Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. When the time of mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD.
2 Samuel 11:26-27
Reputation takes a lifetime to build but can be lost in a day. King David is known as a man after God’s own heart, a valiant warrior, and one of Israel’s greatest leaders. Yet, for all his favor and blessings from God, it was his sin with Bathsheba that stained his legacy. What leadership lessons can we learn from David’s moral failure?
If you are indulging in anything you wouldn’t want printed and photographed on social media, look behind you—you’ve stepped over a line.
WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME: David wasn’t where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there. He remained home when the kings went off to battle. If you are not where you belong, you open yourself up to enemy attack. Are you working as “unto the Lord”? Focus on your work, not your appetite.
BAD HABITS: David’s success made him comfortable to the point where he lost his edge and common sense. He was sleeping during the day, staying awake at night, and detaching himself from real life until he lost his way. Do you have habits that are creating self-deception? What may be hurting you that is obvious to those around you?
LEFT HIMSELF OPEN: David’s weaknesses are common to many men: beautiful women and power. Never let anything in front of you that doesn’t belong in you. While men are seduced by what they see, women are seduced by what they feel. If you are indulging in emotional or physical adultery, stop it.
THE COVER-UP: David could have come clean when Bathsheba became pregnant, but his cover-up would only escalate his crime. His abuse of power led him to killing Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband; then God stepped in. The cover-up became worse than the crime.
REFLECT TO CONNECT
- Have you ever “left yourself open” to moral failure?
- In what way do you feel David displeased God?
- What were the steps that led to moral and spiritual failure?
Legacy is like reputation; it is what people remember whether true or not.
