2Samuel 11-12

Thursday Evening Bible Study

July 19, 2012

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved?

David has now been king over Israel for a number of years.

He’s made Jerusalem the capital of the nation.

He’s conquered the enemies on every border, expanding the nation.

And now he’s going to get himself into trouble.

The mighty Niagara River plummets some 180 feet at the American and Horseshoe Falls. Before the falls, there are violent, turbulent rapids. Farther upstream, however, where the river’s current flows more gently, boats are able to navigate. Just before the Welland River empties into the Niagara, a pedestrian walkway spans the river. Posted on this bridge’s pylons is a warning sign for all boaters: “Do you have an anchor?” followed by, “Do you know how to use it?”

-- Paul Adams in Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership.

Sorry to put it this way, but tonight we’re going to watch David go “over the falls”.

He’s going to commit his most famous and most horrible sin.

I hope we can learn from David and find some anchors that might keep us from going over the falls.

11:1-27 David and Bathsheba

:1 It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

:1 besieged Rabbah

Play “Rabbah” map

Last week we talked about the battle that had taken place up north on the eastern side of the Jordan between David’s men and the Ammonites.

It’s during the time of this battle that our story takes place.

:1 in the spring of the year

Lesson

Danger at the top

David has “arrived”. He has just defeated the Ammonites in battle and pushed back the Syrians.

He’s about to take his trip to Disneyland.

It’s at this point of greatest strength that David will fall into his deepest sin.

(1 Co 10:12 NKJV) Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

Illustration

“A time to be careful is when one reaches his goals.” In other words, vulnerability accompanies achievement.

-- Charles R. Swindoll, The Finishing Touch (Word, 1994), p. 76.

:1 when kings go out to battle

Fighting wars is a king’s business. Kings are supposed to be in battle with their troops. David is taking a vacation when he should be at work.

If you consider the fact that David might have had a hand in what is being recorded, you get the idea that David is telling us that it all started because he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. He was supposed to be in a battle.

Lesson

Staying alert

Be careful as a warrior to not let your guard down. You have to sleep with one eye open.

Rest is good, but lack of vigilance isn’t.

Peter writes,

(1 Pe 5:8–9 NKJV) —8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

Illustration

Columnist Herb Caen wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”

Paul wrote,

(Eph 6:10–13 NKJV) —10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

:2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.

:3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

:2 from the roof

Play “David’s view”

We believe that David lived at the top of the hill, and the city’s inhabitants lived further down the hill. This is kind of what David’s view would be like (without the gal in the bathtub).

In those days, the roof of a house was flat, and people often had something like a patio on their roof.

Lesson

It can happen at “home”

Struggles, temptations, battles can come at places where we think we ought to be safe.

We might think that the battles are always going to be at work with the obnoxious atheist who is always calling you names. But sometimes the battle is going to come when you come to church, or when you’re in a place where you let your guard down.

:2 he saw a woman

Lesson

Temptation’s open door

It’s not uncommon for temptation to get a hold on us through the eyes. With Eve, all it took was a look, a good look –

(Ge 3:6 NKJV) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

She didn’t notice all this with just a glance. She took a good long look.

Once the temptation gets planted through the eyes, we get into trouble if we let it take root.

(Jas 1:14–15 NKJV) —14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Martin Luther said: “It’s not a wrong for a bird to fly over your head, just don’t let it build a nest in your hair”

Billy Graham said: “The first look is free. It’s the second look that kills you.”

It’s not a bad idea to be a little careful of what you let your eyes look at.

TV, movies, Internet.

Job said,

(Job 31:1 NLT) “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.

You can’t always keep your eyes from seeing bad things, and that’s when it’s good to learn to look away.

Sometimes we put our “eyes” in places where they’re going to get filled with bad stuff – and that’s just stupid.

:2 a woman bathing

Lesson

Bathsheba’s guilt

There are some fellows who tend to blame everything on the woman.

They see a woman taking a bath and after they have committed adultery with the woman, blame her for taking a bath.

There might be some sort of guilt on Bathsheba’s part, and it’s probably not a great idea to be taking a bath on the rooftop in front of the whole world, but keep in mind that we never hear anything about Bathsheba’s guilt.

The Scriptures do clearly lay blame at David’s feet.

David is the king. How could she refuse the king?

We need to be careful about blaming other people for our sins.

They may indeed be a part of the temptation, but there’s no reason you can’t be a man enough to just say “no”.

:3 Bathsheba – “daughter of an oath”

:3 the daughter of Eliam

Eliam is listed as one of David’s mighty men.

