A Tool of the Tempter

“The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, ‘I am pregnant.’ Then David sent to Joab, saying, ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite.’ So Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the war. Then David said to Uriah, ‘Go down to your house, and wash your feet.’ And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and a present from the king was sent out after him. But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. Now when they told David, saying, ‘Uriah did not go down to his house,’ David said to Uriah, ‘Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?’ Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.’ Then David said to Uriah, ‘Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go.’ So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord’s servants, but he did not go down to his house.

Now in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. He had written in the letter, saying, ‘Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die.’ So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. The men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David’s servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died.”  2 Samuel 11:5-17

Not always is our greatest problem associated with temptation in the area of resisting or combating its pressure. There are times when we are in danger of actually tempting someone else to sin against God.

This is a whole different sphere of the temptation issue but one with which every believer needs to reckon. Am I ever guilty of being “A Tool of the Tempter;” or am I ever tempted or drawn to tempt another person (especially another Christian) to commit sin?

Although we may not want to admit, we all have the potential of bringing another person down in his spiritual life. Our words and our actions sometimes carry far more weight than we realize; and it should be remembered that our example is a powerful tool either for good or evil.

There’s a statement which reflects this thought rather well. When our actions don’t match up to our words, remember this statement which could be made by those watching you: “I can’t hear you when you act that way.”

Make the prayer of your life to be that others may truly see Christ in you and that you will never be guilty of leading others into temptation. Let the example of your life draw others into the joy of knowing Christ.