… based on 2 Samuel 11:2-5
Here are some facts about our bodies …
• 25% of our bones are in our feet
• Our ears & nose never stop growing
• We use 200 muscles every time we take a step
• Our heart beats over 3 billion times in our life
Now I know you’re thinking, “that Rande is really smart, he knows all about the human body.” Well, let me confess something to you. In graduate school I did fairly well. Hebrew, Greek, Systematic Theology, I passed with flying colors. However, I did fail 1 test.
And I’m somewhat embarrassed to say, it was in a “Marriage & Family Counseling” course. We were shown a picture of the human body & we had to name all the parts. I didn’t do very well.
Now actually, I knew most of the parts … but by their slang terms;
I just didn’t know their proper names.
Well, we’re going to talk about the human body this morning.
David’s life has now changed considerably since we left him last week.
His conflict with King Saul ended when both Saul, & his son, Jonathan, were killed in a battle. (1 Samuel 31:2,4) And the long ago promise to David about being king has become a reality. (2 Samuel 5:4)
And for more than 10 years David reigned righteously.
He had great success in his kingdom. His relationship with God was thriving. And David has been a fantastic role model for us … up until today’s episode.
So, listen now to Good News, as found in 2 Samuel, to us who have gathered here for worship. Within our hearing comes the word of the Lord …
One day, late in the afternoon, David got up from his nap and went to the palace roof. As he walked around up there, he saw a woman taking a bath in her house. She was very beautiful. So he sent a messenger to find out who she was, and learned that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David sent messengers to get her; they brought her to him and he made love to her. (She had just finished her monthly ritual of purification.) Then she went back home. Afterward she discovered that she was pregnant and sent a message to David to tell him.
(2 Samuel 11:2-5)
“The grass withers, & flowers fade,
but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen
Now one of the things that I appreciate about Scripture is that it doesn’t hide the truly gruesome aspects of its’ character’s lives. We see them honestly, warts & all. And right here we learn about David falling into sin, & even though he’s not worth following at this point, we can learn some valuable lessons from this stage of his life. And those lessons are going to come to us by way of 4 statements. And if we ever find ourselves saying any of these things we need to pull the fire alarm & get out fast!
Here’s the 1st one … “I deserve it.”
“The following spring, at the time of the year when kings usually go to war, David sent out Joab with his officers & the Israelite army; they defeated the Ammonites & besieged the city of Rabbah.
But David himself stayed in Jerusalem.” (2 Samuel 11:1)
It was common in ancient times for 2 warring nations to take a break during the winter months because the fighting would be too difficult. The battles would then resume in the Spring.
With that understanding, the writer provides some not too subtle hints about David’s schedule … he’s at home. This hinting is supposed to tip us off to a problem. Kings should be leading the charge into battle. I’m reading about George Armstrong Custer right now.
Now, no matter what you may think of him. He was an officer who led his men in the battle. He was up there in front. David should have been leading the way, but instead, he’s chilling out in his palace.
Now I don’t necessarily blame him. When we consider the fact that he fought Goliath, & the constant tension of dealing with the “spear throwing” Saul, & add to that the 10+ years of exercising kingly rule … the man is tired.
We would be too. So, what’s the big deal with David taking a little R & R?
Well, for starters … David wasn’t supposed to take a break from fighting battles. This was one of the primary things’ kings were to be about.
David wasn’t writing laws … God had done that. David wasn’t trying to secure peace with other nations … he was supposed to destroy other nations.
That was his job description. It wasn’t optional … so, David was dodging his responsibility. Plus the fact that he has just come off a 4 or 5 month break. His battery should be recharged & ready to go.
So, what’s going on? We’re seeing David take his 1st seemingly innocent step down the path of sin. David is beginning to think that he “deserves” downtime, rather than hard work. David begins to delegate, rather than to do his duty. He wants a palace life rather than a warrior’s life.
This is the tricky part of temptation, because there’s just a tiny bit of truth in it … “I’ve worked hard.” And we have worked hard …
so maybe we do deserve a little bit of something. (Luke 17:10)
Let me put this in practical terms. You got a part-time job at the new bakery in Nashville, Offbeet Bakery, & Sara gives you 1 free chai latte & a scone per shift, but you’ve worked really hard today, it was particularly busy,
& you had your chai & scone at the beginning of your shift,
& so you feel like you deserve a 2nd one before you leave.
