"One evening David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, when from there he saw a woman bathing; and she was very lovely to behold."
II Samuel 11: 2, Amplified Bible
"Where We Direct Our Eyes"
"All I speak, be blessed to me, O God;
All I hear, be blessed to me, O God;
All I see, be blessed to me, O God;
All I sense, be blessed to me, O God;
All I taste, be blessed to me, O God;
Each step I take, be blessed to me, O God.
And may I serve You all my life,
For the love of the Father who created me,
The Son who redeemed me,
And the Holy Spirit who strengthens and guides me."
W. Mary Calvert
Where do I direct my eyes each day?
How does "where" I direct my eyes affect "where" I walk each day?
"Lord…direct, control, suggest this day,
All I design or do or say;
That all my powers, with all their might,
In Thy sole glory may unite."
"In the morning, You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning, I prepare a prayer, a sacrifice for You and watch and wait for You to speak to my heart."
Psalm 5: 3
Last night, we came home from an evening out with friends and as Jim and I walked up the brick pathway that leads to our front door, out from under a bush, I saw something slither quickly across in front of me. Fortunately, what I realized was a snake, wasn't poisonous and the poor thing was more frightened of me than I was of it. But it was a good reminder that during these warm, humid summer months, especially after a rain such as we had yesterday, it's very wise to "watch" where you place your steps.
Our daily lives need a warning, too, and this is exactly what the Bible gives us in II Samuel 11: 2, our text for today, which says that David "saw" or as the Hebrew translation informs us, David looked upon and viewed a woman. I want to be clear - nowhere in the Hebrew was this particular word "saw" translated in a way that denotes salacious or leering behavior. Instead, David, with time off to relax and while walking on his rooftop, had some free time to direct his steps and his eyes to anything and everything that came within his "field of vision." On this particular day, his visual field contained a woman, and this beautiful girl, became the place where David decided to direct his attention.
For the next couple of days, I want to take a close look at the texts and the experience recorded in II Samuel 11, because it is of such premier importance to each of us.
David was God's chosen. He was God's child. He contained within him a heart that yearned for his heavenly Father. I believe nearly every person, including myself, has found themselves like David, longing to be the person God wants us to be. David repeatedly showed himself to be merciful, even compassionate. He could be a man of strength. He could be an encourager and motivator. But in II Samuel 11, we find David could also be a huge failure, as well. All I can say is, "Can't we all?"
In a moment of relaxation, away from the pressures of war and mountain living, David directed his view around Jerusalem, the city he loved, and from the rooftop of his luxurious palace, his attention was diverted.
I began this section of our devotional with the words from David, himself, at a different time in his life. I appreciate how the King James Version of the Bible translates Psalm 5: 3, and as you read these words, just think how they would sound if David were repeating them to you: "My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up." We learn something by looking at what the Hebrew meaning of the word "direct" is in this passage for it means, "to put in order or to esteem." When we "esteem" someone, we respect them and place them in highest regard. This means that if we direct our attention first to God our Father, He is our esteemed priority.
Now let's just say David had arisen from his couch, walked out and directed his eyes toward his Father in heaven. What a difference it could have made. And it would have been because of the direction of his eyes and his walk.
As I shared with you some time ago, when I was a child, we always had breakfast together as a family - Daddy, Mother, my sister and me. It was at this time we had "family worship." One day my dad came up with one of his crazy ideas, at least that's what I thought. He suggested we end worship singing a short hymn, "Lord In The Morning." Here are the words to the first verse, "Lord in the morning Thou shalt hear, my voice ascending high, to Thee will I direct my prayer, to Thee lift up mine eye." How little I knew at the time, that the repeated message of this hymn was planting within my sister's and my heart a longing for our lives to be directed by our heavenly Father and for the focus of our eyes to be on our Father's will and way.
I can only imagine that many a time, David must have regretted that in a moment with a wandering eye, the direction of his vision and walk pointed him downward rather than upward.
"May the Lord direct your hearts into realizing and showing the love of God and into the steadfastness and patience of Christ and in waiting for His return."
II Thessalonians 3: 5, Amplified Bible
"Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty, hold me with Thy powerful hand…
Let the fire and cloudy pillar, lead me all my journey through.
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer, Be Thou still my strength and shield."
Dorothy Valcàrcel, Author
When A Woman Meets Jesus
P.S. My book, When A Woman Meets Jesus, is now available wherever books are sold and on the internet at www.amazon.com, Christianbook.com, or by calling toll-free, 1-800-Christian. You can also go to www.whenawomanmeetsjesus.com and purchase the book through Paypal for $8.00. Or by calling Transformation Garden at 1-888-397-4348.
For more from Dorothy, please visit transformationgarden.com.