A BABY NEVER NAMED

Sin never stays the same size—it grows and grows and grows. Normally, growth is an indication of life, but in the case of sin, growth leads to death.

James 1:14–15 (KJV 1900)

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

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

Nowhere in Scripture is this principle more clearly seen than in the life of David. What started seemingly insignificant became a benchmark by which many evaluated the life of David—a man after God's own heart. Sin must never be underestimated. is no such thing as a "little sin" because there is no such thing as a "little God" to sin against.

2 Samuel 12:15–19 KJV 1900

And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

In the Old Testament, circumcision of baby boys took place on the eighth day after birth, and it was on that day that the parents would officially name their child. This baby born to David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 12 died on the seventh day, so he was never given a name.

David was a man after God's own heart; he was the sweet psalmist of Israel; he had killed the giant Goliath as a youth; and he was a great king. But like you and me, he had a sinful flesh. When we feed that flesh instead of the Spirit that lives within us, it will grow into a monster. It will hinder us, and if allowed, it will destroy us.

Galatians 5:16–17 KJV 1900

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

If a disastrous ending is to be avoided, we must be wise in the beginning. Once sin gets started in our life, it is a like a snowball that becomes larger and larger the longer Satan is allowed to push it forward. Whatever size the snowball of sin in your life has become, stop it now! The present size of your sin may be a sinful thought. Stop it before it grows.

Acts 8:22 KJV 1900

Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

As David lowered his nameless baby into a grave, he could only wish he had stopped the progression of sin long before.

Let's backtrack this sad episode in David's life to the beginning of the sin and see how sin grows in our own lives as well.

1. A Slight Disobedience

The Bible gives compelling indication as to where David's sin began.

2 Samuel 11:1 KJV 1900

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.

A. Idleness

At this point in David's reign as king, he had been victorious in battle twenty-one straight times. He was battle-tested and battle-victorious. Perhaps because of that success, he thought he deserved a little break. God warns against idleness.

Proverbs 15:19a (KJV 1900)

The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns:

Aqueduct Picture

Unamuno, the Spanish philosopher, tells about the Roman aqueduct at Segovia, in his native Spain. It was built in AD 109. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool fresh water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow.

Then came another generation who said, "This aqueduct is so great a Marvell that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries long labor."

They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated.

When you find yourself thinking that you deserve a spiritual break, beware!

In his choice to relax—to stay home from the battle—David's guard was down. Satan is always looking for the moment we let down our guard. The minute we think we are successful enough to coast in our spiritual life, we are in grave danger.

Proverbs 16:18 KJV 1900

Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall.

The old saying, "idleness is the devil's workshop" is no doubt true. When we are busily occupied with our families, our church, our work, etc., temptation is not as strong. But our leisure time often creates a vulnerability to our spiritual walk. God admonishes us to stay engaged.

1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV 1900

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

2. A Scorned Discernment

David had already written psalms of praise to the Lord. He had already played his harp to quiet the spiritual turmoil in King Saul. He had already killed a lion, a bear, and the giant Goliath. David knew God. He simply chose to ignore the discernment—the spiritually critical prudence (Cautious) —that God had taught him.

Proverbs 14:15b (KJV 1900)

But the prudent man looketh well to his going.

Proverbs 27:12 KJV 1900

A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; But the simple pass on, and are punished.

A. A Look

2 Samuel 11:2 KJV 1900

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.

Is Satan can get us to “look” he is on his way to defeating us. We see this often in Scripture, right from the very beginning. Unchecked, looking in the wrong place leads to sin, which leads to death.

Notice the visual component to temptation in these verses:

Genesis 3:6a (KJV 1900)

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes...”

Joshua 7:21 KJV 1900

When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

Judges 14:1 KJV 1900

And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

1 John 2:16 KJV 1900

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

B. A Lust

A Look can and often does turn into a lust. The Moment David saw her, he should have immediately turned away and ran.

Job 31:1 KJV 1900

I made a covenant with mine eyes; Why then should I think upon a maid?