This “deserving” mentality cripples us. Our desires set us up.
“We are tempted when we are drawn away & trapped by our own evil desires. Then our evil desires conceive & give birth to sin, & sin, when it is full-grown,
gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15)
James teaches that temptation begins with desire.
“I’ve worked hard. I desire some time off.
I deserve it.” That kind of attitude will bring trouble.
David shirked his responsibility. He started telling himself that he deserved some time off, which set him up for a bee line directly to sin. What he needed to do was get out of that thought process. When this kind of thinking enters our head, we’ve got to have a plan of attack. We’ve got to exercise discipline in order to break the grasp of temptation.
Pick a temptation, any temptation, & let’s figure out how to inject some discipline. Let’s start with an easy one. Maybe we’re tempted by the internet. We’re sitting at our computer scrolling mindlessly for hours & hours each day. We just want to be on the internet all the time. I’ve worked hard, & if I want to sit at the computer … well, I deserve it.
A way to discipline that is to limit the time we can be on it.
1 or 2 hours … then turn it off.
What’s your temptation? TV, shopping, bad eating habits, gossiping. Hey, I’ve paid my dues. I deserve to do what I want.
A little bit of discipline shocks us out of our “deserving” thoughts.
David needed to stay on task. He needed to get out of this “deserving” mentality before he got into trouble. But he didn’t.
The 2nd statement … “I am unique.”
David’s sitting at home with nothing to do. He isn’t sticking to any kind of routine. It’s a totally different lifestyle than he’s been used to.
He can sleep all day if he wants to … & he does. He gets up around 4:00 in the afternoon; walks around the palace, stops in the kitchen for a snack …
King David is bored. He’s supposed to be on the battlefield,
but instead, he’s wandering around restless at home. He has nothing to do … & then something catches his eye.
“One day, late in the afternoon, David got up from his nap & went to the palace roof. As he walked around up there, he saw a woman taking a bath in her house. She was very beautiful. So he sent a messenger to find out who she was, & learned that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam & the wife of Uriah the Hittite.
David sent messengers to get her; they brought her to him & he made love to her. (She had just finished her monthly ritual of purification.) Then she went back home. Afterward she discovered that she was pregnant & sent a message to David to tell him.”
David has become a leering, peeping tom. It begins with a simple glance. David saw a beautiful woman. It turns into a gaze.
And then it’s full fledge gawking. David does a little bit of reconnaissance. And his gawk leads to a scheme to have/to take what he wants.
The report comes back; this is Bathsheba.
The messenger tries to tip David off by reminding him of her family ties.
Both Eliam & Uriah were in David’s ranks as a special group of soldiers called “Mighty Men.” They were like Army Rangers or Navy Seals.
They were special warriors who would do anything for David.
The messenger is hoping that hearing these names will wake David up to the fact that he’s going to ruin a bunch of really loyal people’s lives.
But David is oblivious. She’s so beautiful. (Jewish tradition tells us that the 3 most beautiful women were: Sarah, Esther, & Bathsheba.) David moves from gawking to taking. He sends for her, sleeps with her, & then sends her home. There aren’t many details given in the episode, & it seems to be over really quickly. I wonder if David was as satisfied at the end of this little fling as he thought he would be at the beginning?
The writer doesn’t give us a lot of information about Bathsheba.
We know her name, we know her Dad’s name, we know her husband’s name, & we know this thing about finishing her monthly ritual of purification. The O.T. prescribed a ritual cleansing for women after they had their monthly period. (Leviticus 15:19-24) This is important to our story.
1st of all it shows that if Bathsheba is going to have a baby …
it certainly isn’t going to be Uriah’s. Uriah is on the battlefield,
& Bathsheba has just had her period. 2ndly, it means that her body is ready; it’s the perfect time for her to reproduce. Those facts prepare us for her words … “I am pregnant.”
I used to be frustrated with David.
“Come on man, what are you thinking?” But the truth is …
this could be anyone of us. Don’t think that you are incapable of sinning. Given certain circumstances … there, but by the grace of God, go I.
Now this didn’t just happen overnight. People never crumble in a day.
As David’s story unfolds, we watch him amass a significant # of wives. 1st, it’s Saul’s daughter. Then after a major battle he takes some more wives.
And after he becomes king he assimilates the culture’s practice of a harem of wives. David was directly disobedient of God’s command a “1 wife life.” (Genesis 2:24) His choices made him numb to God’s standard.
