2 Samuel 11 – The story of David’s seduction of Bathsheba [summary]

The story is told that David, while walking on the roof of his palace, saw Bathsheba, who was then the wife of Uriah, bathing. He immediately desired her and later made her pregnant.

In an effort to conceal his sin, David summoned Uriah [Bathsheba's husband] from the army (with whom he was on campaign) in the hope that Uriah would re-consummate his marriage and think that the child is his. Uriah was unwilling to violate the ancient kingdom rule applying to warriors in active service. Rather than go home to his own bed, he preferred to remain with the palace troops.

After repeated efforts to convince Uriah to fertilize Bathsheba, the king gave the order to his general, Joab, that Uriah should be abandoned during a heated battle and left to the hands of the enemy. Ironically, David had Uriah himself carry the message that ordered his death. After Uriah was dead, David made the now widowed Bathsheba his wife.

After relating the parable of the rich man who took away the one little ewe lamb of his poor neighbor (II Samuel 12:1-6), and exciting the king’s anger against the unrighteous act, the prophet applied the case directly to David’s action with regard to Bathsheba.

2 Samuel 12:1-6

(NIV) The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him”. David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

(The Message) But GOD was not at all pleased with what David had done, and sent Nathan to David. Nathan said to him, “There were two men in the same city – one rich, the other poor. The rich man had huge flocks of sheep, herds of cattle. The poor man had nothing but one little female lamb, which he had bought and raised. It grew up with him and his children as a member of the family. It ate off his plate and drank from his cup and slept on his bed. It was like a daughter to him. “One day a traveler dropped in on the rich man. He was too stingy to take an animal from his own herds or flocks to make a meal for his visitor, so he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared a meal to set before his guest.” David exploded in anger. “As surely as GOD lives,” he said to Nathan, “the man who did this ought to be lynched! He must repay for the lamb four times over for his crime and his stinginess!”

David, seeing Bathsheba bathing on the rooftop, sent for her.  They slept together and she became pregnant. Trying to cover up one small sin, David committed an even bigger sin. He had Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, put on the front lines and he was killed. David was falling deeper and deeper. A prophet named Nathan came and using a parable (2 Samuel 12), had David to condemn his own behavior and convict himself. With the conviction, David confessed his sins, repented, and asked for a new heart and mind. God forgave him and covered it (Ps 32: 1-2).

Although his sins had been covered, David did suffer the consequences. The child that was conceived in sin dies, and chaos befalls his household through the death of three of his sons and the rape of his daughter Tamar by her own half-brother. God doesn’t like sin and he punishes us when we sin.

After David confessed and repented, he aked to be washed whiter than snow. He wanted to be, once again, the apple of God’s eye. He wanted to be under the shadow of God’s wings where there is found lovingkindness, mercy, and shelter.

“David’s repentance was sincere and deep. There was no effort to palliate his crime. No desire to escape the judgments threatened, inspired his prayer. But he saw the enormity of his transgression against God; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart. David did not in despair give over the struggle. In the promises of God to repentant sinners he saw the evidence of his pardon and acceptance. . . .

“Though David had fallen, the Lord lifted him up. He was now more fully in harmony with God and in sympathy with his fellow men than before he fell. . . .

A new heart is a new mind. Prayer for forgiveness always should be united with prayer for heart renewal and holy living.

Above:  David and Uriah the Hittite

Perfidy

JANUARY 27, 2012

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Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada.  I invite you to follow it with me.

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2 Samuel 11:1-17 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):

(In Chapters 8-10, David fights wars and shows kindness to Jonathan’s son.)

In the spring of the year, the time when the kings go forth to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah.  But David remained at Jerusalem.

It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking upon the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.  And David sent and inquired about the woman.  And one said,

Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

So David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her.  (Now she was purifying herself form her uncleanness.)  Then she returned to her house.  And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David,

I am with child.

So David sent word to Joab.

Send me Uriah the Hittite.

When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered.  Then David said to Uriah,

Go down to your house, and wash your feet.

And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king.  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.  When they told David,

Uriah did not go down to his house,

David said to Uriah,

Have you not come from a journey?  Why did you not go down to your house?

Uriah said to David,

The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife?  As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.

Then David said to Uriah,

Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart.

So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day, and the next.  And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but did not go down to his house.

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.  In the letter he wrote,

Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.

And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men.  And men of the city came out and fought with Joab; and some of the servants of David among the people fell.  Uriah the Hittite was slain also.

Psalm 51:1-10 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness;

in your great compassion blot out my offenses.

2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness

and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you only have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight.

5 And so you are justified when you speak

and upright in your judgment.

6 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth,

a sinner from my mother’s womb.

7 For behold, you look for truth deep within me,

and will make me understand wisdom secretly.

8 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure;

wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.

9 Make me hear of joy and gladness,

that the body you have broken may rejoice.

10 Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquities.

Mark 4:26-34 (Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition):

And he said,

The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how.  The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.  But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.

And he said,

With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.

With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

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The Collect:

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

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A Related Post:

Week of 3 Epiphany:  Friday, Year 1:

http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/week-of-3-epiphany-friday-year-1/

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The text from 2 Samuel 11 contains a euphemism.  To “wash one’s feet” was to have sexual relations.  In fact, there are other Old Testament euphemisms which speak outwardly of feet but refer really to genitals.  This information proves useful in understanding the story.

Quite simply, King David lusted after another man’s wife, Bathsheba, and got her pregnant.  The other man was Uriah the Hittite, a soldier deployed to the front lines of the current war.  David tried to cover up his sin by recalling Uriah and ordering him to have sexual relations with Bathsheba.  That way the birth of a baby would not create suspicion.  But Uriah obeyed a convention by which a soldier at war abstained from sexual intercourse.  The combination of Uriah’s nobility and David’s perfidy led to a battlefield murder of the soldier.

My mind casts back to 1 Samuel 8, when Samuel tells people that they really do not want a king to govern them.  Beginning in verse 11, he said:

These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you:  he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.  He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.  He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.  He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.  He will take your menservants and maid servants, and the best of your cattle, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.  He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.  And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the LORD will not answer you in that day.

And that king will have the power to seduce a married woman, impregnate her, and order the killing of her husband, who, out of a sense of military nobility and loyalty to his fellow soldiers, does not play his part in the attempted royal cover-up.

Let that sink in.

This, however, is only part of the story.  For the next portion, read the post for Week of 3 Epiphany:  Saturday, Year 2.

For now, however, mourn Uriah the Hittite and all other innocent victims of violence, those who have died because they were inconvenient.  And, as opportunities present themselves to you, act nonviolently to aid such people, as you are able.

KRT

-And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
-And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
-And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
-And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
-And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

If David had gone to battle with the kings as was his position, this sin wouldn’t have happened in this manner. His place was in the battle as King, not at home. David probably had a convincing reason of why he needed to be home. I’m sure it wasn’t so that he could be with Bathsheba, he didn’t know who she was. Besides the evedence of the sin, two things happened to David because he wasn’t in his place. 1. He provided an opportunity for the Devil to tempt him. 2. He caused a separation in his relationship with God, making it more difficult to stand against the temptation.

