David & Bathsheba

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Series on David...

Wk #1 - Introduced to David tending sheep in pasture (humility, integrity, “man after God’s own heart”)

Wk #2 - David & Goliath

Wk #3 - Significance of Friendships (Gift from God; Cost us something; Sustain us through life)

This morning we fast forward several chapters, so let’s catch up;

The following chapters show the jealousy, anger, resentment, & hate Saul had for David

Saul attempted to kill David himself on more than one occasion; told his son Jonathan to kill David; sent other men to kill David; Saul pursued David at length to capture and end his life

While on the other hand, David had 2 opportunities to take Saul’s life and did not as an act of obedience towards God.

1 Samuel ends with the Philistines closing in on Saul & his army

Three of Saul’s sons are killed, including Jonathan. Saul is critically injured by an archer in battle. His armor bearer would not take his life, so he took his own life. And that’s how 1 Samuel ends.

2 Samuel begins with David hearing of Saul & Jonathan’s death. David was greatly saddened by the passing of both of them. Over a period of time David sought the Lord for direction and was led to Hebron. It was there that the people of Judah anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.

But unfortunately, the rest of Israel had made one of Saul’s sons king over them. His name was Ish-Bosheth. And I’d say the next several years were marked by death. David ultimately becomes king over all of Israel. They retake Jerusalem, bring the ark back home (crazy events), and defeat the Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, Ammonites, & Amalekites. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. Things were good!

And then we get to … This morning I’d ask that you follow along in your Bibles or on your electronic device. We will be working through all 27 verses in chapter 11, so let’s go!

(NLT)

1In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

Seems as though the text is telling us that there’s some place that David should be instead of staying behind back at the palace. Not sure if the battles were getting boring for David since they were destroying their enemy armies around them. Not sure if David had gotten bored with leading and being king, but he was certainly not very intentional, focused, purposeful. Seemed lethargic, lazy, lackadaisical - careless, halfhearted, indifferent.

Don’t put yourself in places you know you shouldn’t be

2Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath.

Question: Was David searching for what he saw? Was David an innocent bystander unassumingly thrust into an uncontrollable temptation?

How about you? Have you found yourself in a situation like this? Minding your own business - watching television, scrolling Netflix, scanning your Twitter, Facebook, or IG account and there it is - something you weren’t looking for, but it’s right before your eyes. And you have mili-seconds to decide what your next move is. You may not move at all, except in the imagination of your mind. And if we were painfully honest with ourselves this morning this happens far more than we care to admit.

Sometimes, or dare I say often times in the world in which we live, we are faced with a critical decision. Look away and change the focus, or continue to gaze & stare at what you’re exposed to. Unfortunately, we are exposed daily (hourly) to things that we may or may not be in search of.

You have a choice at this moment - look away and turn toward something else; take your mind off of the thing which you saw; begin thinking or doing something productive that keeps you from making a decision that you really shouldn’t make.

(2) Our options are to flee, run, turn from temptation - We can’t, don’t, won’t beat temptation in our own strength.

(NLT)

(NLT)

13And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.

Our options are to flee, run, turn from temptation - We can’t, don’t, won’t beat temptation in our own strength.

14Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.

15These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. Let’s see what David chooses...

Our options are to flee, run, turn from temptation - We can’t, don’t, won’t beat temptation in our own strength.

3He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”

He makes the next move by sending someone to inquire about her. He’s given the facts - this is her name, here’s the family she’s from, and if that isn’t enough - here’s the name of her husband.

And it’s at this moment in time we are taught a priceless lesson. We have control of our lives. We are responsible for where we allow our minds to go, for what we dwell on, for where our imaginations travel, for how our thoughts motivate us to action. And it’s in this split second; in this moment in time; this watershed moment - We discover from the life of David - the power of a choice. And the ripple effect that lasts a lifetime, that lasts generations.

4Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home.

We cannot read through these few sentences without fully understanding what had happened! How prideful must David have been to think that he could have and do whatever he wanted. Fulfilling his lustful desires and instant gratification were the only things on his mind. He didn’t think about the repercussions/consequences - and so it is how the Devil works - always focusing on the side of pleasure without any consideration for consequences.

He never tells the heavy drinker that tomorrow you’re going to have the worst hangover and feel like crap; He never tells the drug user that this one experience is going to lead you down a road of destruction and regret; He never tells the thief that when you get caught it’s going to lead to time behind bars and a record that will make it difficult in the future; and he certainly doesn’t warn the adulterer that pregnancy is a real possibility or that you could get a life-threatening disease. But that’s how the Devil works.

And so here is what’s vitally important for us all to know and hear this morning… (3) God forgives, but there are still consequences to our decisions

God forgives, but there are still consequences to our decisons

5Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.”

And then David gets the news which sends him into coverup-mode. This is quite often our first response to sin/messing up/doing wrong/making a mistake. But here’s what we need to grapple with, here’s what we need to understand, here’s what we need to accept...

Confession is the appropriate response to sin

6Then David sent word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to David.

7When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and the army were getting along and how the war was progressing.

8Then he told Uriah, “Go on home and relax.” David even sent a gift to Uriah after he had left the palace.

9But Uriah didn’t go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.

10When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him and asked, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after being away for so long?”

11Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.”

Okay… That didn’t work. Let’s go to plan B. David is in self-preservation-mode, wanting to do whatever he can to cover up his sin.

12“Well, stay here today,” David told him, “and tomorrow you may return to the army.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.

13Then David invited him to dinner and got him drunk. But even then he couldn’t get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.

Plan B doesn’t work - even intoxicated. Uriah continues to frustrate David and make him look bad. Let’s move to planC - whatever it takes to attempt to cover this mess up.

14So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver.

15The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.”

And this is how bad it’s gotten for David. He sends Uriah back to the battle lines with a note containing directions on how his life will be taken from him. And Uriah, once again is faithful to the king, even to the end of his life.

16So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting.

17And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers.

18Then Joab sent a battle report to David.

19He told his messenger, “Report all the news of the battle to the king.

20But he might get angry and ask, ‘Why did the troops go so close to the city? Didn’t they know there would be shooting from the walls?

21Wasn’t Abimelech son of Gideon killed at Thebez by a woman who threw a millstone down on him from the wall? Why would you get so close to the wall?’ Then tell him, ‘Uriah the Hittite was killed, too.’ ”

So Joab wasn’t a stupid guy. He had already had his suspicions of what was going on with David & Uriah. You don’t think Joab knew Uriah had a beautiful wife.

22So the messenger went to Jerusalem and gave a complete report to David.

23“The enemy came out against us in the open fields,” he said. “And as we chased them back to the city gate,

24the archers on the wall shot arrows at us. Some of the king’s men were killed, including Uriah the Hittite.”

25“Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged,” David said. “The sword devours this one today and that one tomorrow! Fight harder next time, and conquer the city!”

David must have breathed a great sigh of relief. How crazy is that? To be so entrenched in your own sin, and the cover up of that sin that you’re willing to go to the fullest extent.

26When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.

27When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the Lord was displeased with what David had done. Ultimately, after 7 days, the child died.

All of this broke the heart of God. Selfishness…Pride…Lust...Deceit…Murder…Disregard…Sin - break the heart of God!

Have an accurate view of the damage of sin

Offertory - Shawn

Visitation Team

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