There are two popular stories about David in the Bible, 1. David and Goliath
2. David and Bathsheba In the second story, David had an affair with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of the soldiers who had gone to battle, and the woman later found out she was pregnant as a result of their affair.
When David heard this, he sent to recall Uriah from the battlefield, hoping that on Uriah's return, he would sleep with his wife, so they could frame up the pregnancy as his; but Uriah, being a faithful soldier, counted it wrong to enjoy the pleasures of marriage while his colleagues were on the battle-front. David, obviously disappointed, then plotted to kill Uriah, so he could keep both the wife and baby, without opposition. He sent a message through Uriah to the commander of his army, Joab, to put Uriah at the fore front of the battle so it would be very possible to have him killed. As it turned out, the battle wasn't so favourable for the Israelites... They were losing the battle: many soldiers bled; they were severely injured; they lost a lot of men; they lost their best; they lost their finest BUT they also lost Uriah. The account of the battle was then sent through a messenger to the king, and the news of Uriah’s loss was to be used as a cover-up (or so to say, a soothing effect) for the news of all other losses. 2 Sam 11:18-21 "Joab sent David a full account of the battle. He instructed the messenger, saying, When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, the king's anger may flare up, and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city wall to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn't a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'also, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead. (NIV) Interestingly, Joab in sending his reports, told the servant to expect some questions from the king when he breaks the news of the battle. These questions are so crucial, and I want us to briefly examine them:
Why did you get so close to the city wall to fight?
Did you not remember that there would be archers hanging on the wall?
Did you forget that the best shooters would be on the wall?
Did you forget that the city wall is a stronghold?
Of course, we are not going into studying the art of archery; however, we want to consider how the passage can be used to teach us the art of the devil’s treachery. Abimelech, one of the best men of war that Israel had, was killed in that battle because he went so close to the city wall, where a woman crushed his head with a stone. The city wall therefore, was actually a strategic site for defenders, never to be carelessly approached by attackers. While defenders at the city wall had to be alert, attackers had to be much more alert. I see this story as an illustration, which if transposed to this age and generation depicts satan as the archer or the stone thrower, and depicts Believers moving so closely to a place where satan can easily have us hunted down in sin. It's an illustration of Christians daring the devil while they’re vulnerable and flirting with him, thereby opening themselves up for attack... A soft, but stern reminder that 'big sins' usually start with small thoughts. Nowadays, it's common to hear stuffs like ‘It’s just a video’, ‘It’s just a party’. 'Can’t I just be free for a while?’, ‘I won’t stay long', 'I’ll just check what they do on that site’ e.t.c... Certain believers take pleasure in hanging out with people who reject our gospel without caring, thereby breeding devilish thoughts that are subtle, but destructive... Regular outings with another person’s spouse (of the opposite sex) is not sinful, but is a runway to a wrecked faith! Christians sometimes lose control and make costly mistakes because we wouldn’t rebuke the small silent thoughts, and restrict the little dangerous steps when we still had the control. How can we put fire under our bosom and expect not to be burned? The scriptures did not only tell us to flee from evil but it also said to flee from all ‘appearances’ of evil. (1Thes. 5: 22). Believers move closer to the city wall when we become lukewarm; this way, we easily become sensuous, and wax cold- not the type of coldness that quenches thirst but the type that quenches fire; the type that stalls drive, kills motivation and destroys zeal to draw closer to GOD and feel HIS lovely presence. It’s important for believers to know that the devil derives strength from our weaknesses, joy from our sadness, motivation from our coldness, power from our feebleness, courage from our fear and hope from our doubt. When a believer goes cold in the spirit, the devil goes hot in power; when a believer grows weak, the devil grows stronger. When a believer begins to grow lukewarm, the things of the world begin to appeal to him; he begins to grow weak against the temptations of the devil; he begins to feel comfortable with the negative things going on around him; he begins to feel at ease with sin and sinners in an unusual way; he begins to pray less and study the bible less. Unknown to him, he is drawing closer to the city wall of the devil where terrible archers lie in wait to devour his soul. Hear this beloved, the devil has more experience, higher age, more skills, more wisdom and more knowledge than the natural man. The only way we can defeat him is when we depend on the ancient of days who holds time, age, experience, skill and created everything by HIMSELF. The only way the devil will run the believer down successfully is when he weakens the relationship between the believer and his defense, GOD. Be wise, don't move near the 'city wall'... Flee from every appearance of evil!