2 SAMUEL 11

How we wish that “the matter of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kings 15:5) were not in the Bible, but it is here for our warning and learning. Believers can thank God that our sins are not written down for everyone to read!

Disobedience. You start on the path to sin when you neglect duty. David was in more danger in Jerusalem than with his army on the battlefield. He laid aside his armor (Eph. 6:10ff.), allowed his eyes to wander, and lust took over (James 1:14–15).

Deception. Like our first parents, we try to cover our sins, but God will find us out (Gen. 3:7; Prov. 28:13). David the adulterer became a liar and a schemer, and then a murderer. Uriah was one of David’s mighty men (2 Sam. 23:39). While David was sinning, Uriah and his fellow soldiers were risking their lives for him on the battlefield.

Displeasure. From the human point of view, the scheme worked, but God was not pleased. See what David wrote in Psalms 5:4 and 11:5, and note Proverbs 6:16–19 and 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8.

Before you yield to temptation . . . look back and recall God’s goodness to you; look ahead and remember “the wages of sin”; look around and think of all the people who may be affected by what you do; look up and ask God for the strength to say no (1 Cor. 10:13).

A. David’s confession (vv. 1–14).

At least a year passed, during which time David covered his sins. Read Ps. 32 and 51 for descriptions of David’s feelings during that difficult period. He became weak and sick physically; he lost his joy; he lost his witness; he lost his power. God gave David plenty of time to make things right, but he persisted in hiding his sins. Had he come to the Lord on his own, in sincere repentance, things might have been different later on. Finally, God sent Nathan, not with a message of blessing as in chapter 7, but with a message of conviction. How easy it is to be convicted about other people’s sins! But Nathan fearlessly told David, “You are the man!”

We must commend David for bowing to the authority of the Word of God and confessing his sin. He could have slain Nathan. (Note that David even named a son after Nathan, 1 Chron. 3:5; Luke 3:31). God was ready to forgive David’s sins, but He could not prevent those sins from “bringing forth death” (James 1:15). God’s grace forgives, but God’s government must allow sinners to reap what they sow. See Ps. 99:8. “He shall restore fourfold!” David had declared punishment concerning the man in Nathan’s story, so God accepted his sentence. The sword never did depart from David’s household: the baby died; Absalom killed Amnon, who had ruined Tamar (chap. 13); then Joab killed Absalom (18:9–17); and Adonijah was slain by Benaiah (1 Kings 2:24–25). Fourfold! Add to these trials the awful ruin of Tamar, the shameful treatment of David’s wives by Absalom (12:11; 16:20–23), plus the rebellion of Absalom, and you can see that David paid dearly for a few moments of lustful pleasure. He sowed lust and reaped the same; he sowed murder and reaped murders, for “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

B. David’s contrition (vv. 15–25).

2 SAMUEL 12

Chastening. For about a year, David hid his sins and suffered under the chastening hand of God (Ps. 32; Heb. 12:1–11). God gave David opportunity for repentance, but he refused to yield. Chastening proves God’s love to us; our yielding proves our love to Him.

Conviction. How easy it is to condemn others! But beware: the sentence you pass on others will be passed on you (Matt. 7:1–5). David paid fourfold for his sins: the baby died, his daughter Tamar was raped, and his sons Absalom and Amnon were killed.

Confession. The Law said that both David and Bathsheba should die (Lev. 20:10). In His grace, God forgave their sins (Ps. 51); but in His government, He permitted them to reap what they had sown. First John 1:9 is a great promise, but it is not an excuse for sin. Remember, there are sad consequences of forgiven sin.

Comfort. God gave David another son and another crown. Saul lost his crown because he would not repent, but David always confessed his sin and rested on God’s mercy (Rom. 5:20).