Psalm 119:37 KJV 1900

Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; And quicken thou me in thy way.

Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines vanity as "Emptiness; want of substance to satisfy desire... Empty pleasure; vain pursuit; idle show; unsubstantial enjoyment."

We may be thinking looking at this story from this angle, “How Dear David do this. Doesn’t he know what he’s doing.” We may even think, “Well, I would never...” How does vanity relate to what David saw? How does it relate to temptations today? What about digital temptations? Our temptation today raise in the same way as it did with David. We are not where we should be, and we choose to satisfy empty pleasure!

2 Samuel 11:3 KJV 1900

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?

C. A License

When we don’t stop the temptation in our thoughts, we become emboldened to sin. It traps us in it’s hold and we give ourselves to it.

2 Samuel 11:4 KJV 1900

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.

This whole process could have been stopped in David’s thoughts, but when sinful thoughts are not cast down, they lead to sinful actions!

Thoughts > Attitude > Actions > Lifestyle

2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV 1900

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Because God described David as “a Man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22), we can be assured that throughout this process of a look, a lust, and a license, God was speaking to and convicting his heart that what he was doing was wrong. But David scorned that discernment the Holy Spirit was trying to give him. Scorned mean to reject or refuse something because you are too proud to receive it.

A park ranger at Yellowstone National Park was leading a group of hikers to a fire lookout. The ranger was so intent on telling the hikers about the flowers and animals that he considered the messages on his two-way radio distracting, so he switched it off. As the group neared the tower, the ranger was met by a nearly breathless lookout, who asked why he hadn't responded to the messages on his radio. A grizzly bear had been seen stalking the group, and the authorities were trying to warn them of the danger.

Any time we tune out the Holy Spirit or ignore the warnings of the Bible we put ourselves and those around us in danger. 2

Are you turning a deaf ear to the Holy Spirit's still small voice in your heart? Our conscience is one of the best gifts God has given us, and we are wise to take care to respond to it and keep it sensitive.

3. A Shameful Discovery

David's private sin ended in personal pain and public shame.

2 Samuel 11:5 KJV 1900

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

A. The Choices

Unlike anything else in God's creation, only man has been given the opportunity to choose. This is because God wants our decision to love Him to be our choice, not the result of a pre-programed, robotic love. But, along with the opportunity

to make right choices, we also have the opportunity to make sinful choices.

Deuteronomy 30:19 KJV 1900

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

B. The Consequences

While the choices are ours, the consequences are not.

David chose to commit adultery. He did not choose for a baby to be conceived and eventually die because of that choice. We can choose to work for the devil, but no matter what he promises us upfront, it is God alone who decides what it costs us.

Romans 6:23a (KJV 1900)

For the wages of sin is death;

4. A Shadowed Deceit

Man's first course of action when he sins has always been to try to cover it up.

Genesis 3:7 KJV 1900

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

The only way to truly cover our sin is to confess it.

Proverbs 28:13 KJV 1900

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

David devised an elaborate scheme to hide his sin. (Tell how David sends to Uriah to try and cover his sins by having him go be with his wife). Covered in the text in the 6-13.

David's plan came to failure, as Uriah, under a forced drunkenness, had more discernment than a sober King David!

David's next plan was even more treacherous than his first.

2 Samuel 11:14–15 KJV 1900

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

David knew that Uriah had so much character, he would carry his own death sentence to Joab. Did Uriah know what was in the letter? Did he at least suspect something wasn't right considering the previous two days? Maybe, maybe not; but Uriah was a man of integrity, and that kind of character cannot be overlooked in this sad account.

This time David's plan accomplished what he had set out to do.

2 Samuel 11:16–17 KJV 1900

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

In the attempt to cover his first sin it led to more and even greater sin that costs a mans life. In the attempt to hide his own shame David became a murder. The blood of Uriah is certainly on the hands of King David who orchestrated this murder.