In fact, God calls David’s actions sin. But David is desensitized.
He thought he was unique; he was special. And that’s the trap.
Temptation plays off our belief that “the rules don’t apply to me.”
Although the results are always the same, & we’ve seen them destroy other people’s lives, we think that somehow, we’re going to beat it. And believing that we’re untouchable leads us right down the path of sin.
This text has an extremely uncomfortable quality about it, doesn’t it?
God’s Word targets us; it exposes our hearts, our motivations, & our actions.
Here, where reality & God’s Word are clear, we see that David made a horrible mistake, & we can see ourselves making the same mistake. It’s not possible to dabble in some kind of sexual sin, or any sin, & not experience fallout.
What are you dabbling in right now that could upend your entire life?
The thing that just popped into your head is probably it.
Somehow, we need to break the grasp of the “I am unique” thought process. What do we do in that moment?
Scripture is clear … “avoid immorality.” (1 Corinthians 6:18) And let’s be honest, in our sex-crazed society, this is an issue that we have to deal with. (Matthew 5:28)
We’re innocently flipping through the TV stations & there’s something on the screen that we shouldn’t be watching. We all need to practice avoiding immorality. Because when we don’t, then the reality of God is lost to us … & we begin to believe that we’re actually unique.
But “avoiding” doesn’t only happen in the area of sexual temptation.
For people who love to shop, & find themselves at the counter, or online, with a basket full of clothes or whatever … empty the basket. Others enjoy gossiping, talking about someone in a sinful manner. Shut your mouth, avoid those conversations.
So, David is relaxed. David is desensitized. David is fixated.
And he falls hard. And then David tried to cover his tracks.
And that’s our 3rd statement … “it’s a secret.”
David goes to extreme lengths to hide his fling with Bathsheba.
He starts by attempting to play matchmaker. If he can get Uriah back from the battle to sleep with his wife, it’ll look like Uriah’s baby.
No one will ever know.
“David then sent a message to Joab: ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite.’
So Joab sent him to David. When Uriah arrived, David asked him if Joab & the troops were well, & how the fighting was going. Then he said to Uriah, ‘Go on home & rest a while.’ Uriah left,
& David had a present sent to his home. But Uriah did not go home;
instead he slept at the palace gate with the king’s guards.” (2 Samuel 11:6-10)
David graciously gives Uriah a 3-day pass back to Jerusalem from the battle.
And he asks really dumb questions … “how’s the war going?” To which Uriah’s got to be thinking, “are you kidding me? You brought me back to ask that?” Then David tells him to go home, which is to say … treat yourself to some sexual pleasure with your wife. David even sends a gift.
Bible scholars suggest that it was a romantic dinner to set the mood.
But Uriah didn’t follow David’s instructions. He didn’t go home.
“When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he asked him,
‘You have just returned after a long absence; why didn’t you go home?’
“Uriah answered, ‘The men of Israel & Judah are away in battle,
& … my commander Joab & his officers are camping out in the open.
How could I go home, eat & drink, & sleep with my wife? By all that’s sacred,
I swear that I could never do such a thing.’” (2 Samuel 11:10-11)
Uriah was one of David’s “Mighty Men.” We picture Sir Lancelot.
He was chivalrous; valiant & honorable. He’s a warrior. David isn’t even ½ the man that Uriah is at this moment. Both of the previous statements …
“I am unique,” &, “I deserve it” … don’t have the power to lure Uriah into temptation. He maintains his conviction even when he has the right, & is even commanded to go home, relax, & enjoy his wife.
So, David moves to plan “B”. “I can’t get him to go home, okay, I’ll get him drunk, & then I’ll send him home to sleep with his wife.” (2 Samuel 11:13) But Uriah is a better man drunk than David is sober. And plan “B” doesn’t work.
So, plan “C” … kill Uriah. David sends him back to Joab with a death letter in hand. “Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is heaviest, then retreat & let him be killed.” (2 Samuel 11:15) What must go through Joab’s mind when he gets that? But he dutifully obeys.
Joab then sends word to David that the deed is done (2 Samuel 11:21) …
& we see how far David has gone down in his sinful slide by how he responds to the news.
“David said to the messenger, ‘Encourage Joab & tell him not to be upset, since you never can tell who will die in battle.’” (2 Samuel 11:25)
Joab, these things happened. People die every day, especially in battles. Don’t lose any sleep over it. Don’t give it another thought.