(2 Sa 23:34 NKJV) Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

His father, Ahithophel, one of David’s smartest counselors. Ahithophel will be one of those who will betray David (2Sam. 15:12) – perhaps what we’re going to see is related to that.

:3 the wife of Uriah the Hittite

Uriah – “Yahweh is my light”

Another one of David’s mighty men. (2Sam. 23:39)

(2 Sa 23:39 NKJV) and Uriah the Hittite…

Even after Uriah is dead and David is married to Bathsheba, we see several places in the Scriptures where she is still known as “Uriah’s wife” (2Sam. 12:15; Mat. 1:6)

David is without excuse. He now knows this is another man’s wife.

He even knows who the husband and the family are. They are his friends.

Lesson

Those who get hurt

I think a very healthy practice is to think about the people your sin will hurt. Think it through. Make a list.

Think of how it would devastate your spouse.

Think of what it will do to your friends. David’s sin would kill one of his friends (Uriah) and may have been the cause of another of his friends to betray him (Ahithophel).

Think of the very real effect it will have on your children. David’s sin would have a profound influence on his sons. The son of this sin will die. Others will act out this same kind of behavior (2Sam. 12:11; 16:21).

Some people say that getting a divorce would be better for the kids than seeing their parents argue all the time. I’m sorry, but I don’t see it. I think kids are way better off in a family where the parents are struggling than in a divorce. I think statistics would justify my position.

I think of what it would do to my family, my parents, my relatives.

Think of what it will do to your testimony. Because of David’s sins, the enemies of God would have a reason to “blaspheme” (2Sam. 12:14). People who mock Christians will have more fuel for their fire.

Think of what it will do to your ministry. We all have people that we influence positively for the Lord. Think of how those people will be hurt. From time to time I run across people who stopped going to church because someone they respected had fallen into sin.

Think of what it will do to those who participated in your sin. David carries some responsibility to what he did to Bathsheba. The main thing we remember her for is the woman who committed adultery with David.

:4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.

:4 sent messengers, and took her

At this point in David’s life, David has at least seven wives (2Sam. 3:2-5, 11)

There was Michal, the daughter of Saul and David’s first wife. (2Sam. 3:11)

Once David became king of all Israel and ruled in Jerusalem, he would take more wives and “concubines” (2Sam. 5:13). I haven’t found a complete total, but he had to have had at least 18 wives and concubines (2Sam. 15:16).

Lesson

One is enough

Illustration

A Second Wife

One Father writes, “When our second child was on the way, my wife and I attended a pre-birth class aimed at couples who had already had at least one child. The instructor raised the issue of breaking the news to the older child. It went like this: “Some parents,” she said, “tell the older child, ‘We love you so much we decided to bring another child into this family.’ But think about that. Ladies, what if your husband came home one day and said, ‘Honey, I love you so much I decided to bring home another wife.’” One of the women spoke up immediately. “Does she cook???””

Solomon (had 1,000 wives) wrote,

(Pr 5:18 NKJV) …rejoice with the wife of your youth.

Lesson

Don’t give permission

Somehow, it seems to me that David has given himself permission to do something that God has not given him permission for.

David might have thought that as king, he basically owns everything and everybody. Not true.

David might have thought, “Well, Michal hasn’t been very nice to me lately”.

David might have argued to himself, “Well, other kings have their harems”. He might have said, “Well, Saul had many wives.” He might have said, “Hey, lay off me, even Jacob had two wives and two concubines!”

Does that make it right? See what God says about kings:

(Dt 17:17 NKJV) Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away…

God’s original ideas about marriage for all of us are found in the very design of the first marriage. How many wives did God make for Adam? One.

I think we get ourselves into trouble when we look at our particular situation and think that somehow we are the exception to the rule. We think that somehow we ought to be treated differently.

:4 for she was cleansed from her impurity

impurity – tum’ah – uncleanness

The phrase also tells us that she has been through her menstrual cycle, and isn’t at the moment pregnant with Uriah’s child.

It also opens up the possibility that she could become pregnant.

This also hints at the Levitical law which says a woman is “unclean” during her period, and that a man is not supposed to have sex with a woman who is in her period.

The book of Leviticus says that a woman is considered “unclean” during her cycle, and she is not to have intercourse until after her period is over. (Lev. 15:19-24)

(Le 15:19–24 NKJV) —19 ‘If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. 20 Everything that she lies on during her impurity shall be unclean; also everything that she sits on shall be unclean. 21 Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 22 And whoever touches anything that she sat on shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 23 If anything is on her bed or on anything on which she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. 24 And if any man lies with her at all, so that her impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

It’s possible this was the reason she was bathing on the roof in the first place, to remove the ceremonial “uncleanness”

What’s the point?

