Sermon Tone Analysis

*/2 Samuel 11/**/ (KJV)/*

11 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.

 2 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.

*/James 1:13–15/**/ (KJV)/*

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

3 And David sent and inquired after the woman.

And /one/ said, /Is/ not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

*Uriah the Hittite *was from one of the small groups of ethnic Hittites still remaining in Syria and Israel.

He is also listed as one of David’s 37 mighty men (23:39), which makes David’s infamy even more appalling.[1]

4 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.

5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I /am/ with child.

6 And David sent to Joab, /saying/, Send me Uriah the Hittite.

And Joab sent Uriah to David.

7 And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded /of him/ how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.

8 And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet.

And Uriah departed out of the king’s house, and there followed him a mess /of meat/ from the king.

9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

10 And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from /thy/ journey?

why /then/ didst thou not go down unto thine house?

11 And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife?

/as/ thou livest, and /as/ thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.

12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart.

So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.

13 And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.

14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent /it/ by the hand of Uriah.

15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men /were/.

17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell /some/ of the people of the servants of David; 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 thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king, 20 And if so be that the king’s wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight?

knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

21 Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth?

did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez?

why went ye nigh the wall?

then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

11:14-21*.*

In utter frustration *David wrote* a memo *to Joab* commanding that *Uriah,* when he returned to *the front line,* be abandoned to the enemy by an unexpected Israelite withdrawal.

Ironically *Uriah *was the bearer of his own tidings of doom.

This plan succeeded; *Uriah* was surrounded and slain.

Ordinarily *David* would have been upset by the news of casualties.

He would have wondered at Israel’s indiscretion in fighting under Rabbah’s *wall,* a blunder which had cost *Abimelech, son of* Gideon, his life long ago (Jud.

9:50-54).

So *Joab* instructed the courier who bore the news to inform the king specifically that *Uriah* also had died.

This he knew would mollify David’s anguish.[2]

*/Judges 9:50–54/**/ (KJV)/*

50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.

51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut /it/ to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.

52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.

54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him.

And his young man thrust him through, and he died.

22 So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for.

23 And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate.

24 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and /some/ of the king’s servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

25 Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.

26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.

27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son.

But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

11:22-27*.*

David’s response to the news was predictable.

He *told the messenger* to tell *Joab *that in circumstances such as war, life and death were matters of blind chance.

His instruction back to *Joab* was only that the siege of Rabbah be even more aggressive.

Bathsheba soon learned of her husband’s tragic death.

*After the *customary *time of mourning,* she moved into the king’s palace in time to bear their *son.

The Lord* was *displeased,* however, and set events in motion that would trouble *David* till his death.[3]

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[1] /Spirit filled life study Bible/.

1997 (electronic ed.) (2 Sa 11:3).

Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[2] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.

(1983-).

/The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures/ (2 Sa 11:14–21).

Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[3] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.

(1983-).

/The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures/ (2 Sa 11:22–27).

Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.