Lessons from the Fall of David.

Friday 29^th January 2020. Read 2 Samuel 11,1-4,5-10, 13-17, Psalm 50, & Mark 4:26-34.

_“It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking upon the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.” *(2 Samuel 11:2)*_

In our Gospel passage this morning, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a seed which a man scatters on the ground. While he goes to sleep, he does not how the seeds grow but he notices a gradual development, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain and finally the harvest. The spiritual life is pretty much the same. The little seeds are actions which grow into habits; they can either destroy us or lift us up.

In our first reading, we encounter an idle king taking a walk along the roof of his palace. From idleness to lust, from lust to adultery, from adultery to murder. Sin progresses! Almost all the sins we commit can be traceable to our quest for entertainment or our attempt to deal with boredom.

Why didn’t David go to battle? Rest is important. If we do not rest, we cannot work. God himself rested but what we do while resting is important. Even while we seek out entertainment, we must be careful not to give room to the devil to poison our minds.

Pornography is such a serious problem in our world today. David climbed the roof of his house to see a naked woman. Today, you don’t have to go that far. From indecent dressing to television adverts, smartphones to magazines, nakedness is everywhere. They say “if the bird learns to fly without perching, the hunter must learn to shoot while on a flight.” Since we live in a sex-saturated world, we must learn to constantly exercise self-discipline recognizing the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that sex is meant only for married couples.

David tried to hide his evil deed. He thought it was secret. He thought he was smart. All his attempts to lure Uriah to go into his wife (so as to take responsibility for her pregnancy) failed. Uriah was a faithful and loyal soldier. Not even drunkenness could make him relax knowing that his colleagues were at the battleground. For his faithfulness, he received an indirect death sentence from David. Uriah carried the very letter that would end his life. Like a sheep, he was led to slaughter without complaining. But God saw everything!

After this incidence, David was never to get hold of the kingdom. This was just the beginning of the end for him. Such a painful and shameful end of something that had a glorious beginning. Dear friends, flee from sexual sin! Run away from another man’s wife. Avoid pornography. Keep your thoughts clean always. Know that there is nothing that can ever be hidden in this life.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, may I continue to reflect your light and not be carried away by evil. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. (Friday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: 2 Samuel 11,1-4,5-10, 13-17, Psalm 50, & Mark 4:26-34.).