We need to be careful to always be in our place. God puts us where he wants us. He is faithful to guide, correct, encourage, nudge, and bring us to where he wants us. When we are in our place he can use us. If we fail to follow direction or to remain stagnat, we risk having a similar situation as David. We may not commit adultery, but we will provide an opening for temptation and we may not be strong enough to resist.

Remain in your place. Seek God and ask him to help you to be in the CENTER of his will. That way there is lots of room for his grace to be with you if you stumble.

Scripture readings:
2 Samuel 11:2-5; 11:14b-15 and 11:26 – 12:7a (Bathsheba & David)
John 7:40-8:11 (The Story of the Adulterous Woman)

My thoughts today are on two themes, Power and Silence, which are both found in this morning’s scripture readings. We will look at how Power and Silence interact with each other in each story, and how they tie these two stories together across a one thousand year gap in time. Then we’ll close with some reflections on what we’ve learned and how these two themes are reflected in the coming of Christ, and Advent.

Let’s start by considering our Old Testament reading, and the setting of Nathan’s audience with David.

Nathan’s story is presented as a legal dispute. This is significant. For thousands of years throughout the ancient world disputes were brought to the local ruler or wise man for judgment. It was a very public event, with many people there: those seeking a resolution to their disputes, spectators, the King and his Court, all listening to the proceedings.

When Nathan presented his case to David, it was in such a setting; which, given what he intended to do, was a wise move! I suspect that if he had done this in a private audience with the King, he might have succumbed to a “Sword Malfunction.”

Let’s imagine what the scene must have been like: David is there with his badges of authority, a scepter and crown. He is sitting on a simple chair in front of the crowd. Scores, and perhaps hundreds of people are standing around the edges of the courtyard, waiting for their turn to be heard. David’s advisors are waiting off to the side for him to call on, if needed.

Then Nathan steps forward to tell his story. The King listens, his anger rising as he hears the tale, and when he can’t restrain himself any more, his face red, gripping his chair with both fists, he leans forward and says “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity!”

And then Nathan said four simple words, “You are the man!”

What would have happened? How did David react?

In the reading we see some of David’s reaction. He says nothing while Nathan, standing before the people, recites the long list of terrible things their King has done.

I imagine David sitting there while Nathan spoke, mouth open, in shock. The sin he thought he’d hidden so carefully from the people, from God and even from himself had been revealed. He had not fooled anyone. He had taken Uriah’s wife and impregnated her. He had used the men of the besieged city of Rabbah as a weapon to engineer the death of one of his greatest and most trustworthy warriors, Uriah. He then married Uriah’s widow as soon as he could, to make the child appear legitimate. He was a rapist, a murderer, and a liar. He had betrayed the trust of the people and of the Lord.

An important point in all of this is that not one word was said in condemnation of Bathsheba. Nathan does not accuse her, nor does David defend himself by trying to blame or implicate her, as Adam did with Eve in the Garden of Eden. Even though many in today’s world may believe Bathsheba enticed him, nowhere in the Bible is it even hinted that she had done anything wrong.

This is because David had all the power. He was the King. His word was, literally, the law. Regardless of what Bathsheba had done, David was responsible. Nothing would have happened if he had not succumbed to the temptation within himself. Whether she was willing or not, when he sent messengers to “fetch her” (the scriptures do not say “invite her”) to the palace, she could not say no. He was the King. When he told her to come to his bedchamber with him, she could not say no. He was the King.

David had no one to blame but himself. The judgment that came out of his own mouth, forcing him to take responsibility for what he had done.

David thought he had the power, and shows himself to be more than willing to use it for his own benefit. Yet, when Nathan reveals David’s sin, David is confronted by the greater power in Nathan. This power is one that Nathan did not use for his own ends, as David had done. This power is a power that Nathan knew he was only a custodian-of, not the owner.

There’s another important point here, which is that we hear almost nothing from Bathsheba. The one time she is heard from is when she sends that message to David: “I am pregnant.” A cry of fear and a cry for help. The beginning of the end of the life she had known: a sign that she was about to lose her home, her husband, her reputation, and perhaps even her life.

Bathsheba is silent in every other respect. David intervened to protect her mainly to save his own reputation and protect the child. We see no evidence of concern for Bathsheba except for a brief statement that David consoled her by fathering Solomon through her after the first child’s death.

Bathsheba, like so many others in that time, in Jesus’ time, and in our time, has no voice. Even Nathan, in condemning David, only mentions her in passing, referring to her as “Uriah’s wife”, not even by her own name. She was a possession, a baby machine and an object of David’s lust, unable to assert control over her own life; unable to be heard.

Now, let’s go forward about a thousand years to the time of Jesus and the story of the adulterous woman.

It’s a similar story in many ways. We once again have a public forum, an accusation of adultery and Jesus’ opponents are seeking to make him the judge, just as Nathan had done to David. Only, Jesus opponents are not seeking justice. Rather, as we just heard in the reading, just the day before they had bragged of knowing the law. Now, they sought to trap Jesus through their self-proclaimed superior knowledge.

It is possible that they’d heard rumors that Jesus was the product of an illegitimate pregnancy, the result of a liaison prior to Mary’s marriage to Joseph. The stigma of being conceived outside of marriage was severe. Those conceived by a single woman were often relegated to the outskirts of society. Most of us today have a hard time understanding how for millennia, even into this century, people conceived outside of marriage are ostracized; seen as sinful for something beyond their control.

So, perhaps those who were trying to bully Jesus into judging the adulterous woman were trying to get Jesus to condemn himself for being illegitimate. Maybe, but I think the main question in the minds of the Pharisees was the one that is constantly asked and addressed throughout the Gospel of John, which is “who knew the law?” Did Jesus know the law? It is clear these men were trying to trap Jesus into judging himself and betraying an ignorance of the law.

Yet, there is a major difference between the incident involving this adulterous woman and Bathsheba’s story. Bathsheba was not judged, nor was she present while David was judged. Here, we have the woman being judged, yet the man she was caught with is not seen or mentioned.

This is a critical detail. Nowhere in the Hebrew Scriptures is there a law that says a woman alone can be judged for adultery. The man must always be judged alongside her. The laws in Deuteronomy 22 make it clear that sexual sin required two participants. The woman could be held responsible only if she met the standard of the day of being a willing participant. In other words, the law recognized that a woman could not commit adultery by herself. The man had the power in such situations, both because of obvious biological fact and because, in that highly patriarchal society, women had little or no power to control even their own lives. The one who had the power, the man, always had to account for his actions.

So, where is the man? He should have been right there, standing next to the woman, waiting to be judged. Where is he?

He’s not there.

Silence is critical in both of our scripture readings this morning: the story of Bathsheba, and the story of the woman caught in adultery.

In Bathsheba’s story, we have the silence of the victim. We also have an inner silence. While David sits in shock, Nathan recounts David’s sins to the people. David was left alone to confront himself, and the enormity of what he has done dawns upon him like a searing light. The whole mountain of self-deception and willful blindness he’s built up for himself crumbles into nothingness. He stands completely revealed, defenseless, naked, guilty, before both the Lord and all of his people. In that inner silence he is confronted by his sin, and finds the truth. At that moment, I’m sure he cries out in his mind “Oh God, what have I done?!”

