Bad Choices, Where Do They Start?

My SaLT group started up again last night. We have been on "break" throughout August, which I think is a good thing. It gives me time to focus on some other things, and then when we gather together, everything starts fresh and new.



Our new study is "How to Make Choices You Won't Regret" by Kay Arthur and David and BJ Lawson.



We don't have our books in yet, but our leader Robin does, so he got us started. Interesting start too...as I've come to expect from this group. One of the women, who also shares leading responsibilities said "The books haven't come in yet, so what do you want to do tonight?"



I was ready to dig in, so I was disappointed about the prospect of not starting yet. Others said, we can do this or we can do that. One woman said "Robin has the book, he's leading. We can do this!" Tommye said "We can play cards. We have cards!". We all sat somewhat confused and trying to decide what we should do.



That was the start of study. Then we were asked how it was we went about deciding what to do. LOL Some of us wanted to forge ahead. Others wanted to step back and think about it and possibly come up with a Plan B. An interesting little exercise!



Well, we studied 2 Samuel 11:1-5. This is the David and Bathsheba story.



What did we discuss? How many "events" occurred before the actual adultery. We looked at the different choices David made that led to his indiscretion. It was interesting to see how a seemingly insignificant decision eventually led to consequences that effected or affected (even with Jennifer's mini lesson on affect and effect, nouns and verbs, I still don't get it! LOL) generations and generations of descendants. Wow.



First thing we noticed is that David did not go with the kings off to war as Kings did each spring. He sent Joab instead, along with his entire army. Doesn't seem like a big deal, but we pondered for awhile why it was that David didn't go. I said that it was possible that he got complacent. David was a warrior king. He was used to going off to war and killing many many men. His armies won battle after battle. Successes followed him everywhere. In the chapter before he had killed 700 charioteers and forty-thousand foot soldiers, and even their commander. Piece of cake! So spring came around. David may have been tired out and figured his army could handle things without him. But, this decision to stay home and send his army left him home in Jerusalem, and the other men gone from the city.



David got out of bed one night and ventured out onto the roof. We wondered what might be keeping him up? Who knows...it's so easy to read more into things and when studying the bible it is important to not make something mean something that the writers didn't intend to mean. "A verse can't mean what it never meant." But, still, his decision to get out of bed and go to the roof led him to be in an area where he could see a beautiful woman bathing. This is where his decisions really start getting bad. David sends someone to find out about her.



Things kept getting worse from there and David ended up feeling the consequences of his poor decisions for the remainder of his life.



I thought it was interesting how all this started when the king decided not to go off to war.



It made me think about the "simple" decisions I make daily. I don't feel like going to church today, so I'm not going. I think I will call off from work, I have a new computer that I want to play with. I really want an X-Box so I'll go buy one now.



Every single decision I make will eventually lead to another decision. It's like a chess game. It's choosing which strategy to use. In a book I am reading, the author shares an analogy about how he played against a chess champion once. It didn't matter what kind of move he made, the champion's move always countered it and regained all control. The champion always had a superior strategy and thus control of the game. The outcome was determined by the champion by his every move, he was the superior chess player, the strategist. The author then related it to the way God is. No matter what decisions we make, God is able to make that "move" work in his "strategy" or his design. God controls the outcome no matter how far we may move off course.



He did it with David. He did it with Peter. He did it with Paul. He did it with Moses. He did it with Jacob. He did it with me. He still does!



Some decisions are easy, but those should be taken seriously as well as any really big life changing decision. David didn't go off to war one Spring, and that put a whole course of events into motion. I pray that I always seek God and let Him light my way. I pray that my heart be repentive, and that when I stray, He will welcome me back as the prodigal daughter, with His arms open, a smile on His face, and joy in His heart.