2 Samual 11-12 [Crime, Cover-Up & Consequences]

I received this request earlier in the week as we were preparing for Chase County Christmas…

For those of you who are placing Christmas lights / decorations in your garden, can you please avoid anything that has Red or Blue flashing lights together? Every time I come around the corner, I think it's the police and I have a panic attack. I have to brake hard, toss my muscle relaxers out the window, hide the pain pills, fasten my seat belt, throw my phone on the floor, turn my radio down, and push the gun under the seat, all while trying to drive. It's just too much drama, even for Christmas. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Today’s preachers are frequently accused of being afraid to mention sin in fear of offending donors and losing attendees. I’m truly not aiming to be sensational, nor unnecessarily harsh. And my motivation is the same as the prophet Nathan. I don’t aim to shame you, but I do want your relationship with God to be better than it is. If sin is serious enough to prompt the God of eternal glory to take on human flesh, be born in an animal pen and die on a cruel cross, it is important enough for me to bring up the subject today.

My friend who made the request about Christmas lights is under the misconception that his choices don’t become sin until he gets caught. David committed his collection of sins and yours may or may not be the same, but each of your sins and each of my sins require confrontation and confession.

This morning you are unlikely to hear any new information, but my hope is that the examination of your own life is as fresh as the daybreak that happened just a few hours ago.

Transition: As the Holy Spirit’s spotlight is directed at David’s sin, my prayer is that each of us would allow the surgeons light to expose the tumors that need to be removed from each of us.

A Contemptible Crime is Exposed (2 Samuel 11:1-13)

Explanation

When David had no business being at home, he sees a woman who is married to another, and he takes her as his own.

When she discovers she is pregnant she sends notice to the King, while keeping her husband in the dark to the whole event.

In attempt to avoid scandal David arranges for a deployed soldier to come home for a conjugal visit. But Uriah has more integrity than David. Uriah is driven by his honor to not take for himself any privilege being denied to his comrades in arms.

The 1995 Mel Gibson film Braveheart opens with a scene that portrays the barbarity of the ruling class in a practice known in Latin as prima nocta or first night?. It was a custom that can be traced to the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh in which neither a bride nor her husband can question the demand of the king.

4. There is no record of this practice EVER being observed by the Hebrews, however, the last 30 years have seen a reinterpreting of Bathsheba, not as a participant with any sense of culpability, but as a victim of the unquestionable misuse of authority.

5. I do not deny for a moment that David is sinning both against God, against Uriah, and against Bathsheba in asking that she to be brought to him. There is no way to excuse David’s behavior!!

6. However, I believe it is also wrong to interpret this story in light of a modern ethic that makes a woman’s consent an absolute arbiter of fault.

7. I don’t mean to cast shade by mentioning that she was on her roof in the late afternoon within eyeshot of the palace (11:3). We simply do not know if it was by intent or if it was mere coincidence that the water was carried to a basin on her roof without doors, drapes or shutters.

8. If Covid-19 taught us nothing else, at least we learned that resistance to a mandate may be very costly, but resistance/compliance is never an easy decision.

9. To those who claim she had no choice but to comply, I respectfully point to Joseph who said, “How can I sin against my God by doing this thing?” even though it meant sure imprisonment. I think of Daniel and his 3 friends who were willing to die rather than obey the King’s edict. Esther found a way to defy the King even if my have meant her own death.

10. This story is not primarily about Bathsheba’s behaviors, it appears here in God’s Word to highlight a shortcoming in David’s character. Bathsheba’s name only appears 2x in these 2 chapters: once before the sin and once after the child dies. The child is not named, She is referred to simply as her, the wife or the mother. David’s appears 41x

Application

You may be thinking, “You’re not a woman, so you have no right to say what a woman should have done. You don’t know the pressures we face.”

You’re right, I am not a woman and the closest I have ever come to identifying as a woman was in a Max Klinger-inspired Halloween Costume that I may or may not have worn.

I also have never been tempted like Joseph, Daniel or Esther. I’m not saying what anybody should have done, I’m simply saying, “before we excuse ANY behavior, it is helpful to recall those who have made tough choices even at great personal price because holiness was important to them.”

Transition: Everything following verse 5 is initiated by David without consulting Bathsheba or any of his other wives. These next verses are squarely on David’s shoulders.

A Creative Cover-Up is Engaged (2 Samuel 11:14-27)

Explanation

David reveals his plan, its execution, and his intent in 11:15.

This is so heinous that at appears Joab does not comply fully. David instructed that reinforcements are to draw back, exposing Uriah to sure death. V. 17 reveals that Uriah was put out front, but there is no record of anyone else pulling back.

This surely places all fault for Uriah’s death squarely in David’s responsibility just as if he threw the spear, swung the sword or drew the bow.

