A Death of Innocence

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Luke 12:48

Since the beginning of creation God has given us the incredible gift of free will. A gift that allows us to make choices, and then act on those choices, either for the glory of God or for our own glory. The challenge and danger of such an incredible gift is that the greater the position and power one has over others, the greater the opportunity for someone to abuse that gift for selfish gain.

David's life is an incredible example of free will being lived out, for both good and evil in life and leadership. Unfortunately, the two chapters in 2 Samuel 11-12 would prove to be one of the greatest and most pivotal free will leadership failures for David. A series of selfish choices and far-reaching consequences that would not only shatter the innocence and lives of those caught up in them, but the innocence of his own heart and reputation as a man after God's own heart. It was a death of innocence that would forever tarnish and weaken his trust as a leader of a nation, and the trust needed as a father, husband, and a friend.

Our nature can be to quickly read through a story in the Bible and just gather a list of the facts from it (the 'what' of the story). However, God included each of these incredible stories (big or small) for a reason. He wants us to slow down and search for the reason behind the story (the 'why' of the story) and to discover and understand the hearts of the characters of the people within them. Only then can we discover the incredible learning opportunities hidden within it and how they apply to our own lives. This book was written for that purpose.