Temptation – The Tangled Web
Temptation exercises our faith and teaches us to pray. A. B. Simpson
We all know the famous, or should I say infamous, story of David and Bathsheba found in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. When David sees Bathsheba bathing on her rooftop, he gives in to his baser senses and falls into temptation. This is the same David we read about in the Psalms. The same David who cried out to the Lord day and night to rescue him. Who always put the Lord before Him, seeking His counsel and instruction (Psalm 16:7-9). But not this time. The thrill of what his senses were enticing him into outweighed everything else. He didn’t think he needed rescuing from the dastardly deed he was about to get himself entangled in. He didn’t think about the consequences of the deed he was about to commit.
The web we weave
The Scottish author, Walter Scott, says this in his poem, Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field:
“O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
This is what happened with David. He wove a web of deceit by giving in to temptation. A web that entangled others, some of whom had nothing to do with his reprehensible act. He dragged Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, who was a brave warrior in a war that was being fought against the Ammonites, into his web. He hoped that when he ordered Uriah to come home for a brief leave of absence, he would go home to his wife so that he would be exonerated from his adulterous act. But Uriah was an honourable man and refused to sleep in the comfort of his home while his fellow soldiers were sleeping in the open on the battlefield (2 Samuel 11:6-11).
When using Uriah to cover up his adulterous act didn’t work, he dragged Joab, his commander-in-chief, who also happened to be his nephew, into his web. Joab was ordered to place Uriah in the direct line of fire during their next battle so that he would be killed.
When temptation comes into our lives, it will be tailored exactly for us. This is what Satan does. He knows how to entice us. He will make us think that this is exactly what we need. He will tempt us in different ways – sensual, physical, financial, emotional, mental, and relational. He will even make us think we deserve what he is offering. David was a man who ran hard after God and called out to the Lord when he found himself in a difficult situation. But when temptation came, he left God out of the equation and succumbed to Satan’s lure. This resulted in Satan weaving a tangled web in His life that caused others to be trapped in it. This can happen to us as well when we are not alert to Satan’s ploy and flee temptation.
1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV) "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour".
Reflection
Will you take time to think about any areas in your life that might leave you vulnerable to temptation? When you’ve identified them, take time to give them to the Lord so that He can protect you from satan’s lure.
Prayer
Dear Lord, help me to recognise the lures of Satan. Help me not to give in to the temptations that Satan wants to entice me with. Show me, Lord, what I need to do to avoid getting entangled in Satan’s web. Create in me a clean heart, God and renew a right spirit within me so that I will not succumb to the things that I know go against Your Word. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
