THE DEVIL'S TRAP (6)

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*THE DEVIL'S TRAP (6).*

*Scripture Treasure.*

2 Sam 11:14-27:

*And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.*

*And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.*

*And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.*

*And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.*

*Insight and Highlight.*

Matt 6:13 *And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:...."*

*Scripture Commentaries.*

The chilling story of David sighting Bathsheba while she was bathing and his gruesome act of adultery with her were just the beginning of a journey downstream.

Trying to understand what could lead David so proudly disconnected from his royalty that he would be capable of doing something that a normal and respectable person would find unimaginable is very troubling.

David himself was in a devil's trap.

It takes a person who is already in a devil's trap to bring as many he could bring into the trap. It teaches us that the devil also 'disciple' vulnerable people.

All Satanic agents are already entrapped by Satan because they work for him, so they must harvest more victims into Satan's coven.

The manner of David's adultery and how the scriptures describe it calls for closer attention.

First, 2 Sam 11:4 says *And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him.....*

Second, in the parable of Prophet Natan,

on how a rich man who had many flock was visited by a traveller but instead of the rich man to take out of the abundance of flock he had, he instead took the only ewe lamb of the poor man.

In Nathan's word, the rich man “took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him” 2 Sam12:4.

Third, when David was confronted with the meaning of the parable, Nathan said David had killed Uriah *".....and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him.*

Each of the illustrations describes David's action as an 'act of taking', and this was present in all the narrations.

David *"...took her....."* in 2 Sam 11:4

David, illustrated as the rich man in 2 Sam 12:4, *".....took the poor man's lamb..."*.

In 2 Sam 12:9, David now clearly identified was told he *".....hast taken...."* The wife of Uriah.

This act of 'taking' can be described as an act of forceful possession from a rightful owner without permission

The devil takes possessions from rightful owners and without their permission.

2 Timothy 2: 26 tells us that there are people in the *"....snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."*

Things that were almost impossible to understand do happen when the devil's entrapment is working in a person's life.

Solomon says in Eccl 10:5-6 *"...here is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:*

*Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.*

In other words, the foolishness of the rich will cut him short or cause him to sit in a low place.

As for Uriah, the moment David saw his wife was the beginning of a journey – not towards military honor or gallantry but one as a prey in the devil's trap to the slaughter.

A journey towards death never made known to him or known by him.

The devil's trap, so evil that people can be walking into it yet unknown to them.

A person can be tricked into a celebration that will lead him for his death.

Absalom threw a big party and invited all the David's sons. David was told later that *"....Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left.* However one man, Jonadab came to clarify to David to say *"....Amnon only is dead: for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar."* 2 Sam 13:23-33.

Amnon was a devil's trap, and he died as a devil's prey.

You must not die the death from the devil's trap.

Beware of setups.

*Remorse corner.*

Matt 26:41 *Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.*

*Call to Word action.*

Uriah fell suddenly!

Eccl 9:12  *For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.*

*The Christian clarion duty.*

We must pray never to fall suddenly into the devil's trap.

*Prayer*

Lord, help me. Do not let me fall into the devil's trap either suddenly or at any time in Jesus name.

Good morning all, and be blessed as you go today.

God bless you.

Shalom.