Today we shall continue with our series on Heroes of Faith. Last time we looked at the young David defeating Goliath. Today we will look at another account in his life - one where he is not so glorious.
Last week we looked at the outer giant. Today we will look at the inner conflict.
I said last time that we need to stop calling things Goliath’s when they are actually inner conflicts. In short - temptations. The things that distract us, delay us and can eventually destroy us. We will examine the anatomy of temptation.
2 Samuel 11:1-27 & 12: 1-31
David Stood With God But Now Stands Alone (11:1-2a)
-vulnerable place: David should have been at battle. He’s not. He is not fulfilling his calling or destiny. The vulnerability is that he has everything a young shepherd could have ever dreamt of. His guard have come down.
-lonely place: He is alone. When he should have been surrounded by his men, strategising, planning and being a king, he has separated himself from those around him.
Without the encouragement and friendship of those around him David begins to look for something to fill the vacuum.
-restless place: He got up from his bed. He cannot sleep. All of that energy is now making him restless. He’s bored.
David Saw What Wasn’t His (11:2b)
-Looking is not permitted!
Temptation always involves three areas: These are what the Bible calls “the lust of the flesh”, “the lust of the eyes” and “the pride of life” (1 John 2:16 (NKJV).
I hear men and women sometimes speak about how it’s OK to look but not to act on it, that fantasy effects no one.
The truth is all sin involves looking.
Looking is not permitted. Job knew this: Job 31:1: "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl. You’ll end up entertaining thoughts that are not wholesome.
With David it’s clearly lust of the flesh. It can be with other areas too: money, power, anything. Jesus was serious about this area too (Matthew 5:28)
-Lingering is lusting: David caught sight of Bathsheba bathing. This wasn't her taking a Radox bath. She was purifying herself from her menstrual cycle (Lev 15:25).
She was doing this in a bathing area for this purpose at a time when she would not be seen. David catches a glimpse of this from a high vantage point. Initially this an accident. If he’d moved on, respected her privacy, he could have put this to bed (excuse the pun).
That's the thing about all temptations: when we linger on a thought, a view, a thing that we want, we will end up falling.
This lingering was going to lead David down a path that would bring disaster to his life.
David Ignored the Warnings
2 Samuel 11:3: and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
She is known by this unknown someone. Commentators believe David knew who she was when he was reminded of her family.
She is the daughter of Eliam. Who? Well Eliam is known to David. David has some mighty men in his closest ranks. He has a team of three mighty men and then another group called “The Thirty.” Eliam is one of those thirty (2 Samuel 23:34). This guy is known to David. He is his friend. But friendship is not enough to dissuade him. Given Eliam’s status it is likely he's about the same age as David. So David is lusting after a girl young enough to be his daughter.
But there’s a more. This is the wife of Uriah the Hittite. He too is listed in the roll call of honour of David’s thirty mighty men (2 Samuel 23:39). Not only does David know the father, he is friends with the husband too.
His epitaph would end up following David forever.
These two facts should have screamed into David’s psyche, “She is out of bounds! I am a king but I have no rights to her.”
How often do I sit with people who are going on a destructive journey and stay to them, “This is out of bounds for you as a believer,” only to be told, “If God doesn't want me to do this He’ll close the door!”
Friends, some doors God does not open, but we open them anyway. There will always be a warning. It matter not how many “likes,” “shares,” or “hashtags,” your thing gets on social media when God has clearly said there's a red light here.
David Is Changed by His Sin
David begins to change the way he has led people. He begins to drag people into his lust. He becomes a king who sends for people to satisfy his desires.
- He send Joab to battle (v1)
- He sends a servant to enquire about Bathsheba (v3)
- He sends to Bathsheba (v4)
- He sends words to Joab (v6)
- He sends for Uriah (v6)
- He sends Uriah home (v8)
- He sends Uriah back (14)
- He sends instructions to have him killed in battle (14).
- He sends for Bathsheba to be his wife (27)
That's a lot of sending. A lot of effort. That’s what sin does. It sends you on a journeys, using time, emotional reserve, effort and energy.
With each sending there is a further lapse in David’s judgement, decision making, and rationality.
Sin is sending him spiralling out of control.
When you go with temptations you will end up affecting those around you. Others can see that there’s something wrong. Others can see you're not holding yourself together.
David Attempts to a Cover Up
It’s no longer about what’s good for the kingdom, but what is good to keep David on the throne, to save face.