Only then could the King admit to his people “I have sinned against the Lord.” By doing so, he admitted that the very foundation of his legitimacy as a ruler, the favor the Lord had bestowed upon him, had been violated. He realized he had forfeited his legitimacy as King; and, as Nathan soon foretold, the consequences of that forfeiture would trouble him, his Kingdom, and his descendants for many years to come.

10 centuries later, Jesus spoke just a few short words to spark that same sort of inner confrontation in the hearts of the woman’s accusers. “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

These men prided themselves in their knowledge of the law, yet they were misusing it for their own ends, just as David had done. They were hiding inconvenient facts and were willing to allow murder to be committed to satisfy their own self serving purposes, just as David had done. They were right if they were inspired by the story of Bathsheba to try and trap someone they believed was guilty by using his own words against him. What they forgot was that the sin in Bathsheba’s story lay with those who misused the power granted them for personal gain.

In this passage, the use of silence by Jesus is obvious: The accusers dragged the woman before Jesus and demanded he judge her; yet all he did was silently bend down and begin drawing in the dirt.

Now, many have speculated about what Jesus was drawing in the sand, but John is right in not telling us. What Jesus drew is unimportant. What is important is that in allowing silence, Jesus created a space in which the accusers had time to look at themselves. Jesus spoke, then returned to silence, again drawing in the dirt. Like Nathan did with David, Jesus allowed his words to grow in the hearts of the woman’s accusers. To stand up and proclaim the truth stridently would just have added fuel to the fire, and the message would never have been heard.

Jesus knew they had to be given time and space to be confronted within themselves by the truth. They had to realize for themselves that by throwing the first stone they would be admitting to either not knowing the law despite pridefully claiming they did, or that they were misusing the law for their own ends, violating the trust the people placed in them. They had to realize for themselves that by throwing the first stone, they would be misusing the power they held for their own purposes. It was a power for which they were only custodians; just as Jesus was custodian of the power that resided in him.

One by one, they came to that realization, that even if they had never sinned before in their lives, they were sinning now. And, one by one, they turned away and left. Finally, when they were all gone, Jesus straightened up from drawing in the sand and asked “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.”

Why is this important?

There are two reasons. First, Jesus encouraged her to speak, and she did. She was encouraged to affirm that no one was condemning her, and she did so by saying “…No one, sir.” This is unlike Adam and Eve, where Adam blamed Eve for tempting him, and unlike Bathsheba, who was not given a chance to be heard at all.

Then, Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you.” Jesus did not say “You are forgiven.” Instead, he is refusing to judge her. The only conviction she will experience is in that inner silence, where she must confront the truth for herself.

And then comes the crucial moment in the story, Jesus said “Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” He empowers her. She is already no longer silent, but now he is telling her that she is also no longer able to take refuge in being a possession or in being oppressed. She must take responsibility for herself, and “go her own way”. It is up to her whether she will sin again, or not.

Jesus’ presence and the lesson of this day was that no longer being the silent victim means both no longer being silent, and no longer being the victim. She now has the power within herself to lead the life she chooses, not the life chosen for her.

In both of these stories, we see power, we see silence, and we see truth in the silence. We see power in David’s misuse of it, and the misuse of it by the woman’s accusers. We see a greater power in the few words spoken by Nathan and Jesus, men who both saw themselves as custodians of a power greater than that of any earthly King. We also see those who had been silenced being freed and empowered by Jesus. Finally, by not taking the path of King David, Jesus showed that he was a King, too: a King who understood the dynamics of power, and of silence, a King who’s Kingdom is not of this world.

At this point in writing this sermon, I got stuck. How do I tie all of this into Advent? How do I make what we’ve learned relevant and applicable to us here, today? The answer came to me through some wise comments from Lorrie Herzberg, whom – as many of you know, and as she herself told me that day, has a hard time being silent herself!

After hearing my thoughts earlier this week, she pointed out that in Matthew chapter 1, when Joseph first heard that Mary was with child, he could have judged her and acted immediately, as the Pharisees later tried to get Jesus to do against the Adulterous Woman. But, Joseph didn’t. Instead, he gave silence, and the power of God, time to operate in his heart, while he pondered how best to avoid “exposing Mary to public disgrace.”

In a dream that night, God, through an Angel, told him to not be afraid to take Mary to be his wife. Everything would be OK. Even though he would be taking on what at the time would have been seen as the disgraceful task of being a parent in place of an unknown father and possibly an unfaithful bride. Joseph accepted responsibility even though he didn’t have to. His taking time to be silent allowed God’s power time to work in his spirit.

This was the same power that Nathan and Jesus had. God’s power is often a quiet power, the power of truth. Our lives are the witness to such power being present and active within us. This is the power that we, as Christians, have within ourselves.

Joseph knew that this child of Mary’s might be condemned by others and forced to live on the outskirts of society that saw him as illegitimate. He knew that Mary herself would have to face rumors throughout her life about the parentage of this child. Yet, the Angel had said to not be afraid. The child was born of the Holy Spirit, and the people would name him Emmanuel. The God that had not walked the earth with man since the time of the books of Moses would walk the earth again, as a man. God would be with us.

In this Advent season, we celebrate the birth of that same child. We celebrate the quiet power that enabled Joseph to have the strength to do what the Lord willed. We celebrate that quiet power that allowed God to become one with those who had no voice. We celebrate that God comes not to judge, but to love us.

The power in Jesus the day he confronted the Pharisees is the same power that was in Nathan. It is the same power that was in Joseph. It is the same power that is within us. How will we, like Joseph, like Nathan, and like Jesus, enable that power to show forth in our lives? What quiet words will we speak this day to show God’s love and power to those around us, and enable it to grow within the quiet of their own hearts?

We often forget about silence, and the power of silence. I ask that today, this first Sunday in Advent, that we all remember the quiet power of God that lives in our hearts, and ask that it shine forth and empower and heals us, as it Joseph, and the Adulterous Woman. God loves us, and God is with us.

Amen.

Copyright (c) 2010, Allen Vander Meulen III, all rights reserved.  I’m happy to share my writings with you, as long as you are not seeking (or getting) financial benefit for doing so, and as long as proper credit for my authorship is given (via mention of my name on your site, or a link back to this site).

2 Samuel 11 paints a picture for us of how almost every bad decision begins and eventually ends. It always starts with a look, a thought, an idea(v. 2). Once its birthed inside our minds it spirals, we begin to inquire about the possibilities of bringing it to reality (v. 3). Rather than allowing the truth that surrounds the situation like “Dude, thats Uriah’s wife your talking about…” to put us in check, we rationalize in some way that we deserve to fulfill this desire, which is always a selfish thought, and we do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Understand I am not condemning David, I am actually identifying times in my own life when this exact same pattern has taken place. I can think of specific instances where I allowed something I saw or a thought in my head take control despite the fact that rational thinking and the truth of what following through on that temptation would accomplish were staring me in the face.

