2 Samuel 11-12 | God Judges

Sin. When you hear this word, what emotions stir within you? Sin. Sinful. Sinners.

Discomfort? Dismissal? Denial? Today, let's confront this uncomfortable topic head-on.

Like it or not we live in a secular culture. If you’re here this morning with us, perhaps we’re swimming up stream in this culture, but we’re in it nevertheless. And as such, that current, it’s always pushing against us; against our minds, against our behaviors. The downstream current of our culture is constantly pulling us away from God and His Word. It’s slow and it’s subtle, but as soon as any of us stop swimming, as soon as we begin to “coast in our faith” and give up the fight for our faith, we don’t stay where we were do we? Nope, the current pulls us down and along the stream of culture into deeper doubts, into cyncism, faithless questioning and mistrust and eventually defiance and rebellion against our God and His ways.

That fact is we are all being discipled every day. The concern and aim is to make sure that God and His word is the one doing the discipling. And if we’re not vigilant, if we don’t take care to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus or at the very least if we don’t stay close to Him and His people, the world is the one who will be doing the discipleship of our hearts and minds.

Which brings us back to my original question. How do you feel about the word sin?

Sin in our culture is not a word anyone likes to talk much about. Right. How dare you tell me what I feel or desire or how I want to identity is sinful!

If you’ve ever had a conversation with a disciple of the world, that’s someone who doesn’t love or live for Jesus, if you’ve ever had a conversation with an unbeliever and the word sin comes up, perhaps you’ve seen an eye roll or 2, a scoff? Right that word sin. The label sinner is thought to be backwater and old school in a not cool and vintage way!

Right, I was out shopping with Rachel the other day and apparently bell-bottom jeans and wide leg jeans are coming back… vintage is in. I personally beg to differ. Sorry ladies, vintage is still out in in my book. Wide leg jeans should stay in the early 90s and bell-bottoms should stay in the 70s.

Some vintage is in, but sin, at least in our cultures understanding, sin is old school in a very uncool way!

Don’t be such a holier-then-thou, hoity-toity, uptight Christian! You need to vibe with tolerance and love, not judgment and hate!

And before I harp too much on the outsiders and disciples of the world, I gotta be honest the Church hasn’t always done a good job talking about sin. There are some groups that wear the name of Christian who haven’t always looked very Christ-like and who have used the word sin to shame and condemn in hateful ways. Right the turn or burn, hellfire and brimstone groups that seem to relish condemning people more than extending the grace and love of our Savior and the joy He offers by setting us free from the shackles of and slavery to sin.

And so this morning, here’s what I want to do with you. I want to invite you to set aside whatever feelings or thoughts you have about sin and I want to dissect with you a scandal of king-sized sinful proportions this morning. Imagine you’re back in 9th grade biology with me. Remember having to dissect a frog or a cat? Well we’re going to dissect one of the most notorious sins recorded in the Scriptures and as we do here’s what we’re going to see:

1. Sin starts small and seemingly innocent (but will always take you farther than you ever intended to go)

2. Sin pays it’s wages in death

3. God judges sin severely

4. and lastly Grace is a gift given in and through Jesus Christ!

Alright, you with me? So here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna read most of 2 Samuel 11 and 12 with an eye to dissect sin and it’s path and trajectory in the life of King David.(Open Your Bibles) We won’t read all of the passage for the sake of time. I’ll summarize some of it and because of that, I’ll invite you all the more to have your Bibles open so that you can double check what I’m saying and compare it to what God has in His word! I’ll invite you all to keep me honest to the Word!

Alright picking up in 2 Samuel 11 we read in verse 1

2 Samuel 11:1 (NIV)

1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

Alright lets stop right there and examine what’s going on and what the author of 2 Samuel wants us to see.

At the times when Kings go off to war, what is David the King doing? David remains in Jerusalem.

Now at face value you may be thinking what’s the big deal with that. Kings rule from a throne not a battlefield! Right Generals give the commands from behind a desk they don’t go out in to the field themselves!

Not so fast. The author is telling us, at the time when Kings go off to war. You don’t have to have a degree in ancient near eastern culture to understand this passage! The Author is telling us right here, this is the way things were. In the spring, when the roads opened up and the crops were growing, kings lead their armies into battle. They may not have been on the front lines, but they were there with their men!

But David, when most kings lead their troops to the killing fields, where was he? Well He remained in Jerusalem and the only thing he’s killing is time!

