In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war . . . David remained in Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 11:1)Seemingly insignificant decisions can reap giant consequences.
Israel was going to war with Ammon. David had an able general in Joab, and entrusted the Ammonite military campaign to him, leaving the king with some free time on his hands. One sleepless night, David was strolling around the palace rooftop, when he spied his neighbor's wife bathing. He was intrigued and had her summoned. While his neighbor (Uriah) was at the battlefront, David became sexually entangled with Bathsheba (Uriah's wife). Their relationship resulted in an unwanted pregnancy and a potentially embarrassing scandal for the king.
Rather than seeing this as an opportunity to come clean and confess his sins, David went the way of the cover-up. He brought Uriah home from the front lines, thinking he would sleep with his wife and everyone would think the baby was his. No flag no foul, but Uriah had too much integrity for that. In a final act of desperation, David arranged with Joab for Uriah to become a casualty of war, a sure-fire solution to his problem with plausible deniability for all. David was in the clear... and a murderer.
What would have happened if David had led his own troops into battle, and that first wayward step not taken?
All for the want of a nail.
Has a seemingly insignificant decision ever led to big consequences for you?
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