1 Samuel 11/12 is a very sad story. David , a man after God’s own heart falls. A great fall, in light of what has been reported by Houston Chronicle recently and the sex abuse cover-up with in the Southern Baptist Convention, this is a sensitive topic. Several churches with big personalities have been named for inappropriately handling abusive situations, along with some of our leaders resigning because immoral actions. We all know that the world is enraged with sensuality and explicit sexual innuendo with everything. Proverbs 5: 7-23 gives a great warning to men about the great fall into sexual immorality. Today, I would think that we can and could include women in this warning. None of us are above reproach when it comes to sexual matters. Jesus tells us in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount to even look at a women with lust is committing adultery. We can’t throw stones at each other. David really messed up – but the fall of King David started before his encounter with Bathsheba. 1 Samuel 11:1 – “And then it happened” in the Spring at the time when kings go to war, that David sent Joab . . . . BUT David stayed at Jerusalem. David was a warrior, He was a soldier, he was a mighty man of valor having defeated so many enemies of Israel. David distinguished himself under King Saul’s reign as a mighty man of God and military strength. BUT he stayed at home when he should have gone out to be with his armies. David had been through a lot, the battles and hiding from Saul, the continual fighting against the Philistines. Looking back at 1 Samuel 10:19 – there was peace in Israel from their enemies. Maybe a comfort or a state of ease was the case, the sense of enemy attacks somewhat subsided, the urgency and alertness to keep sharp waned. For whatever reason David stayed back. Isn’t it like Satan and us that when things seem to settle down in our lives, we let our guard down?
David goes out on his roof top, I don’t know what was going through his mind, but his eye caught Bathsheba bathing, and lust took over. There is a lot of speculation about enticement of Bathsheba and why she was bathing in sight of the king’s palace – speculation – David acted on what he saw. He should have stopped it before it got anywhere – he already had four wives! James 1:12-15, the Fall of all men [mankind] is when we conceive sin – God is not the originator of evil or sin – sin comes from us. Lust – Sin – Death, its our fault. David takes deliberate actions to have Bathsheba; she conceives – this is the heart of the problem. Sin has produced its fruit. We could go into how if this were today, an abortion would have been done, and no one would have been the wiser. Abortion is primarily done for the sin of “convenience.” Instead of harvesting the results of our sin, we think if we eliminate the evidence, all if ok – Nope; so many scarred and damaged women. I am pro-choice, I mean that the choice is ours and needs to be made before conception, not afterwards. That’s my rant for the day.
David because of the pregnancy, tires to get Uriah to come home and sleep with Bathsheba, that way he can deny the child is his. He gets Uriah drunk trying to get him to partner in the cover-up of David’s sin. Nope! Uriah is more honorable in his service to David than David was to Bathsheba or God. Uriah will not cooperate, He must die, using Joab, Uriah is placed at the front lines, then deserted and killed by the enemy. All is well, nope! the baby dies. David does take Bathsheba as his wife. Okay the sin event is over, David brought reproach on himself, Bathsheba and Israel. Nope – Chapter 12 – Because the thing David was evil in the sight of God, Nathan the priest is brought to David to expose to him that his sin has found him out. Nathan uses the parable about the little lamb and the rich man taking it. David is enraged at the action of the rich man towards the poor man. Nathan tells David – You’re the man! Verse 7-12 the LORD spells out the repercussions of David’s sin on himself and Israel. Oh a point there is a time-lapse between chapter 11 and 12 of a year. To read the full remorse and repentance of David read Psalm 51. David wouldn’t die, but his house would be in disarray. His children Ammon, Tamar, and Absalom will cause great grief and agony to David. But even though all this horrid story of the fall of a great man – David is still honored by God. Still Jesus will be on the Davidic throne – in fact the heir comes from Bathsheba the adulteress.
No one, absolutely no one is above falling – be alert – be strong – be holy.
God restored David, but David’s reign was never the same – heed the warning!
preachbetweenthelines 