David has guilty blood on his hands here unlike the blood of war that he experienced with Goliath.

I know many of you have born weapons in warfare and law enforcement. The acts of declared war and the pre-meditation and intent shown here are a whole different category of death.

Application (Lev 20:10)

Why would David go to such extremes to attempt to cover this up? Leviticus tends not to be a favorite book in Scripture memory plans, so let me remind you what it says in those chapters just after you gave up the “Read through the Bible in a year” attempts.

Leviticus 20:10 ESV:2016

10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

2. I acknowledge that adultery implies consent by both participants and there is a power dynamic involved in this encounter. But if both deserve death in adultery, then if one sees this as rape it heaps even more guilt on David, hence the extreme steps he is willing to risk.

3. The chapter ends with David treating Bathsheba and their son honorably, if honor is even possible after David’s conspiracy.

4. The final 10 words of the chapter sum up the whole plot.

Transition: Just as David breathes a sigh of relief, thinking he may have gotten by with something, The Lord sends Nathan to the Palace.

A Clever Confrontation Emerges (2 Samuel 12:1-12)

· Even when we begin to imagine that we got away with something, we are reminded of:

Numbers 32:23 ESV:2016

23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.

The Lord has a memory better than an elephant. Just when David is beginning to think that the Uriah fiasco is in the rearview mirror, the Lord reminds him that sin canNOT be glossed over.

When David is riding high in his ability to carry out a cover-up, the one who sees all comes back for an encore.

Nathan tells an elaborate parable so that David doesn’t see his complicity, but he writhes in anger over the injustice. Sometimes we can’t only think about or recall our sin in our minds, we need to feel it deep in the soul in order to prompt sincere confession.

Nathan’s analogy of the contempt one man had for another emphasizes the integrity gap between David and Uriah.

Once Nathan gets David’s attention (v.7a), Nathan assumes the position of the Lord (First person singular) to confront not only what David did to Uriah, but what David did toward his Lord.

(v.11) begins the prophecy of consequences to come. David didn’t need to worry about Uriah’s brothers (if he had any). The Lord Himself is going to discipline by “raising up” conflict and sexual sin.

I realize it is a tough idea to wrap our minds around. Yes, we know that God allows things to happen that we consider bad. But Exodus 9 predicts God to cause the hail in Egypt and this verse clearly indicates that the Lord is raising up evil.

There are 90-110 occurrences of the word “cause” in the English Bible depending upon your translation. If you don’t have an exhaustive concordance, I challenge you to get one from the library or use a Bible app on your phone or computer and search for this word, then place the references in columns such as God causes “good”, God causes “bad”, humans pursue a cause, etc.

8. Allow the word to shape your beliefs about God rather than your beliefs to shape your view of God.

Transition: Nathan’s confrontation has the desired result as we see in the following verses

Confession & Consequences Ensue (2 Samuel 12:13-25)

Explanation

David admits his sin, with no qualifications (v.13)

His son’s sickness (vv.14-15) does not make David bitter, it breaks him before the Lord (vv.16,19)

Nothing is over until it is over (v.22)

Even in the consequences of death, war and conflict that arises in the rest of the book, David realizes mercy.

a. God’s mercy that David was not killed (12:13b)

b. God’s mercy that Bathsheba bears another son (12:24)

c. God’s mercy that He gives a nickname to Solomon meaning “Beloved of YHWH”. In many ways this son will do more than David for the Lord.

Application

Broken Confession is always the right response when sin is exposed.

Proverbs 3:11 ESV:2016

11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,

Proverbs 12:1 ESV:2016

1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

Proverbs 15:31 ESV:2016

31 The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.

David blew it big time! But he responded seriously when confronted. This is what made him so different from Saul.

Transition: What will be your response when confronted by your sin?

Conclusion:

None of us are beyond the reach of temptation! You may not be tempted by the neighbor in her hot tub. You may not be tempted to hide your hurts from your spouse. You may not be tempted to arrange a pre-meditated killing. But I know you (and I) are tempted to flex your will and take what is not yours to take, because I know selfishness has been the root of sin ever since Eve thought she was being denied something she deserved.

Our Call to Worship was a reminder of God’s mercy, I intentionally placed the Lord’s Supper early in our service so that we would reflect on His grace to each of us. Whether you first learned the path of Salvation many decades ago, or today the scales are falling off your eyes for the first time, our very spiritual health requires us to preach the Gospel to ourselves repeatedly. Thanksgiving doesn’t have to end when the leftovers are finally discarded. The longer I follow Christ, the more I’m aware of my need for His mercy.

As we testify in Song of His great mercy, you are welcome to worship in your pew, to kneel at the altar, to prayerfully close your eyes, or to physically respond in praise.

Song of Response #.......... “His mercy is More”

Benediction: Num 6:24-26 - The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.