Rande Greene

“In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.”

– 2 Samuel 11:1

Responsibility and love. These are the two pillars of godly masculinity. A man is a man of God because of these two pillars. God is deeply interested in the small and seemingly

insignificant decisions of our daily lives. David’s first wrong step was one of failed responsibility. He did not go to war when “kings go to war”. When we fail our responsibilities, we start a process that can lead to further and more and worse failure. He went up to the rooftop and saw her. Because of irresponsibility he was put in a spot of temptation. He made the wrong decision. David had before this led Israel into its greatest history. They had become like the New England Patriots under Belichick and Brady. They were the New England Patriots of the Ancient Near East. They won far more than they were defeated. The gained far more than they lost. Evidently he felt he could coast. His desire for comfort and ease led to a hunger for pleasure. This is why we avoid responsibility. We desire the easy way. The path of comfort, of least resistance. We shirk responsibility.Self-centeredness become a way of life. Pleasurable feelings becomes the main goal. This is how failing in responsibility leads to failing in love.