Tempted: When the Traveler Comes to Visit
“Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him” 2 Samuel 12: 4.
In this chapter, the prophet Nathan confronts King David about his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. Nathan tells a parable of a rich man stealing a poor man’s cherished lamb. I want to focus on the metaphor used for temptation: the traveler.
To read the chapter for context, click here.
Tempted by the Traveler
Temptation of all kinds is like a traveler. If we resist it, it will flee (James 4:7). If we give in to it, it will come with greater frequency and intensity until eventually it takes up residence. And we may end up being “possessed” by our sin.
If we resist temptation, it will come with less regularity and fury until eventually we are not bothered by it at all. And we’ve become perfect and complete, or mature in that area (James 1:2-4).
I think this is helpful to remember when we’re being tempted non-stop. It won’t last forever. Eventually the temptation will go away as we continue to resist it. Much like the traveler passing through.
The urge, the compulsion, the need to do or not do that thing will subside. And we will emerge from the temptation a little stronger than before we entered. And a little closer to being mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
When the Traveler Came to Jesus
In the account of Jesus in the wilderness in Mathew 4:3, we read “The tempter came to him”. But Jesus resisted the temptation, and in verse 11 we read the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
When we give in to temptation, it will also leave temporarily. But it will come back with greater ferocity and frequency, until we are ultimately enslaved to that sin. And it takes up residence within us.
You may say that that’s all well and good, but how do I resist temptation? I don’t think there’s any single answer to this. The most important thing is you have to be motivated. God has given me multiple battle plans over the years. Here’s one.
To read another post related to Tempted: When the Traveler Comes to Visit, see Is the Fiery Furnace for the Righteous or the Wicked?