Lesson

Missing the bigger picture

Is David more concerned about not having sex with an “unclean” woman than the fact that he’s committing adultery with a friend’s wife?

(Le 18:19–20 NKJV) —19 ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is in her customary impurity. 20 Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her.

I find it ironic that in one sentence God tells men to wait until after their wife’s period is over, and in the next sentence it tells men not to have sex with their neighbor’s wife.

It’s almost as if it was written for David’s situation.

If I’m not mistaken, I think things went like this –

David: Are you at that time of month?

Bathsheba: Nope.

David: Great, let’s have sex!

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

(Mt 23:23 NKJV) —23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

The Pharisees were good at obeying every little detail of the Law. But they were missing the big picture. They were good at the “little” things, but failed miserably at the “BIG” things like justice, mercy, and faith.

I have to tell you that sometimes I have a real problem with people who are picking at this thing or another, when I see HUGE glaring problems in their own lives. I wonder if picking at little things is a way of distracting us from taking care of the bigger issues.

:5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”

:5 I am with child

David has not only sinned, but now he’s going to be caught.

Lesson

Your sin will find you out

Don’t think you are going to get away with it forever. If you are a Christian, you will be caught one day. God will be sure of it. He loves you too much to let you stay in your sin.

(Heb 12:6 NKJV) —6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”

Turn from your sin.

Turn to Jesus. Turn to Him now. He will give you a new start.

:6 Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David.

:6 Send me Uriah

Uriah is at the battle of Rabba, about forty miles east of Jerusalem. This would be about a two days’ journey.

David comes up with a plan to try and cover his sin. His intention is to create a situation where Uriah will sleep with his wife, and then think that the child is his.

Lesson

Covering up sin

Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together to try and cover themselves.

Moses killed the Egyptian and tried to hide the body in the sand.

Illustration

Family Tradition

The Joneses were proud of their family tradition. Their ancestors had come to America on the Mayflower. They had included Senators and Wall Street wizards. They decided to compile a family history, a legacy for their children and grandchildren. They hired a fine author. Only one problem arose—how to handle that great-uncle George, who was executed in the electric chair. The author said he could handle the story tactfully. The book was published. It said “Great-uncle George occupied a chair of applied electronics at an important government institution, was attached to his position by the strongest of ties, and his death came as a great shock.”

(Pr 28:13 NKJV) He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

:7 When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered.

:8 And David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah departed from the king’s house, and a gift of food from the king followed him.

:8 a gift of food from the king followed him

David sends Uriah off and sets him up to have a nice romantic evening at home with his wife. He even has the evening catered (he sends food).

Think about the utter depravity of what David is doing. He is pretending to be nice to the man whose wife he’s just slept with.

He is trying to manipulate the man for his own purposes, to cover his own sin. If I were filming this scene, I’d dress up David in a polyester suit, shirt opened showing his hairy chest, gold chains around his neck, with his hair slicked back …

I wonder at the pain that David must have felt later as he retold this story to the court records keeper.

Lesson

Depravity

There is nothing that our hearts are incapable of.

We need to be careful that we don’t fall into the trap of the finger-pointers who look down at those who are fallen into sin. We too could very easily do the same things.

:9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

:10 So when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”

:11 And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

I wonder if Uriah’s correct sense of duty isn’t just a bit convicting to David

Here is this man who is full of the sense of what is appropriate at a time of war – aware of his fellow soldiers out on the battle field – and David is the one who purposely stays home from the battle and is messing around with another man’s wife.

:12 Then David said to Uriah, “Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.

:13 Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

:14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

:15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.”

To make things even worse, Uriah will be carrying his own death warrant back to Joab in a sealed scroll.

:16 So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men.

:17 Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

Not only does David get Uriah killed, but it seems reasonable to conclude that Joab took risks he shouldn’t have and other men were killed in order for Uriah to be killed as well.

:15 Uriah the Hittite died also

Lesson

Unfair

Sometimes we are so surprised when bad things happen to good people. Yet this is the kind of world we live in.

Uriah is the good guy in the story. He’s the one with an apparently good sense of what is right and what is wrong.

And another man sleeps with his wife and has him killed.

This is nothing that is God’s fault. It’s the fault of us screwed up human beings who hurt each other.

:18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war,

:19 and charged the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling the matters of the war to the king,

:20 if it happens that the king’s wrath rises, and he says to you: ‘Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?

:21 Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who cast a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’ ”

:21 Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth

David is a warrior and probably a student of history – so this little reply that Joab concocts is not necessarily too far off of how David might have responded – as if David would correct Joab in his military maneuvers in attacking a wall.

