It’s one of the most familiar stories in Scripture. David’s moral failure. It is hard and sad and sobering. And merciful and encouraging all at the same time. How gracious of God to share this story so our hearts can learn and be warned and find hope.
The main things I want to focus on today are 1)the progression of sin and 2)David’s response
2 Samuel 11, 12. Over two years of significant events distilled into 58 verses. I’ll just pick out a handful to share.
The progression of sin.
2 Samuel 11:1 - 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 the destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.
The first thing to note is that David wasn’t where he should have been. He was supposed to be at the battle but instead he sent others in his place. He stayed at home.
verse 2 - Now when evening came 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 in appearance.
He saw. Not a passing glance or a inadvertent glimpse. He saw. He looked and lingered and lusted.
verse 3 - So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
Then he pursued. Intentionally, he stepped towards sin.
verse 4 - And David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her
He acted. At any point along this path, he could have stopped. But he didn’t. Temptation is rarely a quick surprise; it is usually a subtle progression of steps that we convince ourselves are harmless. And at every point, God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also that you may be able to endure it. I Corinthians 10:13 I am confident that at every point of this slide into adultery and murder, God gave him opportunities to get out. To look away. Not to pursue. To mortify his flesh - not another person. But David ignored those places of escape and instead altered the course of not only his life but also that of many others.
Before we look down our nose at King David, we do well to remember the warning in I Corinthians 10:12 - Therefore, let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.
And the repercussions spread.
Verses 5-27 reveal to us that David then committed murder, covered up his sin, and involved others in his transgression. Wow. That is heavy stuff. I often wonder about those servants and soldiers who saw this progression. Those people required by the king to participate in his sin. How did they feel? Were they grieved or did they justify their actions? What would I have done???
There we have the progression of sin. Sobering. Heartbreaking. And avoidable.
But, thankfully, God doesn’t end the story there! Hallelujah! Let’s look at what happens next…
2 Samuel 12 records for us the brave obedience of the prophet Nathan who confronted David with his sin. He was humble and gentle but also very courageous. Nathan very well could have been put to death for rebuking the king. Not a small possibility. But he chose the favor of God over the favor of man. Wow, what a lesson that is!
How did David respond to this rebuke? He did not deny his sin nor defend himself in the least. He didn’t try to soften the blow or blame anyone else. His response was immediate, humble, and repentant. Verse 12 records this for us: then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Wow. What a lesson for all of God’s people! No delay in his repentance. Complete acceptance of personal responsibility. Acknowledgement that first and foremost, sin is against the Lord. Even though numerous others were tragically affected by his sin, David realized that the priority of his repentance was towards God. Psalms 32 and 51 flowed out from this recognition.
He was forgiven. His relationship with the Lord was restored. But his sin was costly. The consequences of his sin were severe and life-altering. For his whole family.
That’s a pretty major lesson right there.
Heavenly Father, help us to remember these lessons. Grant that we would appropriate Your grace and take the way of escape You provide to keep us from sin and thereby avoiding many heartbreaking consequences. And when we do sin, Lord (because we all do (I John 1:10), our prayer right now is that our response in those times would be modeled after David.