Lesson 8 - 2 Sam. 11:1-15 - THE WAGES OF SIN
INTRODUCTION: Two weeks ago, in 2 Sam. 9:1-13, we covered the story of Mephibosheth, the crippled son of Jonathan. In that lesson, we saw David do something that was unheard of for a king during his day: He asked if there were any survivors in the line of Saul so that he could "show them kindness for Jonathan's sake" (v. 1). When he learned that Jonathan had a severely crippled son, he had him brought to Jerusalem, where he not only restored all of his family's lands to him, but, in effect, adopted him into his own family as if he were his own flesh and blood, when he invited him to "eat at the king's table." By extending such grace to Mephibosheth, David foreshadowed what scholars call a Christ-type in this passage. As a Christ-type, David sought out Mephibosheth, a cripple who deserved nothing and was not seeking the king's favor. In fact, he was in hiding when the king found him. The foundational truth is that God's grace seeks us out where we are-He does not wait for us to come to Him. He may use other people, witnesses like Ziba in the text, to facilitate the process, but He does not wait around for us to come to Him. The second principle we learned was that grace brings us into the Lord's presence. Mephibosheth, being a helpless cripple, he had little choice but to go with king's messengers. Those who think they are spiritually adequate often rebel or resist, but in this instance Mephibosheth was helpless. But Mephibosheth came and what did he find? Judgment? No! He found the ABCs of grace-acceptance, blessings, and a close personal relationship with the king.
This week, in 2 Sam. 11:1-15, we'll cover one of most sordid accounts reported in the OT, when David sinned with Bath-Sheba, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite. Up to now in the story of David, almost everything he touched turned to gold. But from this point, David's sin would prove to be costly, not only for himself but for his entire family. Things would never be the same again.
2 Sam. 11:1 - DAVID SENT JOAB BUT STAYED IN JERUSALEM
1 Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they brought destruction on the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.
v. 1a: "Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle," - Milder weather in the spring made military excursions much easier and also allowed the army to provision itself by foraging from ripening crops.
v. 1b: "that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they brought destruction on the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah." - David dispatched Joab, his senior military commander, to continue the battle against Ammon (see 2 Sam. 10:14).
v. 1c: "But David stayed in Jerusalem." - This was unusual for David. The conjunction "But" seems to infer that he is staying at home when he should have been out front, leading his soldiers in battle.
Read 2 Sam. 11:2-5 - HE SAW A WOMAN BATHING
2 Now at evening time David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 3 So David sent servants 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 had her brought, and when she came to him, he slept with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 5 But the woman conceived; so she sent word and informed David, and said, "I am pregnant."
v. 2a: "Now at evening time David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house," - Most Israelite houses had flat roofs, and in warm weather, people would up on roof in the cooler air and would sometimes sleep there on a bed or palette. David's palace house was most likely a lot taller than the surrounding houses, giving him a more commanding view of the city.
v. 2b: "and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance." -The houses were typically built around open courtyards that offered privacy in most cases, and it was not unusual to bathe behind the courtyard wall. But because of the elevated position of David's roof, he could see over into the courtyard where this beautiful woman was bathing. She would have been completely unaware that David was violating her privacy.
v. 3a: "So David sent servants and inquired about the woman." - We already know that David was a man with a strong sex drive: I mean, he had eight wives, 10-11 concubines, and fathered 20 children that we know about, and possibly more from the concubines. And at this time, he was still young enough to be stirred-up by the sight of this naked woman.
v. 3b: "And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" - Both "Eliam" and "Uriah" are listed among David's '30 Mighty Men' (1 Sam. 23:34-39). The "Hittites" were a people of the Ancient Near East from the area of modern Turkey. They were the people who first discovered how to smelt iron and fashion it into swords and spearheads. We don't know the details of how Uriah had come to Israel, but the text suggests that his family were immigrant proselytes who became devout worshipers of the Lord God (YHWH). The name "Bathsheba" translates to "daughter of the oath' in Hebrew.
v. 4a: "Then David sent messengers and had her brought," - Unable to overcome this temptation, David sent messengers to fetch the woman to him. When summoned by the king, the woman would have little choice but to obey his order. David's authority, even when abused, was absolute.
v. 4b: and when she came to him, he slept with her;" - Most scholars agree that at no point was Bath-Sheba, the daughter of Eliam, a willing accomplice in this matter. She would have had little choice but to follow the king orders. Kings in those days had to power to get whatever they wanted. At this point, both David and Bathsheba (even if unwillingly) became guilty of the sin of adultery, a crime under Torah Law punishable as death by stoning (Ex. 20:14; Lev. 18:20; Deut. 5:18).
v. 4c: "and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house." How do I say this nicely? The term "purified from...uncleanness" meant that she was at the end of her monthly period and would have been fertile.
v. 5: "But the woman conceived; so she sent word and informed David, and said, "I am pregnant." - These are the only words of Bathsheba in the text. Since she sent David "word" by messengers, it would only be a matter of time before others would know about Bathsheba's pregnancy; and since Uriah was miles away on a distant battlefield, people would know the child could not be his.
