This set of devotionals is about a time in David's life that doesn't reflect very well on him and his choices. The scriptures did not leave out this part of David's story even though it shows David's arrogance and misconduct. The value is not in pointing out the misconduct but giving us a model on how we can move forward despite our past.
After David was well established on his throne, he found victory over his enemies, but he did not find victory over his own foolishness. Many of us know the foolishness of David and when one is unemployed, then it is easy too to feel reflective about it and to find a recovery if we too have been foolish.
This section may not apply to you but it is something that we often evaluate when we become unemployed.
Am I unemployed because of my own foolishness? I share it because it is the cause for some but also because it would be impossible to share David’s story without talking about it.
The story of David and Bathsheba and Uriah is a well-known. You can read about it here:
11 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out
with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army.
They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.
But David remained in Jerusalem.
2 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, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her.
The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”
4 Then David sent messengers to get her.
The story goes on and if you have not read it all, you can see it goes from bad to worse as David not only makes poor choices
Some of the same issues that led to David’s situation can affect us.
· Desire
· Pride
· Lies
· Abuse of Power
Even if this is not your story, it is hard to deny that it could have been your story.
It is a mistake in today's world to automatically blame someone when they lose a job. There are so many factors due to the economy, changes in company's fortunes, re-organizations, acquisitions, etc.
But it would also not be accurate to not acknowledge for some, that their unemployment has come because of their foolishness.
It may have been foolishness in their work life or it may be that decisions in their personal life went out of control.
It should not be a surprise that what you do in your personal life affects your work life and vice versa.
Lord
Guard my heart from the temptation that is in front of me.
Give me the self control I need to look the other way when temptation is drawing me in.
Give me the strength to stop and turn around when I am headed down the wrong road.
Amen
David looked for a way to escape the consequences for this behavior. He made the situation worse by his drive to find a way to cover up or hide what he had done.
2 Samuel 11
5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”
...
14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the [c]hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.”
16 So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men.
17 Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
David's reaction to the news from Bathsheba could have been different. Instead David reacted in a way that would help him escape the consequences. He hatched a plot to put Uriah in harm's way that would hide his involvement. He used his power and leadership role to hide what he had done.
Clearly David had the influence as King to ask people on his team to help him in this matter. The went along with him either because of fear of his power or because of expecting benefits for being on his team.
We have heard the advice more than once, maybe you should sleep on it.
Maybe you should wait until tomorrow before responding to a matter.
In David's case, the sleep on it strategy did not work. I have to admit sometimes I have sent some of my worse reactions early in the morning.
The issue may have caused me to toss and turn during the night. And in my dream, I had it all worked out how my plan made sense.
Some who are unemployed, can relate to David and how their response to a bad decision just caused matters to get worse.
Others however can more closely respond to being in a situation like David's staff. They can recall the pressures to do things that their leaders have wanted even though it went beyond their best judgement.
After leaving a company, it may be possible to see more clearly and take a more objective stock on a past company. We can look back and see the effect of the culture on us. We may find some things that were right and some that were not about the leadership, their decisions and the culture.
Lord
I come to you honestly and openly with the reality of my sins. I know I tell myself that I can somehow look to escape the consequence of my sins.
Help me with the maturity to accept rather than seek to escape my consequences.
Help me not to abuse my power and relationships that I make others to stumble.
Help me confront my brother or sister if they ask me to defend them when they were in the wrong.
Amen
I wish I could tell you that David was able to address his issues on his own. The reality was that he was not able to fully comprehend and take responsibility for his prior actions until the was confronted by Nathan.
2 Samuel 12
1 The Lord sent Nathan to David.
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:
‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8
I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms.
I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little,
I would have given you even more.
9 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?
You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own.
You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.
10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house,
because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
11 “This is what the Lord says:
‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you.
...
12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”
I wish I could tell you that the confrontation was easy for Nathan. It was not. He chose to try the indirect route.
Are you paying attention to the matter that you could have done something wrong?