I know all to well the series of events that took place in David’s life next. Immediately after he realizes what he has done and tries to separate himself quietly from it, but finds out there are going to be lasting consequences to the decision wether he likes it or not(v. 5) He then plans an extensive cover up plan that is doomed to eventually fail(vv. 6-13), because cover up plans pretty much never work. Its sad how it works in your mind right? You think, “Well… I’ll just do this and then no one ever has to know…”, but really you know you are kidding yourself.

When the cover up plan fails David moves to desperation mode. Maybe it hasn’t made it this far for you or maybe it has… David becomes willing, not to admit his mistake and deal with the consequences, but to offer someone else’s life as a way to put the matter to rest.(v. 15) I have heard stories of people attempting to murder their spouse because they were caught in an affair. What a selfish way to deal with an already self-centered choice. A more practical example? Maybe you have done something you were ashamed of and when people found out you blamed it on someone else. You made them look bad in order to save your own reputation.

What is interesting about is that more often than not there is someone in our lives that knows that we are doing something wrong. They don’t know exactly what we are doing, but they recognize that we are making choices and decisions that are strange and they try and present to us how the choices we are making are actually not only effecting our own lives but the lives of others(v. 18-21).

This is the basic truth that I take away from this entire encounter, recognizing the pattern of sin in my own life, and what I have learned is the most effective way to deal with it before it spirals out of control: Confession early is the best prevention plan for regret.

I have accountability partners in my life that when I have a thought, or see something that I know has the potential to spin out of control I can call or sit down with  and tell them about it. Most of the time simply admitting these thoughts is enough to expose how ridiculous they are and it allows me to move on. Sometimes I need them to come back and ask me every few days or weeks about it to keep me in check. But regardless, I know for a fact that many poor decisions have been avoided via confession. We don’t like to do it because we think its going to make us look bad. But what makes you look worse, talking about it to a trusted friend/mentor or acting on it and dealing with the consequences later?

In the next chapter we are going to talk about two outcomes to those regrettable decisions, but consider this today: Is there something I need to talk to someone about before it spins out of control? If the answer is yes, who can you talk to? Who do you trust that will guide you in the right direction?

-Pastor Conor

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

It’s wonderful to know you’ve been set free from the law of sin and death. It’s glorious to know you never again have to submit to the slavery of sin. But what do you do when, in spite of those wonderful, glorious truths, you still miss the mark? What do you do when you stumble and fall into sin?

Run to you Father and repent!

That sounds simple. But oddly enough we often do just the opposite. Instead of running to God, we let fear and guilt drive us further and further from Him. We start thinking things like, “Well, I’ve missed it now. I might as well forget the rest of it and live like the devil.”

Don’t make that mistake. Don’t let Satan talk you into sinning in one area of your life just because you missed it in another. When you get off track with God, just confess it and get right back on.

“But, I feel so guilty when I tell God what I’ve done that it’s hard for me to make myself do it.”

I know. I used to feel that way too. Then one day, God said to me, “When you confessed that sin wasn’t when I found out about it. I knew about it all the time! When you confessed it is when you got rid of it, when you were cleansed of its effects in your life.”

When you make a mistake, when you miss the mark, remember, you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous (1 John 2:1). Run to Him! He knows what you are going through. You don’t need to be afraid. He didn’t tear you apart for the sins you committed before you made Him Lord of your life, did He? Then how much more merciful and loving do you think He’ll be now that you’re His own? Now that you’re reaching out for Him and have a heart for Him?

Don’t run from God. Run to Him. Receive His forgiveness. Receive His cleansing. No matter how badly you’ve sinned, He’s eager to forgive and to cleanse you of all unrighteousness.

Other New Testament passages that speak to the situation, David at this time, include James 1:14-15 and Romans 7:13-25.  David now at the height of his kingdom — apparently about 12 years after he became king of all Israel — has some spiritual gray hairs that he has not noticed: rot and decay setting in.  The polygamy in the palace clearly had taken its toll, and with the first step mentioned in 2 Samuel 11 (staying home, abdicating his royal functions, and idle), David is left susceptible to sensual passion.

Proverbs 11:22 describes the woman Bathsheba, as opposite of the godly woman who fears the Lord and shall be praised.  It is clear from the text that she was a willing accomplice in the adultery, and that she was more interested in the formal, outward ceremonial part of God’s law, as opposed to the moral part — as indicated in the narrative accounts of her ceremonial purification and her ceremonial mourning.  I recall a radio lesson years ago, from Chuck Swindoll, in which he laid further blame upon Bathsheba — that she should have known not to bathe in a place that could be observed from the king’s palace.  I’ve not heard that view anywhere else; but certainly, as S. Lewis Johnson observes, she had her guilt in the matter.

Uriah the Hittite is the most surprising character in the story, the one truly righteous man.  Johnson quotes someone else as having observed that “Uriah drunk was more pious than David sober.”

David followed the steps of the impenitent man:  clings to his sin, then searches for a means of escape, and finally completes the cover-up. Throughout the events, David broke three of the Ten commandments (adultery, murder, and coveting).  Yet God has the final say, and brings the greatest irony — like other ironic events in the Bible.  What David most wanted was to cover-up and hide his sin — and yet when he completed the cover-up, God made sure that everyone in the world would know about it, by having it recorded in holy scripture.  Today, even those with only a passing knowledge of the Bible, when they think of King David, associate David with Bathsheba.

In the follow-up text, 2 Samuel 12, S. Lewis Johnson has a few more interesting observations:

• Families in the Near-East did sometimes have pet lambs, much as people today have pet dogs.

• The fact that the story describes a little ewe lamb suggests that Bathsheba was very young, with an older, mature Uriah.  We do know that both Uriah and Eliab, Bathsheba’s father, were among David’s 30 mighty men, and this too suggests an age difference.

• Even in his sinful state David still had a heart for justice, and knew very well the Mosaic law.  His remark about paying back four-fold agreed with the actual prescribed Mosaic law regarding the theft and slaughter of a sheep.  (see Exodus 22:1)

In the end, David did pay back “four-fold,” though certainly not in a way that Moses would have realized:

• the death of the infant son

• the death of Amnon

• the death of Absalom

• the death of Adonijah

Like King David, all of us have power over someone else. That power can be used in ways which build that person up, but we are reminded in this scripture that power can also be weaponized and used to hurt, even destroy, that person.

Prayer: Loving God, help us treat one another as we would want to be treated. AMEN.

MOTIVATE

On April 20 a generational disaster occurred among our nation. Deepwater Horizon, a drilling rig contracted by BP, exploded and caught fire causing a massive leak. Almost 50 days later, the well is still pumping oil into the Gulf, threatening the ruin of wildlife and a way of life in the Gulf area. Everything is endangered from seafood to seagulls, from tourism to turtles and from beaches to Biloxi. The bigger problem is that it is not just an ecological or economic issue but a cultural impact. Future generations will be impacted in the way they live, work, entertain, educate and even worship.
BP is spending approximately $10 millions a day on clean up efforts and it still could be weeks or months before the leak is brought under control. The effects from the Gulf oil spill will occur over the long term. On May 5, 2010 Bill Lucey of The Huffington Post quoted Felicia Coleman, director of the Coastal & Marine Laboratory at Florida State University, who said, “Many of these communities rely entirely on the high ecological productivity of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico . . . In some areas, it’s not a question of recovery. It will mean the loss of a way of life.” (“The Economic Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill”) And for that, there can be no repayment. Beauty, enjoyment, spiritual renewal and kinship with nature: those things are priceless.”[1]

Regardless of the actual who is at fault, the big picture reveals it is a “leadership” issue and failure. Much of everything rises and falls with leadership. Nations, businesses, organizations, churches and even families depend on good leadership. Actions by leaders often have impact not just for the present but for the future as well.