Read 2 Sam. 11:6-9 - SEND ME URIAH THE HITTITE
6 Then David sent word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent Uriah to David." 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked about Joab's well-being and that of the people, and the condition of the war. 8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." So Uriah left the king's house, and a gift from the king was sent after 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.
v. 6: "Then David sent word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent Uriah to David." -Here David begins his cover-up. David is an accomplished military leader; he knows how to access a problem and come up with solution. He will simply bring Uriah back to Jerusalem so that he can sleep with Bathsheba. Once he's does that, he'll naturally assume he's the father of the child-a neat solution to the problem.
v. 7: "When Uriah came to him, David asked about Joab's well-being and that of the people, and the condition of the war." - To any observer, this would explain the reason why Uriah was called home. When Uriah arrives, David simply asks him to explain the current military assessment of the campaign against Ammon. A seemingly good reason.
v. 8: "Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." So Uriah left the king's house, and a gift from the king was sent after him." - Scholars say that since foot washing was typically something done before going to bed, this idiom implies that Uriah should go home and go to bed with his wife. The "gift" (mess in KJV) was probably a food basket for Uriah and Bathsheba to enjoy at his homecoming. We can only imagine Bathsheba's confusion when it arrived.
v. 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." - But instead of going home to his wife, Uriah remained at the soldier's quarters near the king's door. David's plan is already beginning to unravel.
Read 2 Sam. 11:10-12 - URIAH DID NOT GO DOWN TO HIS HOUSE
10 Now when they informed 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 staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and to sleep with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing." 12 Then David said to Uriah, "Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the day after. 13 Now David summoned Uriah, and he ate and drank in his presence, and he made Uriah drunk; and in the evening Uriah went out to lie on his bed with his lord's servants, and he still did not go down to his house.
v. 10: "Now when they informed 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?" - David is probably dumbfounded by Uriah's behavior, so he pointedly asks him why he hasn't gone home. Some commentators suppose that David's guards had told Uriah that his wife had visited the king, but there's no proof of this. Others say that the Providence of God led Uriah to do this so that David's sin would be uncovered. These are only suppositions.
v. 11: "And Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and to sleep with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing." - The "ark" was either in a tent in Jerusalem or in a tent near the military campaign, we don't know. The plain sense of this verse is that Uriah would not allow himself to enjoy the comforts and pleasures of his home while his fellow soldiers, who were denied these comforts, were on the battlefield fighting for their very lives. Uriah, unlike David, is man of principle-a soldier's soldier.
v. 12: "Then David said to Uriah, 'Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go back.' So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the day after." - David doesn't give up easily. That's one of strengths. He keeps Uriah in Jerusalem with the hope that he'll break down and go to Bathsheba.
v. 13: "Now David summoned Uriah, and he ate and drank in his presence, and he made Uriah drunk; and in the evening Uriah went out to lie on his bed with his lord's servants, and he still did not go down to his house." - A frustrated David now resorts to manipulation: He thinks that if he can get Uriah drunk, he will forget his soldierly scruples and go home to Bathsheba. But it turns out that Uriah is a man who maintains his integrity even when he's drunk: So, Uriah doesn't go home but remains with the king's servants. So much for Plan A-David will have to think of something else.
Read 2 Sam. 11:14-15 - STATION URIAH SO THAT HE MAY BE KILLED
14 So in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 He had written in the letter the following: "Station Uriah on the front line of the fiercest battle and pull back from him, so that he may be struck and killed."
v. 14: "So in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah." Here, David has made Uriah the messenger of his own doom. And he's sure that Uriah, a man of great integrity, will not break the seal and read the message.
v. 15: "He had written in the letter the following: "Station Uriah on the front line of the fiercest battle and pull back from him, so that he may be struck and killed." - This is the lowest of the low: David now involves his trusted general Joab in the scheme to get Uriah killed.
POSTSCRIPT: David's instructions didn't reflect clear thinking: If Joab had withdrawn the soldiers to leave Uriah dangerously exposed, his fellow soldiers would have suspected that Uriah had been intentionally set up. Verse 17 reports that instead, Joab sent Uriah into the hottest part of the battle where "some of the people among David's servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died."
APPLICATION - THE TEMPTATION TO SIN
1. Success can make you vulnerable to sin. When you haven't made it to the top, you're struggling and you're on guard. But when you've made it, you're inclined to let your guard down. You start believing in yourself, rather than distrusting yourself and trusting in the Lord. Satan is waiting to hit you when you lower your guard.
2. A lack of accountability can lead to sin. David was a powerful man. Who was there to confront David? Joab, the commander of the army, stood up to him on occasion, but he wasn't a godly man. Nathan the prophet later had the risky job of confronting David, but obviously it wasn't an easy task. None of David's servants dared to challenge his behavior when he sent for Bathsheba, although they knew what was happening.
3. There is a difference between temptation and sin. It's normal for a man to see an attractive woman who is seductively dressed or naked and be tempted to desire her sexually. Such desire stems from the fall, but it is not sin to recognize the temptation and turn from it. If David had immediately said, "Lord, my thoughts are not pleasing to You. I ask You to cleanse me," he would not have sinned and the matter would have ended there.
4. The solution to lust is not to fight but to flee. If you don't flee from it, you will fall. If you linger, you will lust. The Bible never says that you should stand and fight sexual passion. It never says to stay and pray about it. David would not have fallen if he had turned away and not taken a second look. Neither will you. But you must commit yourself to obey God in advance, because once you are aroused, your reasoning powers are greatly reduced.
5. Lust gives to sin-"He sent, he took, he lay" (11:4). David had already sinned in his heart. But now, two are involved. Bathsheba sinned too-she should have resisted or screamed. And because the sin moved from thought to deed, David is in deeper, all the way to sending an innocent man to his death-a trail of sins that ultimately resulted in murder.
