84 of 365 - Idle Hands

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”  So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.” 2 Samuel 11:1-5
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David ultimately became a mighty king. The most famous and beloved among the many kings of the Israelites. He wins great battles and establishes Jerusalem as the capital. But he isn’t perfect. Only Jesus – the king to come – is perfect. Like all of us, David is flawed.

The devil is always prowling around, desiring to get God’s people – especially those dedicated to His cause – off track. Sadly, even the man after God’s own heart slips and loses the battle against temptation.
Notice the setting at the beginning of the passage. It was the time of year when the kings – that’s David – go out to battle. But David stays home. He is complacent. And this idle time becomes a huge stain on his legacy. He tries to cover it up and eventually has Bathsheba’s husband killed in battle. It is such a low point amid such a beautiful life. We look to the Bible for heroes, but no matter how brave and valiant those who have gone before us are, only Jesus is the true and perfect hero of the Bible. But stick with it, God is still working in David’s life. Unlike other religions, our God’s plans and our salvation is not dependent on our perfection...only our submission and surrender to the perfect One sent to save us.

Questions: What do you typically do with your free time? Has idle time -- when you should have been doing something else -- ever gotten you into trouble?