I would like to revisit the post I put on a while ago concerning the sin of Bathsheba. Laurie and I were talking yesterday and this came up. While I do believe the author of that post has some good things to say concerning modesty I also think he sets up a scenario of laying the blame at the feet of Bathsheba for David's sin. There are a few organizations out in the world around us that also do this through their teachings. While they have some good things to offer concerning our walk with the Messiah, they fail to teach personal responsibility for males and tell the females to do everything they can to prevent the males from sinning. This sets up things for everything being the fault of the ladies. A woman is not responsible for a decision a man makes to sin.
In our society today there is not much left for the imagination when it comes to female bodies. The world around us uses the opposite sex to sell just about everything. It is plastered on billboards and seen on t.v. and at the beach. As a man, it becomes difficult to look away from someone who is not dressed modestly. It is a constant battle, but it is one that a father should teach a son. King David had a personal responsibility to not watch or keep looking. He had a personal responsibility to not pursue his own passions with another man's wife.
When I look at the article concerning the sin of Bathsheba I am reminded of the verses in Gen 3:
Gen 3:12 And the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate."
Adam tried to lay his sin at the feet of his wife. We all need to take personal responsibility for our own actions. We cannot blame someone else for our own sin. We all make choices. We all must stand before Yahweh Elohim and give an account of our lives.
David was still a man after Elohim's own heart, he repented of his sin. Bathsheba's son went on to become a wise king. So, even after the sin, if we repent and turn from our wicked ways we can have a relationship with our Father.
2 comments:
I agree, Myke. When you read the story in the Bible, the writer definitely puts the blame on David. He should have been with his army in the first place, but he also is responsible for his own sin. And Bathsheba was not doing anything wrong as such. She was not deliberately showing her body off - she was doing a ritual bathing. And he only saw her BNECAUSE he was where he shouldn't have been.
I totally agree! We always have a choice. Let's face it, if a man has a lustful heart, he can commit mental sin with a woman in a mum's habit. I do think we ladies still should dress modestly in order to honor God and our husband (if married),but true holiness or lack thereof comes from the heart. The externals should be a reflection of that, but they can never be used as an excuse for not tending to your own heart, nor can they substitute for true consecration. That's my two and a half cents anyway.
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