David Sins with Bathsheba
2 Samuel 11
1In the spring, when the kings normally went out to war, David sent out Joab,
his servants, and all the Israelites. They destroyed the Ammonites and attacked
the city of Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem. 2One evening David got up
from his bed and walked around on the roofof his palace. While he was on the
roof, he saw a woman bathing. She was very beautiful. 3So David sent his
servants to find out who she was. A servant answered, “That woman is
Bathsheba daughter of Eliam. She is the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4So David
sent messengers to bring Bathsheba to him. When she came to him, he had sexual
relations with her. (Now Bathsheba had purified herself from her monthly
period.) Then she went back to her house. 5But Bathsheba became pregnant and
sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”
6So David sent a message to Joab: “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.” And Joab
sent Uriah to David. 7When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was,
how the soldiers were, and how the war was going. 8Then David said to Uriah,
“Go home and rest.”
So Uriah left the palace, and the king sent a gift to him. 9But Uriah did not go
home. Instead, he slept outside the door of the palace as all the king’s officers
did.
10The officers told David, “Uriah did not go home.”
Then David said to Uriah, “You came from a long trip. Why didn’t you go
home?”
11Uriah said to him, “The Ark and the soldiers of Israel and Judah are staying
in tents. My master Joab and his officers are camping out in the fields. It isn’t
right for me to go home to eat and drink and have sexual relations with my wife!”
12David said to Uriah, “Stay here today. Tomorrow I’ll send you back to the
battle.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13Then David called
Uriah to come to see him, so Uriah ate and drank with David. David made Uriah
drunk, but he still did not go home. That evening Uriah again slept with the
king’s officers.
14The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. 15In the
letter David wrote, “Put Uriah on the front lines where the fighting is worst and
leave him there alone. Let him be killed in battle.”
16Joab watched the city and saw where its strongest defenders were and put
Uriah there. 17When the men of the city came out to fight against Joab, some of
David’s men were killed. And Uriah the Hittite was one of them.
18Then Joab sent David a complete account of the war. 19Joab told the
messenger, “Tell King David what happened in the war. 20After you finish, the
king may be angry and ask, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Didn’t you
know they would shoot arrows from the city wall? 21Do you remember who
killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? It was a woman on the city wall. She
threw a large stone for grinding grain on Abimelech and killed him there in
Thebez. Why did you go so near the wall?’ If King David asks that, tell him,
‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.’”
22The messenger left and went to David and told him everything Joab had
told him to say. 23The messenger told David, “The men of Ammon were winning.
They came out and attacked us in the field, but we fought them back to the city
gate. 24The archers on the city wall shot at your servants, and some of your men
were killed. Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.”
25David said to the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t be upset about this.
The sword kills everyone the same. Make a stronger attack against the city and
capture it.’ Encourage Joab with these words.”
26When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she cried for him.
27After she finished her time of sadness, David sent servants to bring her to his
house. She became David’s wife and gave birth to his son, but the LORD did not
like what David had done.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version
SITUATION
David became king of Israel after Saul's death. Although a successful commander of Israel's army, he let himself be conquered by lust. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, then arranged to have her husband murdered.
OBSERVATION
David was not immune to temptation. When he sinned, God held him accountable for his actions.
INSPIRATION
As to our personal evil and the pain that comes from present sin, it was sin precisely like our sin that killed Christ, for sin is always the anxious pride of the creature by which we try to be our own god.... Each man, each nation, each era must make its own choice under new options, yet the options in essence do not change, for always the alternatives are man's futile will or God's overruling will ....
As for the mystery of pain-why the snake appears in our natural world and as seducer in our world of human decision-the mystery remains: We do not know, though we do know that we cannot shelve responsibility for our choice.
The pain that comes of sin is the focal item in the whole "problem" and in the midst of it stands a Cross and a Resurrection.... Of us, you and me, the prayer is spoken, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”... Yes, the prayer is spoken of us. Yet because God raised him from the dead the prayer is already answered for us. We are forgiven! (From God Pain, and Evil by George Arthur Buttrick)
APPLICATION
God has forgiven us. But, many times we have done something that is so painful it is difficult to forgive ourselves. You are sorry for what you have done. You have tried to make amends. Now, forgive yourself and begin to live life anew.
EXPLORATION
Put Off Sin - Proverbs 3:11-12; Isaiah 59; Romans 6:15-23; Hebrews 12:1.
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