Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Watch Out When You're Tired

“In the spring when kings go to war, David remained in Jerusalem” (2 Sam. 11:1). Since the Bible doesn't tell us why David chose to stay home instead of leading his men in battle, it leave us some room to wonder. Was he exhausted from years of warfare? Did he need R&R (rest and recuperation)? But whatever the reason, consider this: David had been saved from death on the battlefields only to lose miserably on the home front. And if David, a man who loved God with all his heart, could end up doing something he would regret for the rest of his life (remember Bathsheba?)…well, we’d better pay attention.

I think it shows how vulnerable we are when we’re tired (especially, after we've been doing warfare). Weariness can predispose us to a fall. Alcoholics Anonymous has an acronym they use to help people remember these vulnerabilities—it is "HALT" : Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. When you are anyone of these things, you are open to temptation. I doubt if David was hungry, but was he angry? Was he tired?  And was he paying attention to his heart?

No wonder David’s son Solomon warned: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Prov. 4:23 NLT) The idea is summed up by Paul: “we must pay much closer attention…so that we do not drift away...” (Heb. 2:1)

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