Death Zone

Hi, and thanks for joining us for this word of encouragement from Our Daily Bread. My name is Mike Whitmer, and I wrote today's reading, Death Zone. In 2019, a climber saw his last sunrise from the peak of Mount Everest. He survived the dangerous ascent, but the high altitude squeezed his heart, and he passed away on the trek down. One medical expert warns climbers not to think of the summit as their journeys end.

They must get up and down quickly, remembering they're in the Death Zone. David survived his dangerous climb to the top. He killed lions and bears, slew Goliath, dodged Saul's spear and pursuing army, and conquered Philistines and Ammonites to become King of the Mountain. But David forgot he was in the Death Zone. At the peak of his success, as the Lord gave David victory wherever he went, he committed adultery and murder.

His initial mistake? He lingered on the mountaintop. When his army set out for new challenges, he remained in Jerusalem. David once had volunteered to fight Goliath.

Now he relaxed in the accolades of his triumphs. It's hard to stay grounded when everyone, including God, says you're special. But we must. If we've achieved some success, we may appropriately celebrate the accomplishment and accept congratulations, but we must keep moving.

We're in the Death Zone. Come down the mountain. Humbly serve others in the valley, asking God to guard your heart and your steps. Today's Our Daily Bread scripture reading is from 2 Samuel 11, verses 1-6 and 12-15. In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army.

They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her.

The man said, She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.

Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, I am pregnant. So David sent this word to Joab, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent him to David.

Now let's read verses 12-15. Then David said to him, Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back. So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. At David's invitation he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants. He did not go home. In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.

In it he wrote, Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him, so he will be struck down and die. Let's pray. Father, take our eyes off of ourselves, off of our own problems and our own successes. May we look only at Jesus, and through Him may we serve others. Amen.