I don’t know about you, but whenever I’ve heard anyone re-tell the story of David’s adulterous affair with Bathsheba, the narrative usually begins with the second verse of 2 Samuel 11: Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath.

His curiosity is aroused, he is overcome with lust, he sends for Bathsheba, the deed is done…and the rest is history.

But there is a telling detail in the first verse that is not always highlighted by most story-tellers. Here is how it reads:

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 11:1)

Had David done what he ought to have done—which is to lead the army into battle—he would not have stayed behind in the palace, gone for a walk on the roof, taken out the binoculars…well, you get the idea!

On the surface, it looks as though there was nothing wrong with David deputizing Joab to lead the army. After all, under Joab’s leadership, they accomplished their mission successfully.

But the fact of the matter is that David should’ve been where the action was—on the battlefront. That is what the commander of the Army does. By choosing not to exercise the leadership that was rightfully his, he sets the stage for the big mess that follows. You cannot delegate Joab to do David’s job.

Are there times when we too are tempted to stay back in Jerusalem when we ought to be front and centre in Rabbah? After all, Jerusalem is a safe place to be, with no additional responsibility.

You may be familiar with the saying: “A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what a ship is built for…” Since you are part of a “royal priesthood” (I Peter 2:8), we could say that “A royal soldier is safest in the palace, but that is not what a soldier is meant to do!”

You are meant to be on the frontlines of battle, in hostile territory occupied by unbelievers and controlled by the demonic forces of hell. It is there that you show up wearing the armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-17) ready to handle everything the enemy throws at you.

Staying in the safety of your home base (e.g. church building or small group) could potentially lead to problems. You could give in to temptations of the flesh. They may not necessarily have to do with lust or other sexual sin (although that is a distinct possibility). At the very least, you could end up satisfying the carnal desire to play it safe when it comes to living out the Christian faith—to keep it all to yourself without sharing with others, thus fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)

We could end up being behind closed doors all the time, debating the merits and demerits of evangelising a certain way vs another. Or we could get focused on simply getting our needs met with a particular style of worship, a certain version of the Bible, etc. No matter what we do, we could end up ignoring those who are caught in the clutches of the evil one.

Dear DWOD friend, let it never be said of you that you delegated Joab to do David’s job. Whenever you are tempted to stay back in Jerusalem, may you rise up and head on to Rabbah or wherever the battle may be raging that particular day. The price you pay for playing it safe could very well exceed the cost of waging war.