2 Samuel Chapter 11 Verses 1 - 2

 The winter months would make travel and resupplying armies far

more difficult. David stays back this spring, and we aren’t told why.

We are left to assume that he should have gone. I’m not set on that.

We simply aren’t given the information and heretofore, David is the

most successful warring king of all time. The nation has expanded

greatly under his reign. It could be that he wasn’t needed and it wasn’t

necessary for him to go. Either way, we aren’t given the information.

 At the end of this chapter, after we read of all that David did that is

obviously wrong, we will read, “The thing that David had done

displeased the Lord.” It’s a far stretch to assume that statement

includes David not going to war. And for that matter, David not going

to war is not the real cause of what happens between him, Bathsheba

and Uriah.

 The root cause of this is far more revealed in 1 Samuel 25:42-43, “So

Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her

maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his

wife. David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his

wives.” David’s sin with Bathsheba wasn’t caused by his opportunity,

it was caused by the unprincipled corner of his character.

 Deuteronomy 17:17, speaking of the king, says, “Neither shall he

multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away.” David had eight

wives. He had a known, perhaps ignored or self-denied, issue with

indulging himself and it remained unconfronted personally. That is the

cause of the last verse in this chapter.

 Song of Solomon 2:15 says, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that

spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.” We all need a

“royal table,” which I’ve taught on many times in the past, but even

more, we all need audience with ourselves. Face to face, dealing

with the things in us that we know are wrong, things that we know

causes us problems, things we see causing problems for those closest

to us. And if we don’t, you better believe opportunity will present

itself again and again for you to fall into the same self-defeating, self-

destructing pattern. One of the multiplied countless benefits of

studying and learning the Word of God is that you obtain the ability to

self-diagnose!

 David being home wasn’t the problem. Bathsheba bathing in the

middle of the night on her rooftop wasn’t the problem. His appetite

for self-ruin, this unpoliced, uncontrolled, unmastered hunger for

what was forbidden by the Lord not being addressed years ago is what

caused him to see and the to not turn away.

2 Samuel Chapter 11 Verses 3 – 4

 Notice this intentional wording, “So David sent and inquired,” “Then

David sent messengers,” “He lay with her.” None of these actions

could or should be attributed to anyone in any portion other than

David. These are actions that he did. David is unconditionally

accountable, just like you and just like me, for all of everything that

we do.

 It’s one of the greatest blessings of free will. No one can make you do

anything. Everything you or I do, we do. I understand the probable

controversy in that statement. You do you. I choose reality.

 Owning 100% of your actions, thoughts, and outcomes without

blaming external factors drives optimal performance, deepens

relationships, and fosters immense personal growth. By eliminating

victim mentality, it empowers us to take control, increase efficiency,

resilience, and surges self-confidence. I recommend a book on this

subject by Jocko Willink called “Extreme Ownership: How US Navy

Seals Lead and Win.”

 Also, notice when he inquires about her, he finds out she is a daughter

and a wife. One thing that has helped so practically over the years is

the following advice. If you are a married man, guess what, there are

still beautiful women who are going to be attracted to you. And men

are dumb. Easy. HA. Tell us we are pretty and tell us we are amazing

and we will like you. It’s that easy. So, here’s a great practical tool. If

you are a married man, every other woman on earth, to you, is either

mom, sister or daughter. If they are older than you, mom. If they are

your age, sister. If they are younger than you, daughter. Put that lens of

wisdom on in your mind and you can be called pretty and smart and

admirable and it won’t draw your heart away from your wife.

 Same goes for married women, who by the way, can be as dumb and

easy. Sorry, you get real with me. Make someone feel a certain way

and many can be easily drawn away from their husbands. Every other

man is dad, brother or son. Do this and find maturity and safety.

2 Samuel Chapter 11 Verse 5

 This just got incredibly complex. Why? Leviticus 20:10 says, “The

man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits

adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress,

shall surely be put to death.” The gravity of this message to David

can’t be overstated.

 This is check-mate for him in terms of doing what is right in the eyes

of the Lord. If he takes accountability, he must be put to death. If he

leaves her alone, she will be put to death and most likely not without

public confession and condemnation of David. The enemy just

finished popping his popcorn and settles in to watch his malevolent

magic play out… Because this is precisely the type of situation he

loves to back us into…

2 Samuel Chapter 11 Verses 6 – 13

 David doesn’t consult the Lord, he doesn’t lament over his own sin, he

immediately seeks to hide what he has done. And as much as I know

this is wrong and want to just go off on David, Satan really had him.

Some connect this short period of time between getting the news about

the pregnancy and Uriah returning with Psalm 32 where we read of the

weight of guilt that was upon him.

 Psalm 32:3-4 says, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my

groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy

upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of the summer.

Selah.”

 Now, as we read this, we probably walk away propping Uriah pretty

far up there in terms of honor. I definitely see that. Remember when

David was running from Saul and he came to Nob, to Ahimelech the

priest, and asked him for bread. Ahimelech’s only condition for giving

David and his men the consecrated bread to eat was that he and his

men had been kept from women.

 David’s reply, “These are men of war. Of course, they’ve been kept

from women…” Uriah appears to be so devoted to the cause, to his

men, to the Lord and to the king that he sleeps in discomfort so as to

not lose his devotion. Honorable for sure. AND…

 Here we go… I wrestled with even going here with this study but God

continually has ministered to me about this ever since I got saved.