Abimelech was one of the sons of Gideon (also known as Jerubbaal). He was an evil man who actually was the first to declare himself a “king”, and then went out and killed all seventy of his brothers.

Abimelech was killed by a woman throwing a stone at him from the top of the wall. (Judges 9)

(Jdg 9:53 NKJV) —53 But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.

Whether Joab realizes what he’s saying or not, there are some parallels.

Abimelech was a “king” (like David).

Abimelech died because of a woman (like Uriah).

Whether David would have actually replied with this particular story, Joab has cooked up an interesting way of having the messenger pass on the news of Uriah’s death.

All this as a way of simply telling David that the dirty deed is done. Uriah has been killed as per David’s secret orders.

:22 So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent by him.

:23 And the messenger said to David, “Surely the men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field; then we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate.

:24 The archers shot from the wall at your servants; and some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.”

:25 Then David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab: ‘Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city, and overthrow it.’ So encourage him.”

David doesn’t respond as Joab says he might, but simply says, “oh well…”

:25 the sword devours one as well as another

The messenger doesn’t wait for David’s history lesson, he goes right to the point and tells David about Uriah.

:26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.

:26 she mourned for her husband

I wonder if Bathsheba was truly sad over Uriah’s death, or she was just putting on the required show. We don’t know.

Lesson

The other person

We don’t know what kind of a marriage Uriah had with his wife. We don’t know if it was a good marriage or a bad one.

But there was a bigger problem than anything between Uriah and Bathsheba. His name was David.

I see this way too many times. You usually don’t understand until after it’s all over. People will come in for counseling, trying to get their marriage fixed. But it seems that no matter what you do, there’s some invisible thing keeping things from working out. Usually it’s not until the divorce is final that you begin to see that there was another person involved.

It doesn’t have to be an actual adulterous relationship that is going on. Sometimes it’s just a “good friendship”. But when there is someone in your life of the opposite sex that is closer and nicer to you than your spouse, you’ve got a HUGE problem.

Don’t wait and see if things work out in your marriage. It won’t if you keep cultivating this other relationship.

:27 And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

:27 displeased the Lord

David may have thought that he’s fixed the problem, but he hasn’t.

Lesson

God sees

This is another of those truths that can help us to deal with temptation.

God sees what we’re doing.

Illustration

A burglar had been watching a house for a few days and was sure that the people were away, so one night he went up to the door, rang the doorbell, and upon getting no response, he picked the lock and let himself in. Once inside, he turned on his flashlight and to his surprise he heard a voice say, “I see you and Jesus sees you!” he turned instantly toward the voice and then he laughed because his flashlight revealed a parrot in a cage who once again said, “I see you and Jesus sees you!”. Now relieved, he turned on the light in the room and as he turned toward the bird, he saw the Doberman-pincher. And then, the parrot said, “Sick ‘em, Jesus!”.

Your sin will find you out.

12:1-15 Nathan’s story

:1 Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.

Nathan is going to tell David a story. David doesn’t know that this story is being made up. In his role as king, David is constantly being asked to sit as judge over matters like the ones in this story. As far as David knows, he is being asked by Nathan to give a judgment in this matter.

:2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds.

:3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.

:4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

The wealthy man could have taken a lamb from his own flock, but instead takes the poor man’s only lamb, kills it, and has it prepared for dinner.

:5 So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!

:6 And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”

:6 restore fourfold

This is the correct punishment for stealing a sheep. (Ex. 22:1)

(Ex 22:1 NKJV) —1 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

:5 David’s anger was greatly aroused

David is incensed at this story. He can’t believe that someone would do such a thing. He pronounces judgment – the man shall be put to death.

Lesson

My sins look bad on you

Sometimes the very things that we get so incensed about can be a form of the very things that we ourselves struggle with.

We can tend to make excuses for our own sin, but when we see someone else to it, WATCH OUT!

:7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

The story is really about David. David is the guilty one. I can’t imagine what David must have felt as Nathan probably raised his arm and pointed a finger at David.

:8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!

:8 I also would have given you much more

One more anchor for handling temptation.

Lesson

Contentment

We need to learn contentment in what God has provided for us.

We need to learn to be okay with what God has given us for now, and with what God gives us in the future.

God is telling David that He would have given David even more than he already had.

(Php 4:11–13 NASB95) —11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

If you think you don’t “have enough”, then ask God and learn to be satisfied in what He provides.

This is truly a “secret” in life. Learning to be content with what God puts on your plate.

:9 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.

David used the Ammonites to have Uriah killed.