Look back at the text. When David’s men are out fighting his battles what’s he doing? He taking naps on his day bed and pacing around on his roof!

2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace.

Before we move any more, lets continue to dissect what’s going. Remember we’re talking about a sin of King-sized proportions. And what we’ve read to this far doesn’t seem like it meets that level right, but here’s what I want you to see.

Sin always starts like this Church! Subtle, small and seemingly innocent. Easily shrugged off, easily justified and dismissed as not a big deal! Sin is a slow fade into death, that always starts small and always takes you farther than you ever intended to go.

So what’s the sin here in this passage up to this point?

There is one and the fact that I’m calling what David is doing here sin, might already be sitting a little uncomfortably with you at the moment, that’s the world talking to you friend.

David is committing sin here and it starts with something the Bible doesn’t call a sin out right but does warn us countless times against as being incredibly dangerous. I’m talking about idleness!

From both the Old and New Testaments, the Bible consistently warns us of being idle.

Consider with me

Proverbs 6:6–11 (NIV)

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 11 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

And also 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

2 Thessalonians 3:10–12 (NIV)

10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” 11 We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.

and 1 Timothy 5:13

1 Timothy 5:13 (NIV)

13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to.

Jesus, Himself, tells us a parable about money and handwork in Matthew 25:14-30, known as the parable of the talents, and in it He illustrates the importance God places on being diligent and using the resources and opportunities God gives us well and the servant who is idle with his talent is condemned for his inactivity and waste!

Idleness is not a good thing. It’s dangerous.

And if idleness itself is not overtly sinful what it leads to often is. Right, I’m not saying taking a nap is sinful here. The napping, resting is not sinful. In fact God commands us to rest. That’s no the problem, the problem lies in the neglecting of ones’ responsibilities whether in work, family, spiritual matters, or in this case with David his Kingly duties. It’s neglect of his responsibilities that is sinful! When kings lead their soldiers to war, where is David, living in his moms basement taking naps, playing video games and taking laps on his treadmill to get in his exercise! He’s not fulfilling his responsibilities or his God appointed position. He’s shirking his responsibilities in the name of leisure, laziness and entitlement!

We don’t get to know what’s going through his mind or how he’s justifying this, but it doesn’t take a doctorate in psychology to make an educated guess.

By this time in his kingdom, I’m sure he’s lead lots of battles, trained countless men. He’s probably established a very capable team around himself. It’s not hard to imagine him justifying things. I’ve trained my team. I’ve done this warrior thing long enough, I’ve put in my time, now it’s time to pass the baton!

What’s so wrong with that? Listen up bosses and business owners, leaders of people here in this room. Leaders serve. If you’re a Christian and follower of Jesus and a leader, then God has you where you are in your position to be the chief among servants! And until God removes you from that position, your responsibility is to serve your people! Don’t not shirk your responsibilities thinking certain tasks are below you! Delegation is not a sin and wise leaders do delegate to others, but that’s not what David is doing here. He’s filled with pride, which our culture likes to call entitlement. He’s worked hard and so he deserves a break! Let the men and his generals go do the work, and here’s the key, the work that is rightly his to do!

Do you see how subtle this is. How nuanced this is. I imagine there would be a scenario where David staying behind would be justified as King, but not in this one. This decision is not rooted in service towards his men, his position as King or the nation as a whole, this decision is rooted in pride and selfishness. He deserves a break and so by golly he’s going to take one!

And as Paul warns, the selfish sin of entitlement that leads to idleness, laziness, and the neglect of one’s responsibilities places David in a very precarious situation!

Pauls says as much doesn’t he. Get busy doing God’s work and focus on your responsibilities in your family, Church and workplace or you might become busybodies!

Church remember at the beginning when I said we’re all swimming in the stream of culture! This is why idelness and spiritual slothfulness is such a dangerous and subtle sin! It’s easily justified. I deserve a break. I’ve been working hard. So we get lazy and stop swimming and guess what… the current of culture it don’t stop! So when we do, if we’re not careful we can quickly get swept away into deeper and darker sin!

Idleness and spiritual sloth create opportunities for greater sin.

Or as our first point tells us, Sin starts out small and innocent but always takes us farther than we ever intended to go.

Look at where David heads next.

He’s in his mom basement, I mean on his roof doing laps and taking naps and he notices a beautiful woman taking a bath. Noticing a beautiful woman, that’s not the sin Church, but his glimpse turns into a gaze and that’s when things turn sour and sinful.