EXAMINE

The last message we looked at the greatness of David. He was a great king for Israel and many admired his passion for God and political savvy. God blessed David greatly in his reign with power, fame and favor. Yet, after time David began to believe he independently deserved God’s blessings as a sense of entitlement rather than an undeserving gift.

Entitlement says “I deserve (demand?) to have my desires fulfilled when and how I want them. It is right to live for myself and do what only brings me personal fulfillment regardless of others.”

How does this mindset happen, especially in the life of a believer? How does a person so close to God turn to being so far away? One reality that you cannot miss is that sin has a slippery slope. The seeds of sin are subtle and slow before its roots grow deep into the heart and mind.  

Author Paul Tripp says, “…sin produces in all of us a tendency toward ‘now-ism,’ which means we forget three things: who we are (betrothed to Christ); what he is doing now (preparing us for the final wedding); and what we are supposed to be doing (remaining faithful to him). When we focus only on what we want now, we fail to solve our problems and we also cause more difficulties”[2]

This message has one key point: Sin has a slippery slope

In 2 Samuel 11 we will briefly examine 6 escalated leadership failures of King David in effort to guard against similar decision-making.

Time (11:1)

In a time of war David stayed at home rather than working hard to be Israel’s King and expand God’s kingdom. This simple decision and misuse of his time became a giant stain that would cover his life forever.

Time is something that is granted to all of us from God and we are called to steward our priorities. Certain times that we must be careful over are times of leisure and times of stress, that we do not allow to rule our lives.

Ephesians 5:15-16 “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making good use of your time, because the days are evil.”

Lust (11:2-3)

In David’s time of war (both leisure and stress for him), he saw a beautiful woman bathing. A glance became a gaze of desire and entitlement. In his inquiry he found out that she was married yet he still sent for her.

Lust promises to please but fails to fulfill.

Proverbs 6:27, 29 “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? …So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.”

Adultery (11:4-5)

David’s sin of lust was acted upon into adultery. It is unclear how agreeable a partner Bathsheba was, although it is certain that she did not entirely reject. Adultery is seldom an immediate impulse but a decision that has been in the making.

Deceit (11:6-13)

David’s sin of adultery carried consequences that would find him out as Bathsheba became pregnant. His plan was to bring Uriah home so he would sleep with his wife and cover up that it was David’s baby. However, Uriah did not go home out of duty to the Lord and the King, as he was intent on being a soldier. David tried even further by getting him drunk but Uriah stayed as a focused soldier. All of David’s deceit failed.

Proverbs 20:17 “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man. But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.”

Murder (11:14-24)

When David’s schemes failed he was left with a final decision – face or finalize his sin. David chose to send Uriah to the front lines of the army where the battle was the fiercest, expecting Uriah to die. In a sense, David gave the orders for Uriah’s death. In David’s mind, having Uriah killed would remove his problem. In reality it only was just the beginning of David’s troubles.

In David’s family there would be hatred, anger, bitterness, rape, all sins bringing much shame and guilt back to this point of David’s life.

Desensitized (11:25-27)

Lastly, David’s sin had escalated to the point where he became indifferent toward it. When he received news of Uriah’s death he was cold and careless. Notice the text says that Bathsheba mourned but it is silent concerning David’s emotions.

If you allow sin to build in your life you are in danger of becoming desensitized to the God-given effects of sin (conviction) and to God’s intended direction for your life.

Ephesians 3:18-19 Those that do not follow God “ have hardening of their hearts. [They lose] sensitivity, they give themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge [their own pleasures].”

APPLY/THINK

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you’re willing to pay.” (Steve Farrar, Finishing Strong)

ð      What do you do if you have traveled sin’s slippery slope? What if your life is characterized by sin?

• Romans 5:6, 19 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”
• As David’s sin impacted generations to come, so the Son of David’s righteous sacrifice impacts generations to come.
• Grace Greater Than All Our Sin

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can we do to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

[2] Paul Tripp, Instrument in the Redeemer’s Hands”, p. 241

Nathan confronts David from bricktestament.com

It must have been frightening. The historical account doesn’t detail how Nathan was directed—it simply says, “Then the Lord sent Nathan to David…” (2 Sam. 12:1). Nathan wasn’t to confront just any man about his sins—he was sent to confront the king of Israel. Who would dare rebuke a king? But how could Nathan dare say “No” to God? Nathan’s acceptance of God’s command resulted in one of the most familiar confrontations ever recorded in scripture.

The scriptures suggest that Nathan was more than just a prophet of God. Nathan was informed of David’s desire to build God a temple (2 Sam. 7). David’s second son was possibly named after the prophet Nathan (2 Sam. 5:14). Nathan named David’s second son by Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:25). Nathan remained loyal to David during the rebellion of Adonijah and anointed Solomon as king (1 Kings 1). The Lord didn’t just send a prophet to confront David, He sent a friend.

It was Nathan’s relationship with David that formed his approach. David had gone to great lengths to cover up his iniquity. Meanwhile, God had been preparing David’s heart for the confrontation ahead. David wrote, “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer” (Psalm 32:3–4). God’s heavy hand no doubt softened the calloused heart of the king, but it was the well-crafted approach of a friend that pricked his heart. Notice the wisdom of Nathan’s approach:

• Nathan used David’s experience as a shepherd (2 Sam. 12:3–4). The choice of a lamb was purposeful. Who could deny that? Nathan appealed to the heart of the shepherd boy turned king. If anyone understood the love for a special lamb, it would be the former shepherd.
• Nathan appealed to David’s wisdom and judgment (2 Sam. 12:1–6). As king, David had judged numerous times for the people. He served as the equivalent of today’s Supreme Court hearing and judging the most difficult cases. While David’s personal life was plagued by guilt and misery resulting from sin, the king was still capable of executing righteous judgment. Nathan understood this and appealed to David’s judgment.
• Nathan appealed to David’s knowledge of the Law. The subject of Nathan’s story violated a number of Mosaic Laws. He violated the tenth commandment, which forbids one from coveting anything belonging to his neighbor (Ex. 20:17). David’s pronounced judgment of restoring the lamb fourfold was a direct application of Exodus 22:1, “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.” As David’s friend, Nathan understood the king’s knowledge of the Law.

It was Nathan’s knowledge of his friend that equipped him to confront David with great wisdom. David’s anger was quickly aroused as he pronounced his righteous judgment. He failed to see that he had sought to remove the speck from another’s eye while a beam extended from his own (Matt. 7:1–5). Nathan responded to David, “You are the man!” (2 Sam. 12:7). David had pronounced judgment on himself. His God-softened heart had finally been defeated by the loving rebuke of his friend. He responded with a penitent heart (2 Sam. 12:13).