:10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

:10 the sword shall never depart

Lesson

Consequences to sin

One of the results of David’s sin would be the sword (conflict). He would have one trouble after another for the rest of his life.

The sword would be in David’s house:

Amnon would be killed by his brother Absalom.

Absalom would be killed by Joab.

Adonijah would be killed after trying to subvert Solomon’s kingdom.

Even though David will confess his sin and be forgiven, there will still be consequences to his sin.

Illustration

The Fence

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

We can find forgiveness with God, but there are still earthly consequences to our sin.

A person who commits a sexual sin can be forgiven. But they may contract a disease. The disease doesn’t go away because the sin is forgiven. There are consequences to sin.

:11 Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.

:12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”

:11 from your own house

This would be fulfilled by David’s son Absalom.

When Absalom chased his father out of Jerusalem and took over the government, one of the first things he was counseled to do was to set up a tent on the roof of the palace, and have sex with the concubines that David had left behind (2Sam. 16:20-23).

(2 Sa 16:20–23 NKJV) —20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give advice as to what we should do.” 21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. 23 Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

The one who gave Absalom the idea was Bathsheba’s grandfather, Ahithophel.

Lesson

Follow Daddy

Kids love to imitate their dads.

Jacob was a deceiver. His sons grew up to be deceivers.

David committed adultery and murder.

Absalom commits adultery with his father’s own concubines and had already killed his brother Amnon.

:13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

:13 I have sinned

Lesson

Confession and forgiveness

David is finally getting back on track. He has been running from the Lord. And now that he’s finally confronted face to face with his sin, he is smart enough to admit it.

We think that David may have written at least two songs as a result of this mess.

Psalm 32 talks about the blessing of being forgiven.

Psalm 51 is David’s cry for forgiveness.

(Ps 51:1–4 NKJV) —1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.

David learned that when you hide your sin, you are miserable (Psa. 32).

Though there may still be earthly consequences to our sins, David learned that when you confess your sin, you find forgiveness with God.

(1 Jn 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

:14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”

I think this is one of the worst parts of our sin. We bring reproach to the name of Jesus when we sin. We give excuses to unbelievers who are looking for reasons not to believe.

:15 Then Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill.

God decided that the child born from David’s adultery would not live.

12:16-25 The child dies

:16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.

:17 So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them.

David is utterly distraught at the baby’s illness.

:18 Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!”

They think that since David has been so grieved with the child’s illness, he will be in much worse shape if he finds out the child is dead.

:19 When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.”

:20 So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.

:21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”

The servants can’t figure out David’s actions. Shouldn’t he be MORE upset when the child dies?

:22 And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’

:23 But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

:23 I shall go to him

Lesson

Children go to heaven

We have very little said about the issue of what happens to a small child when they die.

This is one of the few places that we can draw a conclusion from.

David knew that he would not be able to bring the child back. But he fully expected one day to go to the child, seeing him in heaven.

:24 Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the Lord loved him,

:25 and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.

:25 Jedidiah – “beloved of Yahweh”

This is God’s nickname for Solomon. It wasn’t “bastard child”, it was “beloved”.

What a picture of God showing grace in the middle of our sin.

Lesson

God’s grace in our sin

As this horrible episode of David’s life comes to a close, we see a glimpse of God’s grace.

Paul wrote,

(Ro 5:20 NKJV) …But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,

David would still suffer much from the consequences of his sin.

But God also put a ray of light in the darkness.

Solomon would one day be king in David’s place.

Solomon would one day build the temple.

Solomon would be in the line of Jesus, the Messiah.

12:26-31 Back to Rabbah

:26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the people of Ammon, and took the royal city.

:27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city’s water supply.

:28 Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name.”

I wonder if Joab had a sense that David’s place was in the battle, not at home.

:29 So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it.

:30 Then he took their king’s crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was set on David’s head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance.

:31 And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them cross over to the brick works. So he did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

:30 their king’s crown

Lesson

Fear and consequence

Remember who their king was – Hanun the son of Nahash. He was the one that started the whole war with David in the first place when he misinterpreted David’s actions of trying to comfort Hanun as if David was spying on the Ammonites to conquer them.

Sometimes our worst fears come true, not because they are inevitable, but because our stupid fear is the very thing that brings the things about.

(Job 3:25 NKJV) For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me.

Sometimes our response to our fear or suspicion is more important than the actual truth of our suspicion.

Later, another son of Nahash will show kindness to David when he is fleeing from his son Abasalom (2Sam. 17:27-29), perhaps after David dethroned Hanun, he made Hanun’s brother Shobi king in his place?

(2 Sa 17:27–29 NKJV) —27 Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28 brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds, 29 honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”