“I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives to embrace. I gave you the house of Israel and the house of Y’hudah. And if that had been too little, I would have added to you a lot more.”-2 Samuel 12:8
Before we move on, I want you to notice something.
Notice that David’s kingdom is called the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
Although not directly related to today’s study…
This is key to grasping foundational Scriptural truths…
And it’ll become even more important when it comes to prophecy.
So, tuck this away into your back pocket for future reference!
Alrighty, let’s move on.
I wanna talk about one of the biggest takeaways that can be extracted from this whole David and Bathsheba affair.
Here’s the thing.
Despite possessing an abundance of blessings from the Lord that included many wives and concubines…
David wasn’t satisfied with the gifts the Lord had provided for him.
He had to go fishing in another, much poorer man’s pond.
There are two lessons to be learned from this.
First, it doesn’t matter how much wealth…
Or how many possessions you have…
Disobedience to the Lord and His commands ultimately ends in futility.
King Solomon said it best in the Book of Ecclesiastes.
After chasing after all of the things men in this world love to pursue…
Women, wealth, and power…
All he could conclude was that it was all futile.
His closing words were…
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments:
for this is the whole duty of man.
-Ecclesiastes 12:13
David wasn’t doing what he should have been doing…
He was to fight with his men on the battlefield.
Instead, he remained in his palace.
That’s when boredom set in.
This led to him taking another man’s wife and life…
Despite being surrounded by opulence and a harem of beautiful women.
Again, this just goes to show that wealth and women aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
Another takeaway to be extracted from this is just how easy it is for us to fall for the grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side syndrome.
Instead of appreciating the gifts and blessings the Lord has given you…
You look at another person’s gifts and blessings…
And become jealous for no good reason at all.
You immediately assume the other person has it so much better than you.
You envy his job and salary…
You envy the fact that he’s taller than you…
You envy that he’s white and you’re not…
You envy his public speaking skills…
Or whatever your insecurity is…
Ya feel me?
No matter what gift God gives you…
You often want more…
Or you want what someone else has.
That’s not just being picky.
That’s a sin.
So, don’t ignore or reject the good things God has given you.
Otherwise, you’re acting just like King David did when he lusted after another man’s wife.
I’ll leave it at that for today.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“But each person is tempted
when they are dragged away by
their own evil desire and enticed.
Then, after desire has conceived,
it gives birth to sin;
and sin, when it is full-grown,
gives birth to death.”
—James 1:14–15
“Watch out!
Be on your guard against
all kinds of greed;
life does not consist in an
abundance of possessions.”
—Luke 12:15
“But godliness with
contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into the world,
and we can take nothing out of it.
But if we have food and clothing,
we will be content with that.”
—1 Timothy 6:6–8
“I have learned to be content
whatever the circumstances.
I know what it is to be in need,
and I know what it is to have plenty…
I have learned the secret of
being content in any and every situation.”
—Philippians 4:11–12
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