“One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, ‘Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’” – 2 Samuel 11:2-3 (NIV)
One of the big items in the news this week is the Ashley Madison Hack. For those who may be uninformed “Ashley Madison” is a website based in North America that helps people to facilitate adulterous affairs. When the website was hacked recently it resulted in the public exposure of the private liaisons of literally thousands of people. I haven’t been following the gossip but evidently there are some very well-known people of great public influence whose reputations are now forever soiled.
It’s now being reported in Christian circles that up to 400 pastors in North America may be handing in their resignations this Sunday because of exposure from the hack. (cf. www.relevantmagazine.com) This is, of course, a huge tragedy and one with far-reaching implications.
When people fail, especially those we trust, it hurts us deeply. The closer we are to them the more it hurts. Perhaps you can relate to me as one who has been both villain and victim.
I’m quite sure that most everyone who was exposed in the Ashley Madison hack never envisioned that their private sins would be made public. The more committed we are to individuality in our modern world the more we lose sight of the fact that our private lives have public implications.
For those of us well acquainted with failure – both our own and others – we learn a lot from the life of King David as recorded in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. David was a very public figure, a “man after God’s heart” and ruler of God’s chosen people. Yet in a moment of weakness he decided to have a private party with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. No one else was invited and that’s the way he wanted it.
Unfortunately, in the real world, as in the case of Ashley Madison, private parties become public eventually. As we read in 2 Samuel 12, David’s sin was exposed by the prophet Nathan and he paid a huge price for his misdeeds. His private party got “hacked” and rightly so.
It’s natural for us to want joy and pleasure in life. But when we want joy and pleasure exclusively for ourselves it turns nasty when we close out others close to us and have a private party with our secret pleasures.
In recent years, after reflecting on my own battles and failures, I’ve been learning that we were made for God’s pleasure who desires a deep and satisfying relationship with us. The enemy of our souls will always provide counterfeits and deceives us into thinking that we can close ourselves off from God and others to “get what we want.” Unfortunately, the private party always comes to a shocking and painful end.
One of my new life resolutions is – “No more private parties! God has a better plan!”
David, perhaps on one of his better days, reflecting on his life – both good and bad – penned these words –
“I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” – Psalm 16:8-11 (NIV)
That’s the best description I know of the most enjoyable “party” anyone could attend. It’s public and it’s free for the asking! Everyone who attends is promised eternal pleasures and there no risk of exposure!
As we learn to embrace failure – both ours and others – let’s remember that we were created for pleasure. The One who created us holds the key and invites us to seek Him and enjoy Him every moment of our lives.
Lessons for Living 