"I do not sit with deceitful men, nor will I go with pretenders. I hate the assembly of evil doers,
And I will not sit with the wicked. But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity.
Psalm 26:4,5 and Psalm 26:11

With dedicated fiery zeal David proclaimed that he would not sit with the wicked or go with evil men. His desire to please God and serve Him with all of his heart was intense, yet, he had one serious flaw – he was a human being. Those legs of flesh would crumble beneath him, and David found himself writhing in the ashes of his sin with Bathsheba.

I see David as a young man, living on the edge, fleeing his enemies, hiding in caves, striped of all things except the Divine Presence, crying out to God with all of his heart.

Years pass and David is now King. I see him strolling on the roof of his palace, surveying the kingdom that is now his. He rests at home while others are fighting his battles for him. In this season of comfort, somehow the fervent dependency upon God has drifted away. Although he must have kept holy day faithfully, something in his relationship with God had changed.

Now standing on the roof of his castle, with his eyes locked upon another man's wife as she bathed, David contemplated adultery.

At that moment, the Presence of God that had sustained David in his dark days in the cave, was not consulted. David willfully sinned; not only committing adultery, but he also instigated the murder of Bathsheba's husband.

When David was in his trials with nothing, his dependency kept him close to God's heart. When the trials were removed, David fell into sin surrounded by comfort and luxury.

Sometimes, it's an advantage to be kept on the edge. When God determines to keep us "fasted" in this way for a season, it just may be for our own protection.