MAY 26 "BIG BLEMISH ON DAVID'S LEGACY"

        WE cannot speak enough about David. David is "the real deal".  He is not a Jew trying to practice his religion, he truly is a man of God and has a genuine relationship with Jehovah. "Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?"  And David is not just trying to sound good! He really does want to show God's kindness. God's kindness, shown through God's people will go a whole lot further in our witness than preaching fire, hell and brimstone. Mephibosheth is mentioned to David. He is a disabled man and has now become associated with the rift raft of society. He is a nobody, forgotten by all the "somebody's"  David brings him into his household, restores everything to him that belonged to his grandfather Saul and then adds this,  "And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table".  Not only am I bringing you into my Palace, but you will eat at my table, you will be part of us, we will not only engage you economically, but socially you will become a part of our lives too. That David would bring in rift raft and then ask that riff raff to dine with him, at the King's Table. THIS is more Christlike than any of us will ever dream of being. This is exactly what Jesus does with us, He calls the rift raft of the world, washes and cleans them up and them asks them to dine with him at His table, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

     There is no doubt that David is "a man after God's own heart", but David, for all his kindness, all his love, empathy and compassion, for all the good David wants to do for God, he has but one great weakness....WOMEN.  He has multiple wives, all beautiful and he gets to have sex with each of them, whenever he wants, there is no saying "no" to the King.  I'm sure there was something distinctly unique about each of his wives that attracted him sexually to them. He did not have to deal with their PMS, he did not have to try to cater to them, they were kept in a room in the palace and he simply summoned them when he felt the urge. David had certainly, in every aspect...made provision for his flesh. He's lived every man's dream. He has multiple beautiful woman to sleep with and has no ties to these women other than to make sure they're fed and well kept and that he has his staff to do for him. These women make no demands on him, they are simply there to satisfy David's sexual appetite. Think about this....this is a supposed "man of God"!  However, what David fails to realize is lust for beautiful women has an insatiable appetite.  In other words, you cannot satisfy it. It is not as with hunger, that can be satisfied , for a time, by a good meal. Lust only grows more ravenous as we cater to it. The more we feed it, the more it wants. Lust must be starved to death in order to die (though it never truly does die). While David is sincerely a genuine man of God, as many are that are reading this blog, he must fight a very ungodly side to his life.  Unfortunately God has put in man, a passion in him, that is aroused by sight.  Women are the Achilles heel of all or most, ...men.  If we were not so driven by our sight and lust for women, we would never pursue them, we would be quite content amongst ourselves, ie: men.  There's nothing more that a man yearns for than a "get-a-way" week-end with just men. Women, by nature, drive men crazy, if it were not for their beauty and man's lust for that beauty, woman, for the most part, would be dismissed by man. 
     I worked on the flight line for years serving in the Marine Corps, Air Wing.  We had several vehicles needed on a flight line, to get the job done, that of course needed engines. However, for the safety of all, each vehicle had installed in it a governor on the engine.  This limited the speed of the vehicle, no matter how much we wanted to speed, we could not. We did not have to worry about self control, the governor took care of that for us.  How I wish God had put a governor in us with this arousal by sight, passion for woman and lust for beauty. Why did God not build in a Governor in man?  The reason this blog started with David's Godliness is for men to understand that even one of the Godliest men that ever lived, struggled in this area. David had multiple wives (and this was not to show them God's kindness, but to satisfy his lust) and yet still is caught lusting after yet another beauty, even though he has a harem of beautiful women he could choose from to sleep with at any given moment. Why didn't God put a governor in men to prevent us for causing accidents and deaths with this lust and passion?  Just yesterday I heard of another man that is being removed from ministry because of this related issue. A marriage near destroyed, children hurt and a church left in disappointment and disarray because their head Shepherd himself has succumb to this.  How hurt Joab and Israel must have been to have know that David had succumb to this.  Joab but this we do know
     How important it is that we guard our relationship with our wife. How important it is that we keep a healthy, active, sexual relationship with our wives. Paul, the apostle admonishes us to "not deprive one another of sex"  WHY?..., cause it's mean? NO, he says, "so we don't fall into temptation".
The wife that we have and the holy spirit are the BEST means of any  governor that a man has and when man allows his relationship with God to slip and allows his relationship with his wife to slip, he has left himself wide open for temptation, with very little ability to resist or reign in that passion.
Another powerful governor is "the eyes" the eyes are the gateway to the heart. Job said, "I have made a covenant with my eyes not to lust after another woman".

     If you are struggling in this area (and you are if you are a man) and don't want to fall (and I hope you don't) pursue the safe guards/governors God has given; pursue God and pursue your wife, be fulfilled spiritually by the one and sexually by the other and you will do well. If you let these relationships slip then it is just a matter of time before you fall. David is our example of Godliness and he is our example of the frailty and vulnerability that man has to lust, even if he is "a man after God's own heart".  Last words from the Apostle Paul, "if any man thinks he stands; let him take heed, lest he fall!"  The irony is, those that think they are above this will probably fall and those that fear it because they see their own weakness and vulnerability... probably will not!