Many people believe that the Bible (Scripture) is out of date and irrelevant in our modern world; that the Bible’s antiquity makes it obsolete and useless in a technologically rich culture.  I would submit that the opposite is actually true; that in a world of rapid change, abundance of knowledge and unfiltered access to information, there is something inherently compelling about a sacred and ancient text that has been true and applicable for millennia past.  In our world of constant change and adaptation, having timeless truth is incredibly uniquely valuable and the biblical account of David and Bathsheba is a prime example of this in our culture.  Let me explain…

If you are unfamiliar with the story, you can link to the biblical account here in 2 Samuel 11.

In the Biblical narrative, we discover King David, king of a HUGE empire with massive power,
influence and access.  King David, by nature of his situation, can have whatever he wants, whenever he wants it.  In essence, all he has to do with the temptation before him is say “YES.”  The problem for people who have preached on or attempted to learn from this portion of scripture in the past is that we, until recently, have not been granted equal access as Kings.  However, with the rise of technology, specifically the internet (TV, websites, smart phones, iPads, etc.), we have been given equal power and the unfiltered access to content and situations that were once only available to kings or those in power.  In sum, we now, because of technology, have more in common with King David and his sexual temptation than ever before.

This story has immense and powerful implications and applications for our new world and the widespread nature of power, information, unfiltered content and accessibility.   The Bible is equally relevant in our world today!  It has more to say than many realize and it’s timeless truth and eternal message is worth sharing!

If you are interested, I preached on this passage a few months ago with this intro and communicated the similarities that David’s sin has with the temptation of the Internet for many people today.  You can listen or watch it on our Parkview Alliance Church website under the date: January 30, 2011.