What do you think of when you hear any mention of King David's sin? The name that almost always comes to mind first is… Bathsheba, right? I think that immediate association must have something to do with the inability of our culture or society to be at peace with the whole subject of sex. The fact is this; David's adultery with Bathsheba was only part of his sin at that time.
I am not wishing to minimize the powerful impact that the sin of adultery had on David and subsequent generations. What I want to do is maximize the other aspects of David's choices. I also want to highlight the fact that there was a process at work in that sad story that led to so much tragedy.
First of all, I believe that David's sin was threefold.
1. The Abuse of Power.
He was appointed and anointed by God Himself to be the next King of Israel after King Saul. As such David had enormous power and authority. We have all heard the saying - "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". We can see this truth unfold before us in this account.
In order to cover up his sin, David used his power to manipulate and control circumstances. King or not, that is an abuse of power. To a greater or lesser degree, all leaders who have been invested with authority by those they lead are vulnerable to abusing their power
2. The Adultery with Bathsheba
David used his position and authority to bring Bathsheba to his palace. How willing or otherwise Bathsheba may have been we have no way of knowing. Even if she was completely against being taken to the palace, she really had no choice. David was the King. The steps leading to this abuse of royal power we will consider shortly.
3. The Assassination of Uriah
Once David was told that Bathsheba was pregnant he began immediately to maneuver the circumstances so as to remove any suspicion as to who was the father of the baby. What began as a simple plan to get Uriah (Bathsheba's husband) to sleep with his wife and thus make it appear that he was the father ended with a malevolent scheme to orchestrate Uriah's murder. How did all this come about? Let's listen to the transcript of the unfolding events.
2 Sam 11:1 (NLT) The following spring, the time of year when kings go to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to destroy the Ammonites. In the process they laid siege to the city of Rabbah . But David stayed behind in Jerusalem .
Mistake No.1 - David chose to remove himself form the battle. Instead of leading his troops, David designated that responsibility to Joab and elected to stay at home for some R & R. I'm not suggesting that "time out" isn't necessary from time to time. But I am saying that we are never far from the real battle and the enemy of our souls never takes time out.
2 Sam 11:2-3 "Late one afternoon David got out of bed after taking a nap and went for a stroll on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was…"
Mistake No. 2 - It's one thing to inadvertently and unexpectedly be confronted with a sexually charged image; it's what we do then that really counts. We live in a culture that is visually overwhelmed - television, movies, advertising, iPhones, iPods.It's virtually impossible to go through a day without being confronted with some form of sexual imagery through the eye-gate. What did David do? What should he have done?
2 Sam 11:3-4 "…he was told, "She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite."Then David sent for her…."
Mistake No. 3 - Why did he do that? What did he have in mind? Had he already anticipated a sexual encounter? Maybe he just wanted to enjoy some female company - no strings attached? (Yeh, right!!) Even allowing for motivation of a higher kind, it was a huge mistake.
2 Sam 11:4 "….when she came to the palace, he slept with her. (She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period.)"
Mistake No. 4 - David knew as well as anyone that the 7th of the 10 Commandments made adultery 'off limits'. But, having made the first 3 mistakes, the next mistake was virtually irresistible. The consequences of this one night stand would also prove to be irresistible. The impact would flow on for generations. Forgiveness does not necessarily neutralize consequences.
2 Sam 11:6-8 So David sent word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and the army were getting along and how the war was progressing. Then he told Uriah, "Go on home and relax. David even sent a gift to Uriah after he had left the palace."
Mistake No. 5 - No, it's not over yet! Now begins David's attempt to cover-up his sin. The pregnancy has complicated the situation but all is not lost. All he has to do is to get Uriah to spend a night with his wife and let nature take its course. After all, what would any red-blooded soldier do if he had a 24 hour pass for some R & R with his wife before returning to the battle the next day?
2 Sam 11:8-11 But Uriah wouldn't go home. He stayed that night at the palace entrance with some of the king's other servants. When David heard what Uriah had done, he summoned him and asked, "What's the matter with you? Why didn't you go home last night after being away for so long?" Uriah replied, "The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and his officers are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I will never be guilty of acting like that."
Mistake No. 6 - The mistake here is that David assumed that Uriah would be as undisciplined in his behaviour as was David himself. But his plan was scuttled by the integrity and discipline of a foreign soldier serving in the Israelite army - remember, Uriah was a Hittite. And the loyalty and commitment of this warrior must have severely rebuked David, assuming that his conscience was not too seared and insensitive at this point. "…..to wine and dine and sleep with my wife…"
It's ironic, isn't it? What David had done with Bathsheba, Uriah refused to do. So David tried the same cover-up tactic on the second night but he was even more manipulative in that he invited Uriah to the palace for dinner and got him drunk. But for the second time Uriah refused to go to his home. David did everything….except confess his sin and seek forgiveness from his God, his soldier and Bathsheba.
2 Sam 11:14-15 So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. The letter instructed Joab, "Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed."
Mistake No. 7 - This command is nothing less than a conspiracy to commit murder under the guise of it being a war time casualty. David may not have drawn the bow that fired the arrow that ended Uriah's life but he was nonetheless guilty of murder. David continued to cover up his sin rather than confess it.
2 Sam 11:22-25 So the messenger went to Jerusalem and gave a complete report to David. "The enemy came out against us," he said. "And as we chased them back to the city gates, the archers on the wall shot arrows at us. Some of our men were killed, including Uriah the Hittite." "Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged," David said. "The sword kills one as well as another! Fight harder next time, and conquer the city!"
Mistake No. 8 - It sounds to me like David attributed Uriah's death to fate! "When your number is up, your number is up"."I guess that the arrow had his name on it". This rationalization on David's part gives us some insight into his inner life. Anyhow, his problem is solved. Uriah is no longer around to expose the whole sordid mess. Joab will keep his mouth shut. No one need ever know.
2 Sam 11:27 David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son.
Mistake No. 9 - It could be argued that, for a change, David is doing something noble here. He made provision for Uriah's widow and made her his wife. But his actions were still part of his cover-up. There was no confession of sin. In that sense, we are further confronted with yet another mistake.
2 Sam 11:27 But the LORD was very displeased with what David had done.
The final comment has a very ominous ring about it. David may have thought the whole episode was over. But he was sadly mistaken. The God who appointed and anointed him as King would soon initiate a confrontation with David via the prophet Nathan.
