Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. d took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’” (2 Samuel 12:7-9, NIV 1984).
My Musings – The sad fact is, even Godly men and women are prone to sin. David, the “man after God’s own heart” was no exception. Like Adam and Eve, who should not have been hanging around the tree with the forbidden fruit, David was not where he should have been. For, “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…But David remained in Jerusalem.” (2 Samuel 11;1, NIV 1984).
One night, unable to sleep, “David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, ‘Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’ Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her.” (2 Samuel 11:2-3, NIV 1984). And she became pregnant. Problem number one – Bathsheba was not David’s wife. Problem number 2 – Bathsheba was Uriah’s wife. Uriah was with Joab and the rest of David’s army.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God. When David sinned, he tried to hide his sin. Problem number 3 – cover-up. Not unlike what we tend to do. Not easy to hide this one though. So, David recalled Uriah from the field, thinking he would sleep with Bathsheba while home and believe when the child was born that it was his. But Uriah was an honorable man. “My master Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open fields. How could I [Uriah] go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife?” (2 Samuel 11:11, NIV 1984).
His plan foiled, David sent Uriah back to the field and instructed Joab “put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.” (2 Samuel 11:15, NIV 1984). Problem number 4 – murder. ” When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.” (2 Samuel 11:17, NIV 1984). While David did not “pull the trigger” he was guilty of the crime.
“When Uriah’s wife [Bathsheba] heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.” (2 Samuel 11:25-27, NIV 1984).
Then God sent Nathan to confront David. In reply, “David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan replied, ‘The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.'” (2 Samuel 12:13, NIV 1984). One might think that God is going a bit soft on David, when you compare his “big” sin (adultery and murder) with Saul’s “big” sin (not completely destroying everything God sent him to destroy). But there is a “big” difference. Their response when confronted.
Saul’s Response – “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” (1 Samuel 15:20-21, NIV 1984). Excuses and rationalization.
David’s Response – “I have sinned against the Lord.” Confession and contrition.
My Advice – When you sin do not “claim to be without sin, [and so] deceive [yourself]…[But] if [you] confess [your] sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive [you of your] sins and purify [you] from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NIV 1984).
God would still deal with David. There was forgiveness, but sin has its consequences. But that’s a different story.
The Brew Is A Musing 