This verse of Scripture signposts what would spell chain of calamities and much sorrow for David in years to come. One evening, while his men were executing some military campaigns, he was walking the loft of his palace when he spotted a woman. Bathsheba was her name; a wife to one of his lieutenants. He engaged the woman sexually. The Bible did not register any line of protest or resistance from the woman. Did David, being a strong man, use military prowess to subdue this woman? Well, we cannot tell. But if this was the case the Bible would probably have told us that he forced her. How about executive fiat? Kings were so powerful in those days; known to be second only to the gods. Did he use his position to take advantage of this woman? Here too, we can never be too certain.

Many are just lonely and bored. If you belong to either of these categories you are vulnerable. Your safety valve is that you learn how to make a spiritual capital of your lonely and free moment.

But there is one line of thought we can probe. Bathsheba’s husband had been gone for only God knows how long. So we have a picture of a woman who was probably lonely. And here was David who seemed to be available, having all the free time in the world. So the encounter between these people was more like consensual than a forced one. Here is the point we are trying to make: Whenever the lonely meets the available an immediate chemistry is struck. It is not everyone who suffered moral lapse that did so for monetary purpose. Many are just lonely and bored. If you belong to either of these categories you are vulnerable. Your safety valve is that you learn how to make a spiritual capital of your lonely and free moment. Tell God to teach you how to make the most of your present circumstance in a manner that will advance your life and bring glory to God.