And David, begins to set into motion a plan to get what his eyes have feasted on and fantasized about. (You can read this in vv. 3-5)

Who is that woman he inquires? Send for her.

Church, when your boss calls you into his office you don’t refuse unless you’re prepared for the consequences which could be severe. Well when a King calls for you, that’s a whole other level. We’re not told whether Bathsheba came willingly or not, my guess is not. Even if you want to, you don’t tell the King no.

David uses his power and authority, which the Lord gave Him, not to serve the people but he chooses to use his God-given power and authority to serve himself and he rapes Bathsheba.

Now, do you think David, whom we’ve seen to be a relatively Godly man, do you think he woke up that morning and thought, today I’m going to rape someone. I honestly don’t believe that he did.

He justified a relatively small sin and it’s spiraled to here. Started from the top, now he’s here… and I wish we could say we’ve hit the bottom, but Church sin will always take your farther than you ever intended to go and it’s wages, it pays in death every single time if you follow it to it’s end.

Bathsheba gets pregnant. The baby is Davids. David’s problems have gone from bad to worse. He can’t be found out. He knows what he did was wrong and if it came out, the shame brought on his family, to his name, would be catastrophic. So he ventures a cover up. (which you can read about in vv. 6-26)

He sends for Bathsheba’s husband and for 3 days tries to coax the man named Uriah home to be with his wife! He even gets Uriah drunk hoping that the alcohol will loosen Uriah’s self-control, which there’s a lesson of caution and warning in there for us Henry County folk. Getting drunk and drinking too much does not lead us into good and righteous places! Drunkenness is itself a sin that almost always leads to deeper and darker sin.

Somehow, however, Uriah’s character is so sterling, even Alcohol can’t get him to stoop to David’s level!

And there is a rebuke hidden in Uriah’s words. If you look a v. 11.

Uriah says, “How could I do such a thing?” What such a thing? He elaborates, “How could I take it easy, enjoy a warm bed, take laps and take naps when my men, my brothers, God’s ark of the covenant is out in the fields fighting for the nation! I will not do such a thing? How could I Uriah says.”

Yes indeed, David, how could anyone do such a thing?

Don’t miss, David was given an opportunity here to turn from this path of sin, but here’s the deal about sin Church it will always take you father than you ever intend to go and it has an enslaving effect on you as you journey it’s path! David has given himself so far over to his most basic animalistic urges he’s lost all sight of right and wrong and become a slave to his sin. The only thing he sees is himself and how can I get want he wants and is entitled to?

(vv. 14-24) David sees that Uriah will not be cajoled into sleeping with his wife so David devises a plan to have him murdered by the Ammonites’ sword. He tells Joab to send Uriah to the front lines close to the fortress. Joab does and not only is Uriah killed by this move but David sends many more Israelites to their death as if his men are worth no more to him than pawns on a chess board.

(v. 26-27) Uriah's wife, Bathsheba hears of her husbands death and then we’re told David takes her in to be his wife. Which is such a heinous move by David. Why, because to everyone outside of the story, this looks like a noble and just action by David. Right, people who didn’t know any better would be left to assume, isn’t our King so noble. Look at how he cares for pregnant widows! He takes them in to his own home. He protects them and cares for them with his own resources! If Uriah were still here he’d be so proud and honored by the King!

When the truth couldn’t be further from this. David’s preyed on this pour woman and spun the story into an act of virtue!

Does anyone else want to puke yet?

Now hold on to that feeling. Sit in it with me. Church, when our culture scoffs at sin, it’s because they don’t understand it. This Church is what sin does. This disgusting feeling of injustice and wrong and pain, this revulsion you’re feeling right now at David’s action, is a revulsion at sin! And this feeling you feel that someone must do something this is how God feels about sin Church and why when we talk about sin and we talk about the fact that God judges it, no one should scoff, but rather we should rejoice with praise!

Sin starts off innocent but will take your father than you ever intended to go and pays its wages in death and as such God judges it and those who commit it severely.

Look at the next part in the story.

(2 Samuel 12:1-5)

God sends one of His prophets to David, a man named Nathan and Nathan tells King David a story about a wealthy livestock owner and a poor man.

The wealthy man has, thousands of cattle and sheep, but the poor man only has one little lamb he saved up his money to buy and it’s become the family pet. It’s grown up with his kids, it sleeps in his bed, it even drinks from his cup! Some of you have pets like this. They are part of the family. This lamb was like a daughter to this poor man.

