David's Sin God's Mercy

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Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

2 Samuel 11–14

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David and Bathsheba

Who knows the story of David and Bathsheba?

Every Sunday school teacher loves teaching the Story of David & Goliath but the story of David AND Bathsheba is not so popular

Its only fair that last time I got David & Goliath

1.The first story we see and young Shepard boy do great things through God, in the second we see a powerful king brought low by his sin

The war

Previously, David sent messengers to Hamon King of the Ammonites

Hamon, king of the Ammonites humiliated and shamed the messengers

By humiliating Israels messengers he humiliated all Israel, its King, and God.

King Hamon of the Ammonites hires soldiers of from the Syrians to help fight against David.

The Ammonite and Syrian forces are defeated by Joab and the army of Israel

The Syrian’s gather their entire force (very large) to fight against Israel

David takes his entire army to fight the Syrian’s and defeats them, increasing his power and leaving the Ammonites without allies to defend them.

English Standard Version Chapter 11

11 iIn the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

With the Ammonite and Syrian armies defeated David is able to send his army to the Ammonite’s capital city of Rabbah

This is where Hanun, the Ammonite king that humiliated David’s messengers lives

For whatever reason, we are told that David sends Joab his commander and all Israel but he himself stays behind in Jerusalem

Why do you think David may have decided not to go?

David decides not to

Be with his army that he commands

Be with the ark of God

we are told later that the Ark of God went with the army

To defend the honor of Israel and its God

Remember, this war started because Hanun humiliated Israel’s messengers

David took some “me time”

Rest can give us the strength to serve better

“Me time” is the deliberately pursuing selfish desires with no thought to God or others

It is purely sinful

In Christ we see that he did sleep, and he set aside time to be in prayer with God. He never gave an instant of his life to pursue his own self interest

This selfish decision is going to have disastrous consequences

English Standard Version Chapter 11

2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

So now that David has taken some personal “me time” he is going to be refreshed and rested to better love and serve his people and his God

The focus, as is all the bible, on God. We see God taking the initiative to reconcile with David. It is God’s mercy and steadfast love that is on display.

Right? I mean that’s what we would expect to see. A little time for yourself so that you can give to others.

What did happen?

David was instead filled with Greed

What is Greed?

Greed is the desire for more

Is a greedy person ever satisfied?

Greed cannot every be satisfied, the moment you get something you desired you can only want more

I have toddlers, they demonstrate greed very obviously

One can literally have arms full of toys, but see another child with a toy and suddenly that is the only thing they want. Even if they get that toy then suddenly another child grabs a different toy and suddenly that is the only thing they want.

Are we or David any different?

Greed is never satisfied and never happy, the greedy person always thinks that they deserve more

What is the opposite of a Greedy person?

A “thankful” person

A thankful person realizes that they did not deserve any good thing, but appreciate every good thing God has provided

Considers what he does have, and is able to be happy and rejoice in what God has provided

The Greedy person can have much, but is never satisfied. The thankful person can have little and be content and happy.

David had many wives but was not content

His own wives were beautiful woman

But David was not looking at what he had

His greed caused him to take the wife of one of his soldiers that is faithfully serving him.

We read that after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba he sent her away

He probably thought that his sin would go unnoticed

Soon after, probably about 6 weeks, she sends word to David that she is pregnant

The adultery will surely be found out, since her husband is out to war, the child cannot be his.

The old testament punishment for Adultery was stoning to death both the man and the woman.

So now we must be at the point where David repents and seeks mercy for his sin

Is that what happens next?

English Standard Version Chapter 11

6 So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

Rather than confessing, David tries to hide his sin

David calls Bathsheba’s husband back from the fighting in the hopes that he will sleep with his wife and think that the baby is his own.

The plan fails

Uriah is unwilling to selfishly enjoy his time back knowing that his comrades and the ark of God are in the open field as they battle Israel’s enemies

Uriah’s convictions are good and noble

The next day, David gets Uriah drunk in the hopes that he will ignore his convictions

David is trying to get Uriah to stumble and sin

David is the man that would lead Israel in praise and worship of God, and now he has fallen to trying to cause others to sin

David’s plan fails, and although he gets Uriah drunk Uriah does not go to his house.

