David Off Guard

David sends his army to attack the Ammonites, who one year prior humiliated a delegation David had sent to offer condolences for the loss of the king.

The son and newly anointed king shaved the beards and cut their clothes and sent them home.

David is circling back to square things up

David remains back while Joab and the army are at war.

David arises at night and is enticed by Bathsheba who is bathing,

David inquires of her.

2 Samuel 11:2–4 NKJV

2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.

THE POWER OF PASSION

Our passions can easily supersede our reason

David was fully informed as to who Bathsheba was.

Uriah was a top soldier for David

The Torah was also very clear at the consequences of adultery

Leviticus 20:10

Leviticus 20:10 NKJV

10 ‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.

Deuteronomy 22:22

Deuteronomy 22:22 NKJV

22 “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel.

David knew of the gravity of the sin, but was unable to tame his passions

The environment of sin

Sin frequently comes when we are not fulfilling our obligations/duties

St. Gregory to the Great

Old Testament IV: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1–2 Samuel The Failure of David

so soon as the burden of his obligations was not upon him, he broke out into festering conceit and showed himself as harsh and cruel in the murder of a man

Sin also comes when we are least expecting it.

The perversion of sin

When sin gets the best of us, it has a property of perversion

It perverts our logic and judgement…cloud over our thoughts

one bad decision leads to another

often ending in catastrophe

St. John Chrysostom

Old Testament IV: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1–2 Samuel The Affairs of Prudence

when the charioteer gets drunk, the chariot moves in an irregular, disorderly manner. What the charioteer is to the chariot, the soul is to the body. If the soul becomes darkened, the body rolls in mud. As long as the charioteer stands firm, the chariot drives smoothly. However, when he becomes exhausted and is unable to hold the reins firmly, you see this very chariot in terrible danger.

Four horseman of Sin

Deceit

2 Samuel 11:6-9

2 Samuel 11:6–9 NKJV

6 Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered. 8 And David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah departed from the king’s house, and a gift of food from the king followed him. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

Loss of loyalty (Betryal)

2 Samuel 11:10-11

2 Samuel 11:10–11 NKJV

10 So when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

David has lost sight of what is important. He is wrapped up in his sin to the point he can’t see God or the war. His problem has become the sole focus of everything.

Uriah serves as a comparison, he remains loyal to God, country and brethren

Conceit

Conceit is an over-inflated perception of oneself as compared to others.

David knew that for what had happened someone must die based on the Torah.

David decided that Uriah would have to die

2 Samuel 11:14-17

2 Samuel 11:14–17 NKJV

14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.” 16 So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

David hardly was considerate of Bathsheba for he gave her the minimal amount of time to grieve before taking her a marrying her, just so that the baby would be born in wedlock.

2 Samuel 11:26–27 NKJV

26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. 27 And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

Distortion

God has seen enough from David and sends Nathan the prophet

2 Samuel 12:1–9 NKJV

1 Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 6 And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.” 7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.

Nathan brings to light David’s actions through this story.

David could not bear the actions in this made up story, yet he was able to stomach the reality of his own life. That’s distortion from reality.

Chastisement is an essential part of correction.

2 Samuel 12:10–15 NKJV

10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ” 13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” 15 Then Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill.

Judgement and Mercy

With God judgement and mercy are always in play together

God will carry out judgement along with mercy.

The questions is what invokes mercy

David begins fasting and praying for the child

When the child dies he stops, cleans himself up, worships in the temple and breaks his fast.

His servants are confused because they expected the opposite

here is david’s response

2 Samuel 12:22

2 Samuel 12:22 NKJV

22 And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’