Nathan was the best friend David ever had. Nathan could have defended his friend. He could have attempted to justify the sins of David. But rather than cower before the king, Nathan rose to the challenge and helped turn his friend back to God. James wrote, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19–20). Nathan saved David’s soul from death. That’s friendship! The wise man said, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Prov. 17:17). The darkest hours of life reveal the greatest friendships.

We need to learn from David. Rather than respond with bitterness towards Nathan, David saw the love of a friend. He responded with godly sorrow that produced repentance. He understood what courage it must have taken for his friend to confront him.  We should seek to imitate David’s response to a rebuke.

We also need to learn from Nathan. True friendship is manifested in the willingness to save a friend’s soul despite the risks. Nathan knew his rebuke of the king could have cost him a friendship and possibly his life. He was willing to risk it all to save the king—to save his friend.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. — Matthew 5.5

The Beatitudes operate on a counter-intuitive level. At first blush, we might wonder if Jesus has missed it on this one. The meek? Inherit the earth? I don’t think so, Jesus. We look around and it doesn’t seem as if the meek are inheriting much of anything. And the earth? It belongs to the power brokers, the ones with clout to throw around and muscle to flex and wealth with which to acquire…qualities that aren’t exactly synonymous with meekness.

It’s an unfortunate association that we often make between the terms “meek” and “weak”. Weakness, of course, implies a lack of power. But meekness is different. Meekness is controlled power. It’s about restraint, submission. There’s an association between meekness and the bridled thoroughbred; the power remains, but it has been harnessed.

In this way, meekness is about not going around doing everything you’re capable of doing simply because you can. If we all went around doing everything we were capable of doing, the result would be anarchy. Take traffic laws, for instance. Do I have the power to disregard stop signs, red lights, speed limit signs? Well, sure. But if we all went around driving this way, there’d be no order. There would be chaos. To drive this way isn’t good for me or anyone else. When we yield our power in that circumstance, we are creating a better society. We all know this to be true.

Why, then, do I find it so difficult to submit myself to the will of God? Why do I continue to white knuckle certain areas of my life, refusing to submit myself fully to God? Why do I think that unrestrained power in another area of my life is any less harmful than it would be on the highway behind the wheel of my truck?

In 2 Kings 2, Elisha has just received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. How does he use this power? He calls down a pack of wild she-bears to maul 42 children that mock him and call him “baldhead”. There’s simply no way to sugarcoat this story: unrestrained power is a dangerous thing.

2 Samuel 11 tells the same story. Why did David take Bathsheeba? Because he could. Plain and simple. And the story is repeated throughout scripture. Solomon’s uncontrolled passion; Moses striking the rock; Peter striking Malchus. The figures and circumstances change, but the point is the same. Unrestrained power is a very dangerous thing.

We get to Jesus and we realize that it was never about power anyway. With Jesus, it’s about being strong enough to assume powerlessness. That’s the message of the cross. There’s something profound here – that God’s most definitive act in the world was not an act of power, but an act of powerlessness. And by submitting ourselves to His power, we become inheritors of the earth.

From Clarence Jordan:

…a surrendered human will is the agency through which God’s power is released upon the earth. They become God’s “workhorses” on earth. Through them God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven; through them the kingdom of heaven comes to earth. That’s why you can’t stop them. That’s why they “inherit the land,” that is, the promised land or the kingdom. Only the meek, “the terrible meek,” the totally committed meek, are considered worthy of an inheritance in the new land, the kingdom of God on earth.

There is indeed a blessing for those who surrender their will to the will of God.

2_SAMUEL_11.1_DAVID,_BATHSHEEBA,_&_URIAH.mp3 (2300 KB)

2 SAMUEL 11 “DAVID, BATHSHEEBA, & URIAH: IN the SPRINGTIME DAVID remained in JERUSALEM while his ARMY COMMANDER JOAB was DEFEATING AMMON; ONE EVENING, DAVID WAS on the ROOF & saw a BEAUTIFUL WOMAN by the NAME of BATHSHEBA BATHING & DAVID SUMMONED her to the PALACE & LAID with her & she BECAME PREGNANT; Then DAVID SUMMONED URIAH, the HUSBAND of BATHSEBA, to the PALACE, & eventually after they had INTERACTED, ORDERED JOAB to PUT URIAH on the FRONT LINES & RETREAT from him SO HE WILL BE KILLED by the ENEMY; & SO IT WAS, & BATHSHEBA was INFORMED THAT HER HUSBAND had been KILLED; & SO BATHSHEBA became DAVID’s WIFE; but GOD was VERY DISPLEASED with DAVID” recorded for your spiritual enrichment by vanderKOK

11:1 David, Bathsheba, and Uriah
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.
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?” 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. 5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”
6 Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 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. 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.”
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.” 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.
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.’”
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.”
26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. 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.
NKJV

From 2 Samuel 11:26-27 – When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she made lamentation for him. When the 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.

When you read earlier about the joy in David in bringing the ark to Jerusalem and David’s interest in building God his own house, the story of David, Bathsheba and her husband Uriah, can slap you in the face. Yet, we are imperfect beings who are loved by God despite ourselves.

Prayer:

From Psalm 51:9-10 – Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. AMEN.

When I lived in Hawaii, I was driving past a crew clearing heavy weeds from the side of the road.  One of the men was using a Weed Eater.  I could hear it, buzzing away.  Suddenly, there was a loud THWAK! on the windshield just in front of my face.  I jumped in my seat, but kept driving.  Clearly, one of the workers kicked up a small rock and it struck my truck.

As I went along, I thought I could see a little chip or crack in the windshield.  It turned out there was a crack, maybe less than one-eighth of an inch long.  “That’s not too bad,” I said to myself.

Well, it wasn’t too bad, but a week or two later, the crack looked suspiciously larger.  It didn’t seem to be a problem, but it was definitely bigger than before, so I kept my eye on it.  Sure enough, within another few days, the crack was starting to spread.  Before long, it had spread all the way across my windshield.  I tried to ignore it.  My windshield seemed solid, and didn’t look like it would collapse on my.  I did nothing but cross my fingers.

Eventually, it was time for me to renew my automobile registration.  In Hawaii, a mechanic must inspect your car for safety before you can renew your registration.  He looks at the lights, the turn signals, the tires, the brakes and a few other things.  The very first thing my mechanic said to me was, “You can’t pass inspection with your windshield cracked like that.”  I guess I couldn’t ignore the crack in my windshield any longer.

It cost me two or three hundred dollars to fix the windshield, and to a pastor on minimum salary living in a place with an enormously high cost of living, that hurt.  I called the county to file a claim for the damage.  I had a slim hope that I could get reimbursed, but they rejected the claim outright.  The responsibility for the windshield was all mine.  It had started as just a tiny crack, barely visible, but ended up costing me quite a bit of time and money as well as a few gray hairs.