Unable to hide his sin, David now goes even further as we will read.

English Standard Version Chapter 11

14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” 16 And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died.

David not only decides to have Uriah killed, but he sends Uriah with the letter containing the orders

Joab, David’s commander, follows through with the orders

To ensure Uriah’s death Joab ordered the very near the enemy wall, within range of the archers, which resulted in the pointless death of more solders than just Uriah

It was such bad military strategy that Joab is afraid that David will become angry when he hears about it.

Joab makes sure the messanger tells David that “Uriah is dead also”

So that David knows he was only following orders

David responds to Joab by saying”

English Standard Version Chapter 11

26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. 27 And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

2 Samuel 11:25 ESV

David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

Sadly, we see that David is not moved by the deaths of his soldiers

His selfishness is so bad that he is only concerned with himself and having his problem taken care of by killing the man that would accuse him.

Lets read further

English Standard Version Chapter 11

But the thing David had done displeased the Lord

What a sad statement

Was not David called “a man after God’s own heart?”s

Lets recap, what had David done that displeased the Lord?

According to the Law, David deserved to die for both Adultery and Murder

However, with Uriah dead who was going to accuse the King?

Do you think David was feeling pretty good about himself? After all, he spent some relaxing me time at the palace and and got another wife. Shouldn’t he be happy that he got away with it?

English Standard Version Psalm 32

3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

The fact is David’s sin had made him miserable. Sin had separated him from the Joy he could have only in God.

So what do you think is going to happen to David next? What happened to Saul when he sinned against God? Will God now reject David from being King? Why

Maybe they are happy for the brief moments that everything is going there way

God will not reject David because of his promise.

2 Samuel 7:15–17 ESV

but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

2 Sam 7:15-17

Lets read just the first sentence of Ch.12

We See God’s faithfulness to his covenant even through human sin and failure

It is God who saves, God who initiates. David is so lost in his sin that he does not even know what to do But God out of his deep love sends the prophet to confront David SO THAT he might repent and know the experience God’s mercy

This is the main point of our entire lesson.

The Teacher’s Commentary 33: 2 Sam. 11–20—Saint and Sinner

How different from Saul! When Saul sinned, he begged Samuel to stay with him, that the people might not discover God’s anger.

Its not David’s sin, but God’s mercy and love to David

So lets finish reading the next section, Nathan the prophet is going to tell David a story in order to confront him of his sin.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

12 And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Who can tell me the how this story parallels David’s sin?

English Standard Version Chapter 16

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,

and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

21 The wise of heart is called discerning,

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Pr 16:18). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Do you notice that David is aware that the Rich man deserves to die?

English Standard Version Chapter 16

18 mPride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

How much easier it is to notice the sin in others

We must be careful to search out the sin in our own hearts before we point out sin in others

Lets continue reading

English Standard Version Chapter 12

7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

What is the main thing that Nathan condemns David for? He says it twice.

“You have despised the word of the Lord” and “You have despised me”

How did David despise God and his Word?

God provided everything that David had, and rather than thankfulness David Greedily desired what God had not given, and disobeyed to get it.

This would be like if your parents where buying you a toy from the store and while they are paying you steal something else. This would be despising your parents because you are not content with what they are giving you. Rather than going to them and asking and being content with what they say you disobey what they’ve told you by stealing.

Whenever we sin because we are not content with what God has provided we are despising God.

Maybe we are not happy with the family God gave

Or school we are in

Or whats for dinner

English Standard Version Chapter 12

13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.

We see God’s amazing mercy and forgiveness, David deserves death but the Lord has put away his sin. David is forgiven and his relationship with God restored.

Nevertheless, the David is forgiven there will still be discipline and consequences.

Even though God forgives us, and we escape the eternal judgment we deserve, sin still has consequences for our time on earth.

1 Samuel 15:23 ESV

For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

2 Samuel 7:15–17 ESV

The focus, as is all the bible, on God. We see God taking the initiative to reconcile with David. It is God’s mercy and steadfast love that is on display.