The Bible never flatters its heroes. They are portrayed "warts and all!" We tend to look at the heroes of Scripture as super human beings, incapable of sins of any consequence. But we need to understand that the men and women of Scripture have feet of clay, and when the Holy Spirit paints a portrait of their lives, He's a very realistic artist. He never overlooks, ignores, or denies the worst i. e., their dark side is not painted over. 
   
For example, consider David's sinful encounter with Bathsheba. No sin, unless it would be the sin of Adam and Eve, has received more press than the sin of David and Bathsheba. Movies have been made about it, and reams have been written. I want to emphasize that David was a man who loved God. He was "a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13: 22). David sinned, but his sin was no greater than your sin or mine; ours simply have not been recorded for all to read. Admittedly, his sin was intensified because of who he was, and because of how he mishandled it. But it was just sin, an act of disobedience he later came to regret with bitter tears. In that regard, he certainly does not stand alone, does he? 
   
I am not justifying what David did, and I'm certainly not trying to defend it. I'm only trying to put it in proper perspective. You may be thinking: "That would never happen to me" or "How could David be so weak and vulnerable?" Read the following: "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10: 12). The New Living Translation says: "If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin." Wedged between the words "stand" and "fall" are the words "take heed" or "be careful." We all need to do that on a regular basis. We all struggle against the same kinds of fleshly temptations that have always troubled humankind. If we do not "take heed" by running as fast as we can from this kind of temptation, we will fall, just as David did! How many times has a fortress been stormed because its defenders thought that it was impregnable? Under estimating the power of temptation has led many of God's people down a very dark path. Life is a "chancy" business, and we must ever be on the watch. Think on these things. 

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Dennis Abernathy