DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
One of the great tragedies I’ve seen over the years is the moral fall of great men and women of God. I’ve watched people who genuinely loved God yield themselves to sin they would once have never dreamed possible. I’ve seen leaders who have preached Christ to thousands turn from heaven’s blessings to hell’s pleasures. In almost every case, there had been a fatal flaw in their relationship with God or their family.
The fall of a man or woman of God doesn’t usually happen in a moment of yielding to some great temptation. Usually it’s a slow process. At a critical moment, a seed of sin is birthed in the human heart. If it’s not immediately dealt with, it takes root and grows until the small sin issue becomes a full-blown scandal. Satan is subtle in his temptations. He plants his seeds of destruction at a moment of great success or terrible discouragement.
Such was the case with David. He experienced a dream come true. He had wanted the Ark of the Covenant returned to the center of the life of Israel. He knew the Ark contained the manifest presence of God, so it was absolutely necessary that God’s presence be in the middle of Jewish life. Therefore he made the return of the Ark a priority in his reign. When it was returned, David danced in jubilation in front of the people.
When David returned home to his wife, he faced a critical moment. His wife Michal was disgusted with his “undignified” celebration. She said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would” (2 Samuel 6:20). A root of pride and bitterness was born that day in the heart of Michal. That produced an unresolved conflict between her and David that would last the rest of their lives. The Bible says, “And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death” (v. 23).
It’s possible that this breach was the root of David’s sin with Bathsheba. The implication is that after this incident, David and Michal did not have sexual relations. That does not give an excuse for what David would later do. But it does give us some insight into David’s marital status. Adultery is often the fruit of a rift between a husband and wife. It begins with small things that are harbored in one or both of their hearts. Instead of talking and praying through the situation, the two parties hold their feelings inside. With time, the gap between them only gets larger.
It appeared to be that way with David and Michal. We see no indication that David tried to resolve the matter. He only rebukes Michal for her pride. David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel — I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor” (2 Samuel 6:21, 22).
My concern with this incident is not who was right or wrong. It’s that in this moment, an unresolved conflict was born in the marriage between David and Michal. I’m convinced this discord played a subtle role in David’s later sin with Bathsheba. As leaders in the kingdom of God, we must not allow unresolved conflicts to fester in our hearts. If we do, they will show up later, in a deadly manner.
2 Samuel : Chapter 6
16) As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart. 17) They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. 18) After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. 19) Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes. 20) When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!” 21) David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. 22) I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.” 23) And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
Book of the Month
Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe. For all other books…
About Sammy Tippit Ministries
STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
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