Things that start small, that seem insignificant at the start, can quickly get out of control.  Just ask King David.

One fine spring, the time of the year that kings go off to war, David sent his army off to fight.  David was a brave and successful warrior, but this time he decided to sit it out.  He had earned a rest by clobbering his enemies and capturing the city of Jerusalem.  As David took his vacation, his men off at war, he spied a beautiful woman on a nearby rooftop.  She was taking a bath.  David was a red-blooded man who already had several wives, and he thought to himself, “That woman looks very good to me.”

He sent his servants off to find out who she was.  It turned out the woman was named Bathsheba, but she was already married to Uriah, one of David’s soldiers.  Yet this didn’t seem to bother David one bit.  The text gives us no indication that David even hesitated, never once thought “is this a good idea?”  So he sent messengers to get Bathsheba.  You can do that sort of thing when you are king.

When the king asks you to do something, he isn’t really asking.  Bathsheba knew enough to come to David’s palace as ordered, where the king had sex with her.  For David, it was as simple as that.  He sent her back on her way and probably assumed that would be the end of it unless he decided to “invite” her over again.

That was a relatively small beginning.  It started with the king shirking his duties.  He was expected to lead his armies into battle.  In fact, that’s why the people asked God for a king in the first place.  And then, as far as the king was concerned, it was only a slightly more serious matter to sleep with the married Bathsheba while her husband was away at war.  For a king, no big deal.  The crack was getting wider.

But then, Bathsheba sent a message to David: “I am pregnant.”  Those words have been life changing—sometimes in devastating ways—for people throughout human history.  “I am pregnant.”  This was not good news for David.  Perhaps for the first time, he had to think about what he had done…and what he was going to do next.

David devised a simple plan: call Uriah back from the front under the pretext of sharing information about the war.  Then, send Uriah back to his house for the night where he will surely sleep with his wife.  David and Bathsheba could both pretend that the child belonged to Uriah.  Easy, right?

In one of the most terribly ironic moments in the story, Uriah is too faithful for his own good.  “As long as the ark of the covenant—the sign of God’s presence with our people—and as long as my commander and my brothers in arms are living in tents far from home, I will never go in to my own house and my own bed and my own wife.  I would never think of doing such a dishonorable thing.”  And David, who by all rights should have also been living in a tent in the army camp, said nothing, but kept Uriah in Jerusalem one more day while he considered Plan B.

The next day, David gave a feast for Uriah and made him drunk.  David hoped that maybe the soldier would forget his vow and go down to his house to sleep with Bathsheba.  But instead, Uriah slept on a couch in David’s palace, and did not go home.

The day after that, David had to make sure that Uriah would never go home again.  He wrote a letter to his general, Joab.  “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die.”  Joab was a man even more ruthless than David, and he understood perfectly.  He did his job, and Uriah perished because he was more honorable than his king.

It all got away from David so quickly.  He was spending his time idle in Jerusalem, taking a few moments of secret pleasure with another man’s wife, but in an instant, everything turned.  There was a pregnancy, a failed cover up, and finally murder.  The little crack had spread all the way across the windshield, and there was no going back.

*     *     *     *     *

You and I understand temptation.  We know what it is to want something so badly that our desire overrides our judgment.  We understand the urge to cover up our sin and failure, to protect our reputations.  These are not native characteristics only of kings and politicians, but they are part of our basic, common human nature.  The Apostle Paul recognized that our faith in Jesus Christ, the power that God gives us to live our lives and share the Gospel, is contained within “earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7, RSV).  That is, we are fragile in body and spirit.  The treasure God puts into us is powerful and enduring, but the nature of the vessel is weak and sinful.

Perhaps the good news of this story—and really, there seems to be little good news in David’s treachery—is that even though God understands that we are liable to such error, God continues to entrust us with so much.  God uses human beings to share love and wisdom and grace even though we have such a terrible track record.  That speaks of God’s great love for us, that God values us despite our failure.

And so if God is willing to use us, we can honor that trust.  David fell apart; he trampled on that trust and destroyed human lives in order to satisfy his selfish desires.  In that respect, we are not much different than David.  We will fall.  It is inevitable.  Yet that doesn’t have to mean that we give up trying.  God has not given up on us, and so we do not have to give up, either.

As we read the story, we can see there were several points along the way where David could have put a stop to the ever-widening chaos that he had set in motion.  If David had been somewhat mindful of his behavior, he might have put a stop to it.  But unfortunately, David was not prepared to do that.  It would have required humility and, possibly, a great blow to his reputation and power.  He was not ready to take his medicine, to take the consequences that he—and he alone—had earned.  And so, to protect himself, David destroyed the lives of others.

David had the opportunity to prevent the crack from spreading all the way across the windshield.  In our lives we will have that chance, too.  In my life, I have done a few really stupid, terrible things that I could have prevented…if only I had not let my pride get in the way…if only I had let myself act with an ounce of humility…if only I had accepted the consequences sooner rather than later.  If I had done that, then others would have not suffered as deeply as they did.

It is a pretty simple concept: handle the crack when it is small, and you won’t have to buy a new windshield.  Unfortunately, it is all too easy to imagine that if I do nothing, maybe I can avoid the effort.  But no, avoidance only leads to greater consequences—for you and for the innocent.  If David had been willing to act with humility and to face up to his sin, Uriah might have come home to live a full life with his wife.  But like us, David is merely an earthen vessel.  He ignored the crack, and it broke him apart.

Let us have more wisdom.  Let us do a better job of honoring God’s confidence in us.

King David, once a paragon of virtue, honor and courage in comparison to Saul, turned out to be a selfish, cunning murderer.  We shouldn’t be surprised, of course.  The prophet Samuel once warned us that all kings use their power to take from their people—livestock, fruit of the field, and even sons and daughters (1 Samuel 8:10-22).  David went a step beyond, taking a man’s wife and then his life.

The Lectionary had so far ignored the more ruthless aspects of David’s behavior, so his actions in chapter 11 are a surprise.  On the other hand, David had accumulated all the powers of a king, so his corruption could not be far behind.  That seems to be the way of human nature.

There is no good news in this text.  There is only selfish taking and lying and conspiracy and murder.  How can a preacher share good news when the scripture itself contains no promise of redemption?

11:1 Other kings might have been leading their troops into battle, but David stayed home.  How is it that he was already succumbing to the lure of privilege?  It is possible to preach on the tendency we all have to let power go to our heads—even leaders chosen by God?  A complete sermon, though, should be more than just a warning.  Is this a sermon about giving grace and forgiveness to those who have fallen?  Could it encourage us to cultivate lives of humility?

2-5 It is in our human nature to desire things.  Sometimes that desire overwhelms our good sense.  Fortunately, none of us share the David’s ability to command others in order to get everything we desire.  How can we moderate our wants in healthy ways?  Maybe we can learn to live in such a way that our core values are reinforced.  That way, when temptation comes, we are better equipped to act with level heads.

6-13 This was David’s first plan to hide his sin.  Unfortunately for Uriah—the Hittite, the foreigner—he was more faithful than the king.  Uriah would not sleep with his wife while his brothers were in the field.  All along the way, David had opportunities to stop the increasingly devastating consequences of his sin.  That would have required him to admit his transgression and suffer the consequences.  He was not willing to do that, and so the impact of his sin was far greater.

