2nd Samuel chapter 11. This is the chapter where David commits adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband killed in battle so that no one would know of his sin.
We are always going to be in tempting situations.
There are always warning signs before we choose to sin or not.
- David stayed home from war so that he was by himself. Therefore he had no accountability. He should have done something in order to help keep him accountable.
- David was walking on his roof and saw a naked woman. Why didn't he just immediately turn away? Once again, he was alone. When we are in situations where no accountability exist, it's like we don't fight temptations like we normally would. We entertain temptations more. Not to run from temptation as soon as it comes is to entertain it. Our intent, deep down inside, may not be to sin, but once we entertain it, it gets harder to say no and turn away.
- Once David's sinned, he felt he had to hide it. The last thing we want is for people who look up to us and who have considered in their hearts that we are good role models, the last thing we want is for people to see our sinful or ugly side. So we end up trying to hide our sin in hopes that nobody will know. Our exposed sin is embarrassing and humiliating.
- Sometimes, we can successfully hide our sin and sometimes we can't. Regardless, God always knows. We can never hide sin from God. So we are smart to keep accountability and smart turn to God for forgiveness. We need to be willing to go through the consequences of our sin. God will help us through it.
Recap:
- I need good accountability.
- I need to learn to say no quickly to temptations.
- I need to learn to run away from sin.
- I need to learn from my mistakes so that I don't do them again and again.
We read in the very first verse that David wasn’t in the place where he should have been at that time. He was supposed to have gone out to battle, but he decided to stay home instead. I think that it’s a warning sign to us anytime that we find ourselves in a place that we aren’t supposed to be. I remember back to my teenage years when I would go out with my friends, but there were times when I would find myself in dangerous places in situations that I didn’t want to be in with them. Sometimes my friends at that time would be drinking alcohol and although I wanted to fit in with them, I chose not to drink. I remember one of those times when an illegal drug was also offered and I refused, but I could have easily made a big mistake that might have led to more trouble. I’m thankful for how God protected me. My friends may have thought that I was a goodie-two-shoe, but they did respect my decision to not participate with them. I remember being asked how and why I was “always good” for not using tobacco or drinking or cursing and I gave them some lame reason, but in some ways I think that I was actually being “good for nothing” at that moment because I failed to verbally share with them the real reason and that was Jesus. It was an opportunity that God had given to me and I missed it.
Temptation came to David when he saw Bathsheba bathing. Instead of looking away, he liked what he saw. He wanted more. David had plenty of women, but Bathsheba was married to another man! That means that she should have been off-limits for David. He knew that she was married, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing her and having sex with her. This wasn’t his first sin and it wouldn’t be his last either. There are so many times that one sin will lead to another and another and just snowball out of control. When David learned that Bathsheba was pregnant, he reacted the way that we would probably expect. Cover up that sin! It was a great plan, but the only problem was that Uriah was such a good committed soldier that he chose not to sleep with his wife during his time away from the battlefield. David even tried getting him drunk, but it still didn’t happen. It was time for David to try Plan B which was really just more sin. Murder was about to be added to David’s list of sins that included adultery and deception. What a terrible and cruel misuse of power by David to eliminate one of his own dedicated soldiers! Uriah delivered the message that stated how he was going to die. It certainly didn’t seem fair that he was being treated this way. Uriah was like a pawn in David’s hands that he was conveniently having removed as a casualty in his game. Uriah didn’t have sex with his wife so he would know that her baby was not his own. David knew that he had to cover this up and he probably thought that the matter was all taken care of whenever Uriah was killed. David had married Abigail and she was a widow so he would just marry another widow, Bathsheba. David may have thought that his problem was solved with his sin all covered up, but he may have forgotten something very important. I find it interesting that nothing is mentioned about God at all in this chapter until the very last verse when we read that the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. No surprise there! Our sin, like David’s, may be enjoyable for a short time, but it separates us from God and if we try to cover it up, it really just causes more sin. David had a heart after God and did so many great things in his life, but what we read in this chapter showed how David was also a sinner like the rest of us.
Here are 3 things that I took away from this chapter.
1. May we go where God wants us to go and do what God wants us to do. Being idle isn’t healthy.
2. May we turn away from temptation right away. God always provides a way out.
3. May we be quick to confess our sin, rather than try to cover it up. God already knows everything about it anyway.
I was thinking about a couple of passages from 1 John today.
1 John 1:8-9
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 2:15-17
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life —is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
Excellent advice in your recap, Pastor Blair!
Sin is a slippery slope once started. We think we can control it but we can’t. It captures you and can ultimately destroy you. There are far reaching consequences for sin. Here’s just one of the possible consequences from David’s great sin … Bathsheba’s grandfather is Ahithophel, one of David’s counselors. Could this be the reason that Ahithophel later gives his allegiance to Absalom, David’s rebellious son? Only God knows.
Feelings are not a reliable guide for determining right or wrong. In the process of sinning and covering it up, David became callous to his own sin. Let us be quick to confess our own wrong actions before we forget they are sins.
Through all this, David goes down in history as a “great” because he has a heart for God. You can be sure that your sins will find you out (Numbers 32:23). God knows. Jesus said the one who is forgiven much loves much (Luke 7:47).
May God help us to truly learn the lessons we read about in His Word.