Sermon Tone Analysis

- It isn't the thing you do; It's the thing you leave undone,

Which gives you a bit of heartache, At the setting of the sun.

- The tender word forgotten, the letter you did not write,

The flower you might have sent, Are your haunting ghosts tonight.

- The stone you might have lifted, Out of a brother's way,

The bit of heart some counsel, you were harried too much to say.

- The loving touch of the hand, the gentle winsome tone,

That you had no time or tho't for, with troubles enough of your own.

- The little acts of kindness, so easily out of mind;

Those chances to be helpful, which everyone may find.

- No, it's not the things you do, it's the thing you leave undone

Which gives you the bit of heartache, at the setting of the sun.

What are the repercussions when we are not doing that which we know we should be doing?

What kind of consequences when we neglect our duty?

What about all of the things the Lord has called us to do for the kingdom.

Are we neglecting that?

Do you know what commonly happens when we do not do what we are supposed to do?

We end up doing what we are not supposed to do.

Ever experience this in life?

We know we should be out working out, but instead we are at home eating chocolate cake.

We know we should have gone to church for bible study, but instead we are watching shows on tv that we should not be watching.

We should have spent time in prayer, but instead we are on the phone flirting with your co-worker’s husband.

Today we will be looking at what is known as the sins of omission and commission.

What can we do?

We will find out.

For the past couple of chapters, we have beheld the picture that the author painted showing us the merciful heart of the Hesed king.

Our indescribably compassionate king.

Oh how he loved and helped Mephibosheth to honor the covenant made with Jonathan.

Oh how he loved and honored Hanun to honor the assumed covenant made with Nahash.

We saw the merciful heart of the king.

Now we will see the sinful heart of the son of Adam.

We witness another fall of man.

Why we need a better king.

It was springtime in the land of Israel, the time when kings go out to fight, and David sent for Joab.

He told Joab to take all of Israel out to fight the Ammonites who shamed and offended David by shaving off half the beards and cutting the robes of his ambassadors and partnering with the Syrians to fight against him.

So, Joab and the armies of Israel fought against the Ammonites and destroyed them and took the city of Rabbah.

But all the while the king of Israel remained in Jerusalem.

But one day, after king David took a nap, he looked out over the city and saw a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath.

He sent for someone to find out who she was.

It was told to him that it was Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife.

Well I need you to bring her to me and when they brought her to David, he slept with her.

She had just completed or was completing her purification rights.

Bathsheba went home and later sent word to David.

She told him, “I am pregnant.”

Is it not amazing how contexts give words different meanings?

The words I am pregnant can make an entire family rejoice and it can also make an entire family distress.

We see a shift in the story.

The author shows not the Hesed King, but the Kaw-mad king.

The kind king to the lust king.

From the ancestor of Christ to the descendant of Adam.

Showing why we need a better king.

2 Samuel 11:4-5

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

1.

The Setting

2. The Sin of Omission and Commission

3. Need a Better King

The first thing we will look at today is the setting of this whole event.

Getting the context helps us to understand what took place here.

The second thing we will explore is the sins of omission and commission and why understanding it matters to us today.

Finally, we will see the reason why we needed a better king.

The King of kings.

- Though sin and the deceptions of this world lead us to not doing what we are to do and doing what we are not to do, it is our Lord Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, who will bring both forgiveness and sanctification leading us to both repent and trust in the better king; our King of kings.

I.

The Setting

- It was the time for kings to go to war.

A. Springtime was the ideal time to go to the field of battle.

Spring was an ideal time.

The weather would have been better for the soldiers outside of shelter and the armies, men and horses, could eat the sprouting wheat, barley and fruit in the fields.

So for Israel it was wartime as they could easily sustain themselves for a long time as harvest came to the Ammonite fields.

B. Spring was an ideal time.

The weather would have been better for the soldiers outside of shelter and the armies, men and horses, could eat the sprouting wheat, barley and fruit in the fields.

So for Israel it was wartime as they could easily sustain themselves for a long time as harvest came to the Ammonite fields.

B. The armies of Israel were successful in their campaign.

The ammonites were defeated and the city of Rabbah was taken.

But the author makes it clear that David remained in Jerusalem.

Why is this significant?

There is irony.

C. Look, all the other passages concerning the victory that David had, in the recording of battles like this, all ended with “And the Lord gave David victory where ever he went.”

It just changed here to “David remained in Jerusalem.”

He is setting us up for something here whether we realized it or not.

When you were reading this, you might have already felt like something was wrong or different.

Maybe it’s just me…

D. The author is showing that David remained, while stating that it was a time for kings to go to war.

So why did David stay?

It does not really say specifically and many speculate and we are forced to fill in some gaps but not so sure it’s that unclear IMO.

It seems that David was at home (while he should have been fighting) playing peeping tom, while all of the fighting men of Israel were out their defending and protecting the people who used to be commanded by the king himself.

Essentially, the men are giving up their lives fighting for a king who is at home fornicating with their wives?

How could he do this to men who love him?

E. This should bring to mind something very important today.

Our armed forces are out their fighting and protecting our country and our people because they all believe that America and its people are worth the lives of our good men and women.

Are we still worth the lives of good men and women?

Are all our Uriah’s out there fighting for the US while our leaders and citizens are taking advantage of their loved ones at home?

Killing and stealing from each other?

Please pray that our leaders and citizens of this country will be reminded of this truth that David and all of us learned here today.

II.

Sin of Omission and Commission

- Not being or doing what God requires and doing what God forbids.

A. One of the first things we learn here about David’s sin.

David neglected his duty.

First thing, we see that he was not doing what he was supposed to be doing.