2 Samuel 11
-Up to this point, David had been a man of character and
honor in all his encounters. He had certainly not been perfect, but he had
sincerely followed the LORD. He had risen in power as the anointed ruler over
the kingdom of Israel and had been given the blessing as the inaugurator of the
eternal Kingdom, which would be fulfilled in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
However, in this chapter we see the frailties and faults that can occur when a
person becomes at ease with his situation. David’s struggles begin with lust,
intensify with adultery and deceit, and end up making him virtually a murderer.
-“Then it happened.” This is a prelude to the situation
after David had gained full confidence as a king. Times were good. “In the
spring, at the time when kings go out to
battle.” This denotes a shrinking back, a leisurely attitude, an aloofness,
a non-involvement, a delegating where perhaps more hands on action would have
suited him better. David instead sent his capable commander, Joab, with his
servants and all of Israel to destroy the sons of Ammon (see 2 Samuel 10 for
background) and besiege their wall-protected city of Rabbah. David stayed back,
content, in Jerusalem. “Now when evening
came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s
house.” This informs us, as the readers, that laziness had enveloped the king
of Israel. He was in a state of complacency and was probably lethargic, perhaps
very bored. That is when Satan snatched an opportunity through the eye gate (1
John 2:16). David, from his roof in this mountainous city, looked down and saw
a very beautiful woman bathing. She captivated his lustful heart, and soon he
was inquiring about her and sending for her. He found that she was married to
one of his faithful soldiers, Uriah the Hittite. He learned that her name was
Bathsheba. Soon after he sent his messengers and she was brought before him. He
committed adultery with her in sensuous passion. In the aftermath, she purified
herself from her uncleanness and returned to her house. It was not long before
she found that she had conceived a child in her womb, and David was told about
her pregnancy (2 Samuel 11:1-5). Whoops!
-The intrigue then picks up as David sent to Joab commanding
him to send Uriah the Hittite back to Jerusalem. When the warrior arrived, the
king asked him of the welfare of Joab, the people, and the state of the war
going on. Indeed, small talk to comfort the tension and guilt in his spirit.
David had devised a plan to try to get out of his sexual misconduct. He told Uriah
to go down to his house, and David sent out a present to him as he left. He was
hoping that Uriah would go and take pleasure in his wife while he had a
retreat. But, the faithful soldier was committed to his God, king, country, and
fellow warriors. He did not go down to his house for a vacation. Instead, he
slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord. When
it was told to David that he had done this thing, David upped the ante. He
strongly encouraged his soldier to go down to his house and receive rest from
his journey. This is where Uriah’s character shines through and puts David in
an even bigger predicament. Uriah’s response was this, “The ark and Israel and
Judah are staying in temporary shelters, 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? By your life and the life of your soul, I
will not do this thing.” David was scrambling now. He had him stay there
another day with the prospect of sending him back on the tomorrow. David called
him, and the Hittite ate and drank before the king to the point of getting
drunk by David’s design. But, he still would not go down to his house. He
insisted to lay down with the servant’s at the front of the king’s house for
the night. So, in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, sent by the hand of
Uriah. It was his death warrant basically. Uriah was to be placed in the front
line of the fiercest battle. When the fighting was intense, the fellow soldiers
were to withdraw from him, leaving him defenseless and vulnerable, so that he
would be struck down and killed. And, so it was as Joab kept watch of the city
that the commander obeyed the wishes of the king and put Uriah at the place
where he knew there were valiant men. As some of the sons of Ammon went out to
fight from the city against Joab, some of David’s servants fell including,
unfortunately and tragically, the honorable, Uriah (2 Samuel 11:6-17).
-As Joab sent and reported all the events of the war, he
told his messenger, “When you have finished telling all the events of the war
to the king, and if it happens that the king’s wrath rises and he says to you, ‘Why
did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot
from the wall? Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a
woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez?
Why did you go so near the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the
Hittitite is dead also.’” When the messenger delivered this report to the king,
David seemed very satisfied. He exclaimed, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Do not
let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another;
make your battle against the city stronger and overthrow it’; and so encourage
him (2 Samuel 11:18-25).”
-Soon, Bathsheba heard the news that her husband had been
killed in action. She mourned properly for her loved one, but when the time of
mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to his house to be his
wife. She bore him the illegitimate son, “but the thing that David had done was
evil in the sight of the LORD (2 Samuel 11:26-27).”
-*Application* Uriah the Hittite, not even an Israeli, had
more character than David even when he was drunk. This should be a lesson for
us in vigilance and pressing on in faith even when things seem at their peak (Philippians
3:12). Complacency is the devil’s playground, and we cannot afford to listen to
his schemes. Don’t let boredom overtake us. Set new goals, have new vision,
resist temptation and all of this world’s pleasures for the sake of God’s
Kingdom and our personal testimony (James 4:7). David would eventually repent
and find forgiveness. So can we when we mess things up with wrongful lusts and
decisions, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We must guard ourselves on the
front side to avoid Satan’s pitfalls. Learn these lessons from David’s
struggles. Even though David
thought initially that he had gotten away with this sin, God knew all about it,
and it was evil in His sight. We have to come clean with our God who knows and
see all of our thoughts and works. Let’s let His Holy Spirit convict us and
search us out to know any wicked way within. Then let’s turn into His
everlasting way (Psalm 139:23-24).
Verse to Memorize:
2 Samuel 11:2, 27
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