence our girls to honor God in their dressings?

LET IT GO

Pass by the mini skirts and low cut blouses, and search for decent clothing for me.

Honor God in my appearance all of the time.

Be alluring to only my husband in private.