Proverbs 6:16–17 KJV 1900

These six things doth the Lord hate: Yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,

We often make the same mistakes when we attempt to hide from our problems. I have seen good godly men in their attempt to run or hide from their own sin do some unthinkable things. If you think that you could never do what David did, you better be careful because you can easily fall as he did.

But David scheming to cover his sin continued, as he supposes that by marrying Bathsheba, no one will suspect that this baby was conceived prior to matrimony.

Sin has a way of blinding us to facts.

How foolish of David to think that no one would ever figure this out. It was a matter of simple math! It takes nine months to have a baby from conception to birth. Follow the timeline here. The baby is conceived on day one, but Bathsheba did not know she was pregnant immediately. They didn't have a Walgreens where a pregnancy test could be bought the next morning. It was at least a month before Bathsheba told David she was with child. Then Uriah is fetched home from battle. That required a messenger to go to the battlefield and bring him home. He stayed, as we saw earlier, two days and then returned. So, at least another week has passed. then at the next battle (how long before the next skirmish took place we do not know, but it probably wasn't the same day that Uriah returned to Joab) Uriah is killed. His body is shipped back and a period of mourning takes place. In the Old Testament, that period of mourning lasted thirty days. We are close to three months since conception at a minimum. Did David think he was the only one in the kingdom who knew simple math?

5. A Statement Delivered

God knew more than the math - He knew the whole Story

2 Samuel 11:27c (KJV 1900)

But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

Its easier to see the problems and sins of other than it is to see them in ourselves. As we come almost full circle back to the text where we started in 2 Samuel 12. Nathan the prophet sent from God. Told David a story of a man who was rich and had many sheep and herds but sold the only little baby lamb a poor man had. David became angry at the story and said the rich man should die fro such a crime.

David certainly saw the sin of this rich man. It's always easier to see sin in others before we recognize it in our own life.

Matthew 7:3–5 KJV 1900

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines mote as "a small particle; any thing proverbially small; a spot," and beam as "the largest, or a principal piece in a building, that lies across the walls, and serves to support the principal rafters."

It's so easy for us to concentrate on the little errors in other people's lives while ignoring glaring sin in our own.

But the next words that came out of Nathan's mouth pierced David's heart.

2 Samuel 12:7 (KJV 1900)

And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

It is hard to ignore the piercing voice of God's Word to our heart.

Hebrews 4:12 KJV 1900

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

6. A Sudden Death

Again, we see that David didn't have a choice of what consequences his sin would lead to.

2 Samuel 12:14 KJV 1900

Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

There is always a consequence for sin. God does forgive, and we should be very thankful for that fact. But His forgiveness does not always remove the consequences of our sin. At some point, the seeds we have sown produce a harvest. That is a law of the soil, and it is just as surely a law of the soul.

Galatians 6:7–8 (KJV 1900)

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Conclusion

Since this baby was only seven days old, he had not yet been circumcised, and as was their custom, he had not yet been named. This baby died nameless.

One has to wonder how David and Bathsheba identified the grave of this little one. What did they place on the marker or tombstone? No doubt every time David walked past that gravestone without a name, he was reminded of his sin.

Thankfully, David knew he would see that little boy again for God protects those who never have the chance to come to an understanding of salvation.

2 Samuel 12:23b (KJV 1900)

I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

Are you allowing sin to grow in your life today? The early stages may seem harmless, but remember, sin never stays the same size! Don't wait until harvest comes to recognize you have sown the wrong seeds.

There is a progression to sin that leads to horrible results. When the Holy Spirit uses God's Word to convict the Christian of sin, it should be dealt with immediately. Every day that sin is allowed to work, it is earning wages that lead to spiritual death.

God is a forgiving God. He delights in mercy and forgiveness.

Micah 7:18 KJV 1900

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, And passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, Because he delighteth in mercy.

God made sure to tell us that He’s not just merciful - He delights in Mercy! It pleases Him to strengthen us to resist sin, and to show us mercy when we choose sin. With that knowledge, there is no good reason to allow sin to linger in our lives.

1 John 1:9 KJV 1900

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