David, what’s going on? … Temptation convinces us to hide our little secret.
And in doing so we believe that we’re still in control. David thought that he had the power to control the process & to conceal his sin. (Galatians 6:7)
One of the most important things we can do when studying the Scriptures is to notice repeated words & phrases. And the repeated word in this passage is “send” or “sent.” 12 times it comes up.
Vs. 1 … David sent Joab out to battle
Vs. 3 … David sent a messenger to get information
Vs. 4 … David sent for Bathsheba
Vs. 5 … Bathsheba sent a message to David
Vs. 6 … David sent a message to Joab
“Send me Uriah
Vs. 6 … Joab sent Uriah to David
Vs. 8 … David sent a present
Vs. 12 … David sent Uriah back to battle
Vs. 14 … David sent a letter to Joab
Vs. 18 … Joab sent a report about Uriah’s death
Vs. 25 … David sent the messenger to Joab
We get the point … lots of sending going on. But what’s the significance of it? The sending soothes David. He can keep his secret by exercising his power. He thinks he’s in charge of the situation.
Now we might be tempted to let ourselves off the hook at this point because we don’t have “kingly” sending power like David. But we do have the power to hide. We have the power to cover up. We may not be committing adultery, or killing people to cover it up, but we have the ability to conceal our motivations & our actions. And we find ourselves in the mirror of David’s life. We need to do a heart checkup. Listen to what Jesus said …
“It is what comes out of you that makes you unclean. For from the inside, from your heart, come the evil ideas which lead you to do immoral things, to rob, kill, commit adultery, be greedy, & do all sorts of evil things; deceit, indecency, jealously, slander, pride, & folly – all these evil things come from inside you & make you unclean.” (Mark 7:20-23)
Jesus says it begins with our heart. So, how’s your heart?
Have you done anything this week that will ruin your life? It’s all hiding in our hearts … the “secrets” that we’re keeping. So, how’s your heart?
There’s 1 final statement David says on his way down …
“God always forgives.”
So, we go ahead & sin.
We follow through with the temptation because we rationalize that God will always forgive me. (Romans 6:1) Reading this story is like riding an emotional rollercoaster. It’s like a soap opera in Scripture.
“When Bathsheba heard that her husband had been killed, she mourned for him. When the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to the palace; she became his wife & bore him a son.” (2 Samuel 11:26-27)
Those verses make us think that David got away with it. He pulled it off. Where is God in this episode? Well, He’s there, & He has a verdict with Him.
“But the LORD was not pleased with what David had done.” (2 Samuel 11:27)
That must be one of the biggest understatements in all of Scripture.
David broke practically all 10 Commandments in a matter of a few weeks. David’s sin was horrible. It had hypocrisy written all over it.
And it was dishonoring to God.
Now God had been watching the whole time. He saw every single event unfold. God looks at the heart, (1 Samuel 16:7) & He watched David’s heart throughout all of this. Remember, David “the kind of man God likes,” (The Acts 13:22) has displeased God.
So, what about that statement, does God always forgive? … When our response to sin is a humble repentant confession … Yes! Yes! Yes! And we see that all through Scripture. God is a forgiving God. (Colossians 2:14) But He doesn’t erase sins’ effects in our lives. God never cancels the consequences.
Let me repeat that … God never cancels the consequences.
As for David, we see him repent of his sin & receive God’s forgiveness. (2 Samuel 12:13) But it doesn’t delete the consequences. David’s going to lose the baby. (2 Samuel 12:18)
He’s going to lose the respect of those closest to him.
He’s going to watch his children follow his negative example.
He’s going to struggle in his leadership role for the rest of his reign.
The thing that David did displeased the Lord. I can’t imagine a more heartbreaking comment. I don’t know what the rest of my life holds.
When I play out the effects of walking down temptation’s road,
whatever that temptation(s) might be …
I don’t want that statement to be God’s verdict on my life.
When you face temptation … play out its’ consequences in your mind.
Be as specific as you possibly can be.
And allow that to be a deterrent of your sinful plans.
So, watch out, if we find ourselves saying any 1 of these 4 statements:
• I deserve it … be disciplined in your responsibility
• I’m unique … avoid temptation’s arena
• It’s a secret … ask, “how’s my heart?”
• God always forgives … play out the consequences
Jesus said, “Watch & pray that you will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
MARANA THA
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