Daily Devotional For Monday, April 27, 2026

Good day Southside! Our devotional for today comes from today’s reading in the One Year Chronological Bible – 1 Chronicles 20:1:

“In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem” (NLT).

Now on the surface in reading this passage, it seems harmless, just information and even uneventful. If this were only true we all would be relieved. Up front it tells that in the spring time kings went out to might in wars to either capture more land from their enemies, thus getting the spoil that went with it or to fight to simply hold what was theirs. In 2 Samuel 10, we learn that the hostilities with the Ammonites had been temporarily put on hold due to winter.

David decided not to go and instead sent Joab the Israeli army out to fight the Ammonites. We are not told why, only that David chose not to go. Maybe after years of fighting, David was tired of doing this. Maybe he was sick as king of all the bloodshed and wanted some alone time and peace and quiet. For whatever David reasons were, his greatest battle was about to come and he will be slayed by it.

This is the Chroniclers’ way of letting us know that David was not where he was supposed to be – out with his army fighting the enemies of the Lord. If you could read Hebrew you would see the words “However David” are emphatic. Meaning this will not be about Joab leading the Israeli army to fight against the Ammonites, but about David losing a personal battle that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

This is not the first time David had stayed in Jerusalem. In previous conflicts, he had stayed and sent messengers to encourage his soldiers in the midst of warfare. David had stayed 2-3 other times in Jerusalem but what made this different? This time he wasn’t where he was supposed to be – out fighting against the Ammonites putting his life on the line with his men  instead of being inside the comforts of his palace fighting and losing the battle to his own lust.

While David’s men were in a real life-to-death political and military conflict, David was in a real life-to-death personal and passionate conflict. David assumed he was safe, but he was far from it. His own lust will cause blood to be shed. As he strolls out in the cool of the day, he looks over and sees Bathsheba bathing on the balcony of her husband, Uriah and her. No one has told her the king is home. She probably assumed David had gone to fight with her husband, David’s personal body guard and best friend. 

“There is no suggestion that the woman was acting provocatively. We will learn shortly that her bathing was in fact emphatically proper. There is no reason at all to think that she was indiscreet. The king’s palace would have the highest elevation of all and David could look all over Jerusalem. Thus his elevation made her visible from where he was standing. In other words, his elevated pride was about to cause his fall. We may reasonably suppose that her place of bathing was otherwise private and was probably some distance from the palace.

Now I do not want to let Bathsheba off of all guilt too quickly. Old Testament scholars all agree that the very act of bathing in the uncovered court of a house in the heart of the city, into which it was possible for any one to look down from the roofs of the houses on higher ground, does not say much for her feminine modesty, even if this was not done with an ulterior purpose, as some commentators suppose” (Sources: Douglas Kelly, Banner of Truth, p. 481. Similarly Hans Wilhelm Hertzberg, I & II Samuel: A Commentary, Old Testament Library, p. 309;  Kiel Delitzch, Samuel, p. 383).

And with all we know of David’s character, seeing a beautiful naked woman bathing, we might assume he would look the other way instead of lusting for her, sending for her, raping her – to be this was what it was – she was married and as king, she felt she was forced to do this. This is the same man who wrote Psalm 23, Psalm 42:1-2, Psalm 139 and many others. This is the same man that refused to kill King Saul every opportunity he had. This is the same man who showed compassion and kindness to Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9.

We all know what David should have done. He should have turned his gaze to something else as Job 31:1 says. We also know what David should not have done. He should not have continued to look at the woman and foster lustful thoughts (see Numbers 15:39 and Jesus' words in Matthew 5:28). I leave you with these words from Old Testament scholars Kent Hughes and John Woodhouse:

“Since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden of Eden, human nakedness has been problematic (see Genesis 2:25 and then Genesis 3:7, 10-11). As our natures have been corrupted by our rejection of God, our sexual desires have been distorted. The self-centeredness that is expressed in defiance of God has turned the goodness of sex (for the purposes for which God created it) into something selfish. We now find it very difficult to direct our sexual desires as they were intended—namely, the self-giving union of a man and a woman in marriage and the procreation of children in the security of a loving family. Instead sex has been turned into a selfish pleasure to be taken rather than given. As in other aspects of life, we all find it very difficult indeed to escape from selfishness in our sexual desires and behavior. The power of our sexual natures (powerful because of their remarkable purpose) makes this a challenging aspect of life for us all. In this King David was like us all” (Source: Kent Hughes & J. Woodhouse, Preaching The Word, “2 Samuel,” p. 286).

David’s sins would be a scar on his life until the day he died just like yours will be also. Though we heal and can see our scars, even if it is painless today, they remind us of how we got it. 

Reflection Assignment: When have you intentionally not been where you were supposed to be to avoid temptation and sin? Are you where you are supposed to be right now with the Lord? Our sin may not be sexual, but it is still sin – disobedience against the Lord. David's sins were laziness, lust, adultery and then murder. It cost him worse than death would have been. What price have you paid in the past for your own sins? Take a moment to thank the Lord that He still wants to use you as He did David in spite of your disobedience. What do you need to do to reduce the number of “scars” in the future in your own life?  Read of his repentance in Psalm 32 and Psalm 51.

Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 51:10, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I do not take my own sin seriously. Oh, I can spot the sin in others easily and quickly. Lord, help me to see how I stand before You. Help me to minimize my sin and scars. Help me not to be a stumbling block to others. Lord, thank You for Your willingness and grace to save me, use me and bless me. I do not deserve it or You. I love you Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly