Wednesday of the Eleventh Week After Trinity

August 19, 2026Today's Reading: 2 Samuel 11:1-27Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34“But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” (2 Samuel 11:27b)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.How could this happen? God said that David was a man after His own heart: David trusted God and was a model of faithfulness, honoring God in both word and deed. But in our passage today, we read how this same great king slept with the wife of one of his trusted warriors, impregnated her, and tried to cover it up with lies. Then, when deception wouldn’t work, he turned to murder. So, again: How could this happen? The same way it almost always does. “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15) It started with just one look. He saw a beautiful woman naked, and instead of looking away, he kept looking and started thinking. He started to wonder about and delight in the idea of something wicked. At some point, he also came up with a justification for himself. I imagine it went like this: I am the king. I should get to have any woman I want. I deserve this! And at that point, he said to his servant, Bring her to me.David had several wives and concubines. He wasn’t starved for sexual attention. Though it may have started as lust, the real sin is greed (failing to be content with what you have been given). If he justified his actions the way I think he did, then it was ultimately driven by pride, accompanied by a sense of entitlement.As we will see tomorrow, the consequences of David’s sins were enormous. So learn from his downfall. Don’t excuse small sins. Look away from those images on the screen. Do not delight in wicked things. Be content with what you have and do not think you are entitled to more. You, too, are capable of great evil if you let sin go unchecked. For King David, what started with one look later grew into murder. So, take heed lest you stumble. (1 Cor. 10:12)The story of David’s fall is an important warning, but here’s something much more comforting: Christ Himself was tempted in every way as we are, yet was without sin. (Heb. 4:15) Where we and so many others have failed and given in to desire, Christ stood strong. He kept Himself holy and pure so He could offer Himself up as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. And that perfect sacrifice on the cross covers all sins -big and small- for those who trust in Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Should some lust or sharp temptation Fascinate my sinful mind, Draw me to Your cross and passion, And new courage I shall find. Or should Satan press me hard, Let me then be on my guard, ‘Saying Christ for me was wounded,’ That the tempter flee confounded. (LSB 421:2)Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.