14-25 David finally chose to write out Uriah’s death warrant, even forcing the hapless man to carry it himself.  The Lectionary does not include verses 16-25, but these emphasize the total disregard that David and Joab had for Uriah’s life.  Other innocent soldiers were also sacrificed to protect the reputation of the king.  In the end, David passed on this cold-hearted message to Joab: “Do not let this matter trouble you, for the sword devours now one and now another”  (2 Samuel 11:25).

This scripture appears in the Lectionary only weeks after South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford referred to David’s failures in explaining why he would not resign after his extramarital affair came to light.  Sanford said, “I think there is a remarkable capacity for forgiveness in the state” (www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/26/AR2009062602565.html).  In our text, however, forgiveness is still a long way off, and not without serious consequences for David and others.  My cynical (and judgmental) mind tells me that Sanford wants the forgiveness without the consequences.

The sad truth is that all those whom God calls will fail now and again.  We are all “clay jars” (2 Corinthians 4:7), even the great ones like David.  If, like David, we try to hide our sins away, the consequences will snowball and bury the guilty and innocent alike.

Uriah returns from battle at the request of David, but he refuses to stay at his home or see his wife because of his loyalty to his colleagues who are still on the battlefield. Do you have a Uriah in your life? Someone whom you know or believe to be loyal to you at a deep level? If so, give thanks for that person today. If not, pray that God will send such a person into your life.

Prayer:

Gracious God, you give us loyal friends and family on whom we can rely for honest advice and understanding and unwavering friendship. Thank you. AMEN.

From 2 Samuel 11:2-5 – It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David sent someone to inquire about the woman. It was reported, “This is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” So David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. Then she returned to her house. The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

This story isn’t unlike ones we hear in the papers today. Despite this chapter in David’s life, God continued to work through him to do amazing things. We approach God as flawed human beings, and amazingly, God uses us anyway.

Prayer:

Steadfast God, we can fail miserably at times. Thank you for continuing to use us and have faith in us despite ourselves. AMEN.

Temptation. Everybody tells you the first sign of trouble, you flee. Take yourself out of the situation because no matter how strong you are (or think you are), and no matter what the situation is like, the Prince of the World will inevitably be stronger. Our false sense of strength masks our vulnerability.

In 2 Sam 11, good King David, godly in heart, is now lord over all. Gone are the days when he is constantly on the run and living in caves with his men. Gone are the days when he is perpetually watching his back and strategizing his next move. Now, he lives in a palace and everybody loves him. So when trouble ensues, he sends Joab and the whole Israelite army. “But he remained in Jerusalem” (2 Sam 11:1).

From then on, it goes downhill. He takes a stroll on the roof top of his palace, sees this beautiful woman bathing, sends for her, sleeps with her and wham, bam, she sends him a one-liner, “I am pregnant” (2 Sam 11:5).

After that, we see good King David, godly in heart, in a different light. And frighteningly, we see our all-too-familiar selves as well.

David was a warrior king. He fought with God’s army. His strength is in His faith in the Lord Almighty. When he had conquered all, God blessed Him with His peace - a well-deserved reward for a man so close to God’s heart.

God has similarly given us His peace. The question is do we know when to “remain” and when to “go out there and fight”? Do we recognize when it is time to “flee” from temptation before it sinks its claws in? Could David have been able to flee at any given point of time even if he did not flee when he was first tempted to stay?

The story in 2 Sam 11 is not just about the temptation of lust and murder. It is a also a story of how it all starts with complacency nudging you towards a place only an idiot with brains in his pants would go.  But you know we have this precious thing that David did not. Precious because of the sacrificial love of one true God. It is called the Holy Spirit.

Yesterday we learned that Esau sold his future for a bowl of stew. His blindness to what was truly valuable caused him to lose his inheritance. There are other people who can teach us additional lessons about protecting our future.

David was chosen by God to lead the nation, and for many years, he pursued the Lord’s plan. However, his desire for Bathsheba led him to commit adultery and arrange for her husband to die. Because he chose to gratify his own wishes instead of following God’s ways, he fell into sin. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, David sincerely repented (2 Samuel 12:7, 13), but he and his family were deeply affected by his mistake.

Samson was another one who knew what the Lord required but disobeyed–like David, he gave up blessings for temporal pleasure. Losing sight of God’s purpose for him, Samson chose instead to please his untrustworthy companion, Delilah (Judges 16:15-17). As a result, he spend his last years in disgrace.

A final example is Judas Iscariot, who wanted Jesus to establish the kingdom of God immediately. Because he valued earthly matters above spiritual ones, he rejected Jesus’ teachings and tried to manipulate events to his own liking. He was convinced he knew what was right.

To avoid the kind of mistakes these men made, we need to be committed to setting aside our own desires in favor of God’s will. In other words, we must value the eternal over the temporal and be satisfied with what the Lord has planned.

Al and Peg Bundy, from the 1980′s FOX sitcom Married with Children were probably the most dysfunctional television family couple since Ralph and Alice Kramden of The Honeymooners.  They were awful at parenting, corrupt as people, horrible to their neighbors, and as selfish as they could be.  Al was a deadbeat husband, Peg was a deadbeat mom, and their kids were a great big mess.  Of all the famous television families, I cannot think of any that were more dysfunctional than the Bundy Family.

In fact, Married with Children was so offensive to my parents that it was banned from our household when I was growing up.  First, the entire sitcom was really raunchy.  Second, it portrayed traditional marriage as an awful thing.  Third, the children were seen as a hindrance to a happy life.  And fourth, it just didn’t fit with our family values.  So Married with Children was strictly forbidden in our home and if we were caught watching it, well, there would be hell to pay.

But then again, if you want a good example of what not do do in a marriage, you might want to check out the Bundys—kind of like the marriage of King David and his mistress Bathsheba.  Found in 2 Samuel 11-12, the story of David and Bathsheba is another one of those provocative, r-rated Bible stories.  It’s a story of marital infidelity and forbidden love.  And it’s one of those stories that you might want to check out if you want a good example of what not to do in marriage.

From the story we learn a number of mistakes and errors committed by David that led to his downfall: (1) he should have been working; (2) he shouldn’t have been looking; (3) he should have been listening to wise counsel; (4) he should have been confessing rather than covering; and (5) he shouldn’t have been surprised by God’s displeasure.  The marriage of David and Bathsheba is a good example of what not to do!

But what does God want us to do?  Or in other words, what is God’s vision for a healthy marriage?  I’m going to preach on four elements this Sunday:  (1) marriage is the union of one man and one woman for all time; (2) marriage is built for mutual encouragement; (3) marriage is built for mutual enjoyment; and (4) marriage is best when the couple is mutually submissive. 

And if you want to listen to this sermon you can check it out at www.crossroadsofjoliet.org/listen.html.  You can also listen to a song that corresponds with this sermon that Mick Murray, our Creative Arts Minister, wrote this week called “The Fall of David” at www.myspace.com/mickmurraymusic.