Then IT Happened
II Samuel 11:2 “Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the King’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.” NKJV
David weathered many seasons of life: the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult, the young and the old, the wise and the foolish, and the sinner and the redeemed. Because of this, David serves as a mentor, guiding us through whatever season of life we may find ourselves. And knowing that David became a “Man after God’s own heart” in spite of his trials, we are offered hope and guidance for finding God through the trials of our own lives.
When we first meet David, he is an innocent shepherd boy and songwriter. David’s words penned while watching his sheep are still sung in praise-worship today. When he killed a lion and a bear, he humbly gave all credit to God. And when Goliath threatened the Israelites, the entire army of God, including King Saul, looked at Goliath through human eyes, viewing the giant as too big to fight. But David looked at Goliath through eyes that trusted in a mighty Jehovah. Because of this, David viewed Goliath as too big to miss.
Surely, no one was surprised when David was chosen by God to replace Saul as King. But sadly, King David’s position of power and wealth bred self-reliance and left very little room for trust and reliance on God. And when David turned his trust inward instead of upward, “Then it happened.”
“Then It happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof…”
Read this again, and place the emphasis on the word, “It.” Now, pardon me while I throw in a very brief grammar lesson, but the first word in the verse is a pronoun. Think back to elementary school days and you will recall a pronoun takes the place of a noun and a noun is a person, place, or thing. So, that tiny word, “it” represents something greater.
So, what is does “It” represent?
Well, if you continue reading the following verses in II Samuel 11, you will discover how David allowed lust to progress to adultery to progress to murder. So, what exactly happened one evening?
David’s sin happened one evening.
Turns out, the word, “It” refers to lust, adultery, and murder. And what are these three? SIN! So, if we rewrite the sentence and replace the pronoun with its noun, it reads,
“Sin happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof…”
Yes, sin played out in David’s life like an R-rated movie. But David’s sin began with an innocent walk on his roof. David was just out for a breath of fresh air. Perhaps he wanted to see the beautiful sunset. Surely, David never imagined that going out on his roof that evening could lead to the events that followed. But that is exactly how sin works.
Sin catches us off guard.
Sin traps even the strongest.
Sin leads to more sin.
Following repentance, David paid severe consequences that greatly impacted the lives of those he loved. That, too, is how sin works. “It” comes with great cost. May we learn from the life of David, realizing that we, too, can be caught off guard. “IT” can happen to us.
Father God, help us live according to your goodness, remaining strong when “It” tries to tempt us.
Blessings of Strength,
Rita Cochrane