Well, the rich man, Nathan tells David, threw a party, had some guests over for dinner and rather than slaughtering one of his thousands of sheep or cattle for the barbecue, the rich man throws this poor mans pet on his grille and serves little lamby up for dinner!

Again, anyone else want to puke at the thought of what’s happening here? Think of someone stealing your family pet and cooking it up for dinner! This is disgusting. It’s a travesty!

And David agrees. He is enraged by the injustice of this story. Who would do such a thing! He must be punished. He must make restitution at least 4 times over what he has taken. Who is this guy? Who does he think he is?

And Nathan responds, “You. Are. That. Man.” (vv. 7-12) God has seen what you’ve done and judgement is coming to your house. The sword will not depart your house and one from your own family will take your wives and do with them what you did with Bathsheba, accept this shame will be out in the open before all Israel. What you did in secret will be brought out into the light, and the child that was born to Bathsheba will die.

And all that God promises and prophesies through Nathan over David comes to pass. The judgement is severe and it effects not just David but the whole nation. And that’s the thing about sins wages and God’s judgement, even if it was our mistake and failure, often times the consequences are felt throughout our families and communities and even from one generation to the another or more.

Which on one part seems fair and just, but on another part maybe doesn’t sit real well with us. We can understand David being judged and dealing with consequences but what of his family and the nation? Is it fair they have to live with the consequences of his sin too?

Now hang with me here, remember the feelings you felt as we watched David follow the downward spiral of sin. The rape, the cover up, the pretending to be virtuous when in fact he was predatory and murderous! Remember the poor man and his pet lamby and the rich man’s entitlement and injustice! Sit in those emotions and tell me God is unjust for judging sin and visiting the sins of the parents on the 3rd and 4th generation!

That’s what He says he will do Church. Listen to a section of the 10 commandments found in Exodus 20:5-6

Exodus 20:5b–6 (NIV)

…I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

To anyone who questions or would balk at God’s judgement, I’d simply invite you to imagine standing in front of Uriah and telling him to his face, David didn’t deserve what God gave to him, or what God gave to his family. Uriah didn’t get to have a family because of David, church!

But also hear this, sin does indeed deserve judgement and our God is a righteous judge who will doll it out swiftly and severely, but I cannot let anyone of you sit in this weight, because God does not let us sit here!

Hopefully you know where we’re going, by now! The wages of sin are death, yes and amen, but they don’t have to be, why? Because God gives the gift of grace. The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Listen folks. I know you’ve messed up. I know you will mess up. I know your lives are a mess. I’ve told you lots of my mess ups and failures over the years as well. Not a single person in here has a life that is without sin and there’s a part of us that should weep and mourn and fear for our lives and the lives of our children over it!

Hear me Church, sin is not to be celebrated. Hear me Napoleon, sin is not to be celebrated. Hear the Lord God Almight America, sin and pride are not to be celebrated! Sin is meant to be mourned and grieved and turned away from. Why? Because it brings death. Always and forever, it brings death, but hear the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ as well.

Jesus defeated death! Jesus paid the wage! Jesus, even though He was the only one righteous and good person and without sin, he paid the price for all our sins! And Sin could not and did not enslave him and the grave and death could not hold Him! 3 Days Latter Jesus rose friend! He rose and He conquered what you and I never could!

And for no other reason than motivated by His ridiculous love Jesus promises to wipe away all our sin and the judgement it deserves if we would love him and live for Him!

Even though David lived under a heavy judgement and the earthly consequences of his sin were server. You should go read about his family and the aftermath of David's sin. It’s terrible.

And I want you to know this, just because you come to Jesus does not mean you will escape the earthly consequences and divine discipline and judgement in this life, but because God is a generous and good and gracious God, He does not give David what he truly deserves, instead he makes a promise to establish David’s thrown forever through His son Jesus Christ!

David’s King-sized sin shows us 2 things Church, can you see it? The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ!

The next time you hear the word sin. Don’t roll your eyes or scoff like our culture does. Remember David. Remember Sin starts out innocent and will always take you farther than you ever intended to go. Remember sin pays in death every time. Remember sin deserves to be judged and God will judge it serverly, but also remember grace, that in Jesus there is a gift available to all who would turn from it! If the rainbow represents anything, it’s this! That in Christ Jesus we find a refuge from the sin that so easily entangles and enslaves us all!

Live in Christ friends. Love Him and live free! Don’t continue sinning or celebrate it, rather grieve it and give thanks to the God who chooses to give us grace through faith in His son!

Pray.