The moment before the fall

Hello friend.

I’ve been thinking about rooftops this week. Specifically, one rooftop in ancient Jerusalem, where a king took an evening walk and noticed something he shouldn’t have looked at twice.

David’s story with Bathsheba is one of the most sobering in the Bible. Not because it’s shocking, but because it’s so ordinary. A glance. A thought. A quiet “what if.” That’s how it started. Lust doesn’t explode - it seeps in.

Here’s what struck me afresh this time: desire itself isn’t the problem. God gave us desire for connection, beauty and intimacy. The trouble starts when we stop guarding our hearts, and desire quietly turns inward and selfish.

We’ve all stood somewhere near that rooftop. Maybe it wasn’t a woman bathing - maybe it was a message that lingered too long, or a thought we let take root. Sin always promises intimacy but delivers emptiness.

But David’s story doesn’t end in the shame. He came back. He confessed. And God restored him completely.

You are not your worst choice. You are not the look that lingered. Grace really is stronger than shame.

If you’d like to sit with this a little longer, today’s devotional walks through David’s story and ends with a simple prayer for anyone carrying something in secret.

Watch the full devotional here:

With hope.
Rob