Do you have a Nathan to intervene for you?
It's so nice to have a friend. Someone that you feel has your best interests at heart.
It's a lonely thing sometimes being unemployed. We find ourselves busy looking for jobs, talking to strangers, filling out forms, and applying for jobs.
Often all this time alone leaves us open for all sorts of temptations and time wasters that we would never have thought we would do.
It's important to find someone that we can related to that either has known us for a long time or who also understands what it is like to be unemployed and searching for work.
Lord,
AMEN
It's interesting to have worked with a variety of different bosses in my career. One or two of them have not been interested in feedback. They have been driven by their role or position. People follow a leader sometimes because of their power or because of fear of what they could do to you.
2 Samuel 12
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for[a] the Lord,
the son born to you will die.”
15 After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife
had borne to David,
and he became ill. 16 David pleaded with God for the child.
He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.
Some may not be comfortable in thinking that our poor choices affect our relationship with the Lord. We think that they only affect other people or only affect us. We think that if we can make it up to the other person then we are cleared.
Such is not the case with sin.
Our poor choices affect others but are an issue between us and the Lord. Until we bring these issues to the Lord, we will not have closure with the issue.
For some of you this is something that you know but you have not addressed. I would encourage you to find someone to talk over but also to ask the Lord to show you.
The Lord can speak to you about sin in your life if you open your spirit to let him.
Psalms 139:23-24 NIV
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
David learned to invite the Lord to search his heart and question his motives.
I do not want to take lightly the importance that this matter may have for you. If this is a issue for you, seek out counsel with a pastor or church leader on how you can address confession and repentance .
I don't want to linger too long on this point. I wish I did not have to say this but to be completely accurate I believe that I should remind you that sins may have consequences even after our forgiveness. The scripture never promises us that we will be kept free form all of the consequences of our sins. In the case of David, the consequences he had was the loss of the son that he had with Bathsheba.
It is not unusual that an interviewer will ask why did you leave a certain role.
It is not unusual that an interviewer will ask how did you respond to failure.
it is not unusual that an interviewer will ask how did your work through conflct with a boss or colleague.
You may still get a lump in your throat and pause when you are asked these questions. Often its because you feel like you are the only one who has ever had those situations.
The interviewer is often not trying to trap you and disqualify you because of your past. Often they just want to know that you were able to recover and move on from your past.
The red flags that they are looking for are unresolved issues or a failure to take responsibility, failure to address a matter, or learn a lesson from what happened.
Prepare an answer that is short quick and to to the point. A long winded unrehearsed defensive answer will knock you off your game.
Lord
I confess to you the sins and the temptations that I have had even though I know you already know them because you see all and know all.
Lord help me be mature in learning from my mistakes.
Lord help me accept your forgiveness and if needed that I gain the forgiveness of others that I may have wronged.
Amen
David reached a point where his mourning was over, and he had to move on. That is something that everyone that becomes unemployed must find a way to do.
20 Then David got up from the ground.
After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes,
he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped.
Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.
21 His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way?
While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”
22 He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept.
I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’
23 But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting?
Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba
When you have made your confession and repentance, clean yourself up and get on with it
Don't let the past consume you. David prayed that the \Lord would create a clean heart inside him.
Psalms 51
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
It's hard when you feel not only the guilt from your sin but also feel the pain of the consequences if what you did causes you to lose a job.
Sometimes though its not just the sin that you got caught in but the sin that you did not get caught doing that can consume you.
Nevertheless none of what we have done is hidden or surprises God.
Being unemployed is not a sin and this may not apply to all of the unemployed.
But if you are stuck and cannot get peace, consider whether there is some unconfessed sin that is blocking you whether its your attitude or peace.
Lord
I know that I can still struggle with the past sins that I have already confessed to you.
Lord help me accept your forgiveness.
Help me move on and claim the victory that you have given me.
Restore to me the joy.
Prepare me to help others to avoid or learn from my mistakes.
Amen