2 Samuel 11: Midlife Crisis

2 Samuel 11: Midlife Crisis

Victory often leads to vulnerability. If you do not strengthen yourself in the Lord in the midst of victory, sin is fast to creep in. We see this clearly in the life of David. The first ten chapters of 2 Samuel detail David‘s victory, but chapter 11 marks his midlife crisis and reveals the foothold he gave to sin.

A Lack of Purpose

Sin starts in your mind as a possibility. But when you chew on it, meditate on it, and consider it an option for pursuit, it becomes more real. It develops a compelling power, and then it brings forth death. We see this truth clearly in James 1:14–15:

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

David‘s act of sin with Bathsheba was not random. Instead, he had been cultivating sin through his undisciplined thought life. He had reached a point in life where he had experienced success, but he was in a sort of midlife crisis. Instead of seeking the Lord’s direction, as he had earlier done, he stayed in Jerusalem and did not do his duty as a king while his army was at war.

Like David, we tend to do similar foolish things in a midlife crisis. Many assume that a new vehicle, a new house, a new lover will lead to purpose and satisfaction. But we are meant for something more substantive. When we feel a midlife crisis, we need to turn to God. He is preparing us for something greater than this world.

A Position of Vulnerability

No one has an immediate decline. Sin has levels and grows greater in our lives as we succumb to it. It starts as a beach hold, and it has influence over us. The more we entertain it, the more it gains a stronghold and harasses us. Finally, it takes a stranglehold, and it controls us.

David disconnected his accomplishments from his relationship with God, and it left him vulnerable. He allowed sin into his life, and it got a stranglehold on him.

Temptation only reveals its pleasures, never its consequences, and David was led astray by that. But only God can provide what we are truly looking for.

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This teaching is based on Ken Boa’s Handbook to Scripture

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