Bathsheba was more important than his men, his war, his king, his

nation, his job, his position… There are clues here that, well, I don’t

want to remove any accountability at all from Bathsheba AND…

AND…

 No children. To be childless and yet to be married was a difficult

position in those days. It would be a position that would bring shame

on you from your family, from your neighbors, your friends, and even

your husband. We aren’t ever told why there were no children,

obviously Bathsheba was not the problem…, but we are given a few

clues that perhaps Uriah was not the best protector of his wife even

though he was a great protector of his nation.

 I won’t go too hard on this, I just want to point this out, make my

point, present the principal, and move on. Uriah stated his reason for

going to his house would be to eat, drink and to lie with his wife. “As

your soul lives,” he said to David, “I will not do this THING.”

Bathsheba is not a thing, Uriah…

 A gift of food shows up at her house welcoming Uriah back from the

battlefield. Bathsheba picks the gift up, reads the note, where’s Uriah?

She could have greeted him at the palace at Uriah’s invitation. Uriah

could have gone to his house to show his wife he was well. To perhaps

soothe her worry of him on the battlefield for the day. To check in with

her and see that she was ok and to remind her of his love… He did

none of those things because the thing appears to be his wife…

 Ok, the principal is clear. Men, husbands, you wives too, here is the

correct priority for your lives biblically. God first, your spouse

second, then your everything else. To love, protect, serve, provide

for and here’s the one everyone forgets far too quickly and it rarely

ever comes back…, to cherish.

 To cherish someone is to recognize their significance, to honor them

and hold them in the highest of regard, to protect and serve them, and

to work to constantly feed and flourish your affection and care for

them. Even when they’re not around… You do this, (and every spouse

desires that their spouse would), you do this and your emotional

connection to them will grow.

 We are not to be dependent upon our spouses BUT Biblical agape love

between two people in marriage includes a healthy desperation for

them to be near to you, for them to be well, be well cared for, AND for

them to reciprocate. That last part kills so many marriages.

 Ok, off the principal soap box. As honorable as Uriah is…, there are

clues here that Bathsheba was more vulnerable than any spouse should

ever be to the beaconing of strange affection. And I don’t mean that to

remove any accountability from Bathsheba…

2 Samuel Chapter 11 Verses 14 – 15

 This is by far the cruelest thing we will see David ever do. This is the

same David known for his kindness, his love for Saul, his heart after

God’s own heart, and yet in the mix of all of that, he is still capable of

unthinkable darkness. Just like you and just like me… Just like

everyone listed in the Hebrews 11 hall of faith… Just like all men and

all people…, except One.

 Why was this so cruel? David knew Uriah. He was a friend and well

known to David outside of this circumstance. How do we know that? 2

Samuel 23 lists out David’s 37 mighty men, and we read in 2 Samuel

23 all their names, and the very last one, verse 39, “Uriah the Hittite.”

David not only violated a marriage he violated the marriage of one of

his closest friends. AND THEN, he sends a murder order for his

friend, Uriah, by his own hand… This is some sort of very special

darkness… Revolting!

 Joab gets the letter and don’t you know at that point Joab knows the

kind of scum David is… Up until this point we know nothing but

loyalty and brotherhood between David and Joab and they have

HISTORY! But later, Joab will turn on David. Any ideas why? Joab

knew of something that only Joab would ever know… This letter

written by the hand of David to destroy one of David’s mightiest of

friends…

2 Samuel Chapter 11 Verses 16 – 25

 Herein is the mark of a horrible leader, and really the mark of

someone in a season or perhaps a life of dark-heartedness. You’ve just

lost one, actually many more than one. Wives have lost their

husbands, parents have lost their children, kids have lost their fathers,

and your response, “It happens…, don’t be displeased, I’m not…”

 The most unlike God you could possibly be. When Jesus will leave

the 99 to go and get the 1. Bad things happen, yes. People are lost and

they leave. People go through things in life…, and the Lord walks

with them grieving alongside them all the way. That is godly

leadership. To grieve even the smallest of loses let alone the big ones.

And to not make light of the loss but to take responsibility for it…

2 Samuel Chapter 11 Verses 26 – 27

 Can you do something that ruins your life? In a way, yes. Does this

ruin the life of David…? In a way it does… 2 Corinthians 5:17 says,

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things

have passed away; behold all things have become new.” What a great

and hopeful promise that is. Now…, new Christian, sincerely

repentant seasoned saint, remove your scar.

 Can’t do it. All things are made new. In fact, Paul wrote that we are

being renewed day by day, those that are in Christ, it’s an ongoing

everyday type of promise…, and yet, scars remain. A scar on the skin

is a reminder of a past wound, and it is for life. There are things just

like that in life such as this and the next chapter for David. And in a

way, it ruins him. He will never shake this….

 The scene is Satan finishing the last popped kernel and moving on the

next wounding he has planned… What’s the point? We must be

careful, we must be wise, we must continue to mature in the Lord,

because some things the enemy can do to us, even though we are made

completely new in Christ at salvation and at repentance, some things

can scar our lives.

 1 Kings 15:1-5, “In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of

Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. He reigned three years in

Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of

Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had

done before him; his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was

the heart of his father David. Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord

his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him

and by establishing Jerusalem; because David did what was right in

the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He

commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah

the Hittite.”

 Popcorn bucket emptied, Satan on the next scarring. Does this ruin

David? Discussable. Does it tarnish him? Eternally. Jesus said, “My

Word shall not pass away (Matthew 24:35). Did David go on to live

for the Lord, absolutely. How? When you’ve been scarred by sin, the

only way to overcome the ruin is to unconditionally own it and then

the shame loses its power. Then the new creation every day that we are

given in Christ, that continually renewal, new mercies new every

morning, etc., it’s then that those aren’t immediately stolen each day

by the scar of shame and past defeat. That’s the next chapter…