From David's Rooftop

In my last post I spoke about how David would get up early in the morning and seek the presence of the Lord.  He said in Psalms 5:3 ... "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up."

From scripture we know that David would go up to the rooftop of his palace home in the cool of the evening ... perhaps to be alone or meditate and pray.  It's just conjecture on my part, but the rooftop may have been one of his favorite places to spend time with the Lord.

In my mind's eye ... I can see David going there early in the morning, and I can also hear him cry out to God the very words of this Psalm.  I can also see him standing there, arms wide open, looking up saying, "Here I am Lord, looking up to You."

The rooftop, with a gentle breeze blowing would be cool early in the morning.  Sunrise and the dawn of a new day.  Morning on the rooftop was no problem.  Evening on the rooftop was different.

In the mornings, David would look up towards Heaven.  At dusk, in the evenings ... the problem was David wasn't looking up.  Instead he was looking at the beauty of another woman from his rooftop.

David, the same man who wrote ... "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" ... did want the forbidden.  He also wrote ... "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies."  The problem is, our enemy is always around, watching and waiting for the right time to place the forbidden in front of you. 

But what about God?  It seems as though God also places choices in front of us daily.  Of course it could just be how life works.  Either way we do choose, don't we.

As far as man is concerned, choice started with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.  God placed two special trees in the garden ... one was the Tree of Knowledge and one was the Tree of Life.  The command was ... "Do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge, but you must eat from the Tree of Life."  The Tree of Life was their life source.  It kept them alive, and would have forever, had they not been driven away from it after they sinned.

Ancient Hebrew writings teach that the Tree of Life stood directly beside the Tree of Knowledge in the midst of the garden.  In fact, some of these writings suggest that these two trees grew from the same root.  This of course cannot be proven.  But, since all life comes from God, could not this common root represent the fact that all life … whether it produces good or evil … has its life source rooted in God?

If the ancient Hebrew writings are correct ... because both of these trees were located "in the midst" of the garden; in order for Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Life, they would have to come near to the Tree of Knowledge, close to the forbidden fruit … the only tree they were commanded not to eat from.  They would have to … confront it … each time they went to the Tree of Life.  If God placed this choice before them, should I conclude that He may also do the same with us?

So this leads me to ask ... how many times did David, on his rooftop in the evening, confront the forbidden fruit he saw with his eyes when he looked down instead of up to the Lord.

The rooftop may have been a place where David found spiritual food on the table the Lord prepared for him as he said in his Psalm.  Early in the morning and also in the cool of the evening he met with the Lord ... until ... one evening he looked away.

I don't know if the enemy of his soul set him up, or whether it was allowed by God as a test like Job went through.  It's too late now ... it happened.  A choice was made.  The enemy was present, even at the King's banquet table full of the Lord's blessings. 

This should give us pause to consider the wise counsel that Solomon, David's son gave in Proverbs 4:23 ...

"Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life."   (Amplified Bible)

Well said Solomon ... but even you had trouble doing it.