-tries to trick Uriah into sleeping with her (11:8-9,13).
-conspires to kill Uriah (11:14-15).
-has to lie to Bathsheba (implied). The Bible says she mourned his death (11:26). It does not appear she ever knew who was truly responsible!
-He marries Bathsheba (11:27).
David had convinced himself it was okay. He had convinced himself he had made it right. He’s married her. The child born would be legitimate. Even an heir to the throne.
David Is Found Out
Nathan turned up the heat!
Nathan challenges David’s heart.
He challenges his motives.
He challenges his right to act without responsibility.
He challenges his perceived right to behave how he sees fit as king.
How often do we hear of Christians saying we are under Grace not the Law to justify their actions. Just because we are children of the King we do not have the right to live as we choose.
In fact the opposite is true: we need to live as those who are custodians of grace, not abusers of it.
Galatians 5:13: You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.
It is only when David is directly confronted he realises that he has sinned!
2 Samuel 12:13:2 Samuel: Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan replied, "The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
There is no justification in David’s actions. No excuses. No confessions of tiredness, or protestations about pressure. All of which may have been true. David’s remorse is genuine.
You see this is why the Bible says he’s a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22)
David Pays Consequences
Nathan comes a year after the act. The baby has been born. Mourning periods have been observed. David has married her. He thinks he has got away with it.
That’s the problem with temptation and sin; plant it in your life, however deep, but it will grow and break through the surface (Numbers 32:23).
David is shown grace and forgiveness!
So He still has his place before God. He though will have to love with the fallout of this for the rest of his life! See what Nathan says:
2 Samuel 12:13b: Nathan replied, "The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
Why did he reference death? Because under the Law David should have been sentenced to death for murder and for adultery (Ex 21:14; Lev 20:10).
Yet there are still consequences in the life of David because of this action.
Too often we think that because we are forgiven that there will be no consequences. Often there are. God is a God of justice. Whilst we enjoy forgiveness and a clean heart we know we will have to face the reality of changes in our life because of sin’s effects. This means there will be consequences.
David in response to Nathan’s parable suggests a four fold punishment plus death (2 Sam 12: 6). Nathan pronounces a three fold punishment after reminding David of all God’s blessings.
Nathan says the root of this all has been despising the word of the Lord (12:9). In other words if David had held the word of the Lord - God’s loving instructions - in high regard none of this would have occurred.
When Nathan has established the context of God’s blessings and then the true nature of David’s sin he is then able to pronounce the justice required. Some of this is hard for us to stomach, but in the context of the Law it’s understandable.
- Conflict will never leave your house! (9-10). This is because David has conspired to kill someone with the enemies sword. Three sons eventually die violent deaths.
- Civil war will erupt in t he family. Adulterous, lust and violence would affect his family. Absalom openly claims David’s wives (2 Sam 16: 20-21)
The third pronouncement comes after David repents (13)
3. Child of adultery will die (14). Why did God allow an innocent to die?
In one respect someone had to die because of the sin. Sin always, always brings death to our lives. Death of position, death of respect, death of trust.
There is also some grace here. This child go straight the presence of the Lord to be loved by Him.
There is also an element of protecting the child from the evil that will afflict his future:
Isaiah 57:1: The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.
We also need to understand that God will not bless and promote the fruit of sin in our lives either. He had a Solomon in mind for Israel.
God does redeem his relationship with Bathsheba. Once there was repentance and the fruit of sin had been dealt with, God blesses them with a son who’ll be king. In fact God sends the prophet back:
2 Samuel 12:24-25: Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him; [25] and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.
Jedidiah means: loved by the Lord.
It is there that David will begin to hope again too. Hope always follows repentance.
David Gets a Victory He Didn’t Earn or Deserve
2 Samuel 12:26-28: Meanwhile Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal citadel. [27] Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, "I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply. [28] Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named after me."
When you've done nothing to step up and be who you’re called to be God still finds a way to promote you and honour you when you walk in His ways.
Become known for repentance as much as the sin.
Wrapping This Up:
"Fear-based repentance makes us hate ourselves. Joy-based repentance makes us hate the sin." - Tim Keller
So may I lovingly ask you some questions taken from this account in David's life:
- What are you not doing that you should be doing? David should have been at war, not idle.
- What are you looking at that is out of bounds? David’s look became a linger.
- What will you be sacrificing if your sins carries on? David lost a lot.
- Are you willing to repent and regain your hope?
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