David sent his men to do what he was supposed to do – fight battles. As king, he should have been leading the charge against the enemies God commanded him to destroy. That year, David decided to do something different. Instead of leading his men, he decided to stay home. That one decision had colossal consequences. He may have been tired or just didn’t want to go. While the reason is unknown, the idle time at home caused him to lose sight of the mission God had given him as king. He was wandering around on the roof when he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Instead of turning around and going back inside, David sent for the woman he had seen. Someone asked the question that no one was willing to ask. Didn’t this woman belong to Uriah? Instead of this question sounding an alarm inside David, he pursued his desire and ended up with more than he originally anticipated. He took someone’s wife, and she became pregnant. In order to cover his mistake, David sent for Uriah to sleep with his wife, but when he refused, David sent Uriah back to the front lines of the battle to be killed. David’s sin was compounded by him trying to hide it. He had become so distracted that he forgot how God had already blessed him, and he did not need something that God had not given him.

Sin that comes in the form of distraction can be the hardest to recognize. We may get tired of fighting battles, so we allow things into our life that result from a lapse in our good judgement. However, you would rather be fighting the hardest battle of your life than make your home outside of God’s will. David should have just turned around and walked away immediately when he was standing on his roof. It’s when we are not paying attention to the details and let our guard down that we are most susceptible to the enemy’s attacks against us. David repented, and God forgave him, but there were several consequences for his actions.  As David’s life continued to unfold, this breach also laid an unwelcome foundation for this type of behavior in his children. Most of the time we count the cost of our actions, not how it affects our current or future families. You may not be facing the same temptation as David, but we all face temptation that can come when we are at the wrong place at the wrong time. This message may serve as the alarm for you or simply a reminder. So, when you find yourself faced with temptation, have the courage to turn around and run to God.