We like to believe we’ve got everything under control. “I’ve got this.” “I don’t need anyone’s help at all.” “When I need your help, I’ll ask for your help.” It is a form of pride to say that when it comes to needs of togetherness and reliance on others, we need nothing.
What a mistake was made that spring day of so long ago! What began as one king staying home alone in his own “fortress of solitude” ended with adultery, an illegitimate child’s death, the death of an innocent man, and the reproach of a man of God that affected his kingdom! How sin so easily ensnares us and our righteous judgment is skewed and distorted!
David could simply have gone with Joab. All the kings were going out to battle, why not David (II Samuel 11:1)? Remaining in Jerusalem while his army went out and fought would prove to be a costly mistake that could have been avoided!
Solomon, a son of David and Bathsheba, writes that “a man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment” (Proverbs 18:1). What did David’s isolation accomplish other than ultimate heartache?
There is the temptation to shut ourselves off from the members and fellowship we enjoy through the church. We think that we have our situation under control. Know this: Satan waits for just such an opportunity. Peter tells us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (I Peter 5:8-9). There is, or ought to be, safety in numbers for the people of God who are diligently seeking to do His will.
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