Weekly message: Sin bears consequences (2Samuel11-12)
by Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce
Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music Date: Sept.13 – Sept 19, 2021
Introduction
Sin bears consequences. According to the Old
Testament 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel recorded a historical event and lesson of King
David, a giant-killer, a great hero with great military victories during the date
930 B.C. he fell into a shameful and wrongful sin with Bathsheba, and murdered
her husband and his mistake in numbering the people. God was faithful for His
covenant that made with King David and his posterity.
Marital infidelity is sin. King
David, a man heart after God’s own heart, a mighty warrior, a God-fear man, a
great leader, and anointed as king of Israel. During his reign over Israel 40
years, in his 50 years old age, he faced unexpected consequences. The
temptation came to his way through a woman Bathsheba’s bathing, he saw, he
inquired, he yielded to temptation. David was carried away by his lust, emerged
to murder Bathsheba’s husband Uriah, which gave birth to sin, and resulted in
judgment. God didn’t put King David to die, but the judgment came to him, he suffered
for illness physically, and mentally, spiritual torment, and suffered for lost
of children, and the rebellion of dysfunctional family. God’s judgment to David
were fulfilled in the tragedy of the rape of his daughter Tamar and violent
deaths of his sons Amnon (13:28-29) and Absalom (18:15) and in Absalom’s public
appropriation of David’s royal concubines. (16:22). God kept His Word, promises, love and covenant to King
David, for His name sake. After Kind David confessed, and repented the sin, he
fasted, spent the nights lying on the ground, and prayed for mercy seven days,
God kept him alive. However, his son was dead. God didn’t remove the judgment
of sin for His holy name sake, and reputation among the nation. The sin of adultery
had to be judged, but God kept his love, and covenant with King David. And his
family and throne will be established forever.
Today, let us learn King David’s lesion and discover the event in the
O.T. 2 Samuel 11-12. The sin may be concealed from the public, but the
omniscient God sees it. A carnal man may fall, but God kept his promise and His
Word for God’s name sake.
God
made a covenant with King David
After
the king was settled in his palace, God made a covenant with King David. Nathan
was the prophet to counsel him. The great covenant that God graciously made
with David included the following provisions:
First, David
would have a son who would succeed him and establish his kingdom. Second, his
son (Solomon), rather than David, would build the Temple. Third, the throne of
Solomon’s kingdom would be established forever. Fourth, though David’s sins
justified chastening, God’s love would be forever. Fifth, David’s house,
kingdom, and throne would be established forever. The covenant did not
guarantee uninterrupted rule by David’s family, (and, in fact, the Babylonian
exile interrupted it), but did promise that the right to rule would always
remain with David’s dynasty. Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of these
promises (Luke1:31-33)[1] as
Davidic covenant to Jews and Gentiles.
After
the king was settled in his palace, King David wanted to build a house for the
Lord to dwell in. But God’s answers
through prophet Nathan recorded in 2Samuel 7:4-17 that night the word of the
Lord came to Nathan, saying, “Go and tell my servant David, this is what the
Lord says,
Are you the one
to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I
brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from
place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the
Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd
my people Israel, “why have you not built me a house of Cedar?”
Now then, tell
my servant David, this is what the Lord Almighty says:
I took you from
the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I
have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies
from before you. Now I will make your name great like the names of the greatest
men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will
plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be
disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the
beginning and have done ever since the
time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from
all your enemies.
The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself
will establish a house for you. When your days are over and you rest with you
fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your
own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a
house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will
be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him
with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be
taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before
you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne
will be established forever.
King David acknowledged
the blessing and praised the Lord,
“O Sovereign
Lord, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good
things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that
it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign Lord, have spoken,
and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.
(2Samuel7:28-29).
David’s praise
and prayer exemplifies the proper response of a believer to God’s revealed
will. Rather than mourn the loss of the privilege of building the Temple, David
rejoiced in the promise of future blessing an acknowledged God’s sovereignty.
Let
him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1Cor.10:12)
King David was
settled in his palace in the spring, he fell into a period of sin and that sin
had devastating consequences for his family, his reign and his nation. When
King David was about 50 years old and had been on the throne approximately 20
years. King David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came
from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David. Although the
blessing of God was on him, on people and his leadership he increased the
number of his wives and concubines. It contradicted to God’s commandments in
Deuteronomy 17: 17, “He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must
not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.” King David took too
many wives and concubines; it led his heart turn away from God, fell into a
period of sin, adultery, and emerged to murder. According to 2 Samuel 11:1-3
states,
“In the spring,
at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men
and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.
But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and
walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing.
The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The
man said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah
the Hittite?”
What was wrong in this evening? He was in bed, not in battle. If King David had engaged the battle with his troops, he would never have fallen into temptation and there would never have been the Bathsheba episode. What was wrong about this night? David was carried away by his lust. He saw a beautiful woman bathing, he inquired, and he yielded to temptation. Even his man reminded him, she had a husband, and she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. The Hittite, Uriah must have worshiped Yahweh (the Lord), since his name means “Yahweh is my light”. King David sent messengers to get her anyway. In verse 4 states,
“Then David sent
messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had
purified herself from her uncleanness. Then, she went back home. (11:4).
Marital infidelity is sin
What a man? What
a king? With such incredible super power and unquestioned authority to get a
woman over, slept with her, regardless she was married, had a husband. And
regardless he had so many wives and concubines in palace, Jerusalem. Lust
carried away his moral and ethical sense. Can Bathsheba resist King David’s
order and messengers, not go to palace meet him? No, she can’t, she must yield to
the king’s order right? So, now, she conceived and sent word to David, saying, ‘I am pregnant’”. (2Samuel11:5). Whose
responsibility for the pregnancy? Indeed, King David! Stolen waters are sweet.
Charles R. Swindoll commands about battles with sensuality. He wrote,
“If you want to
be part of the answer to the common battles with sensuality rather than part of
the problem, you work in cooperation with righteousness. That means that you
give thought to your actions, your dress, your looks, and your conduct. That
means when you happen upon some alluring object, you turn away and refuse to
linger. Not even David in all his godliness could handle it. It was too big for
him. That also means you are modest, careful, and controlled, not leaving even
a hint of allurement, lest another be tempted… if you do not run from
temptation, you will fall. It’s only a matter of time.”[2]
Bathsheba bathing herself by lamplight was not
immodest for she was in her house. However, the interior of the courtyard could
be seen from the roof of David’s house, situated as it was on the higher
elevation of Mt. Zion.[3] Both David and Bathsheba were at fault on this
occasion. But David was the aggressor, he saw, he stared, he lusted, he sought
her and he lost control of his passion and He slept with her and she got
pregnant. King David was anxious about how to handle this one night passion?
How to face her husband Uriah, a loyal army fought the battle for him and his
nation?
Adultery
sin may be concealed from the public, but the omniscient God sees it
Nothing can be hidden from the eyes of God.
King David played hypocrisy and deception. He intended to cover up the secret
sin by asked Joab to send Bathsheba’s husband Uriah the Hittite home from the
battlefield. David told him “Go down to
your house and wash your feet” (11:8). King David’s strategy to hide the
sin of adultery with Bathsheda was that he sent Uriah home, if Uriah went home,
slept with his wife Bathsheba, then, nobody would discover Bathsheba’s
pregnancy because of him. What a smart king. However, Uriah didn’t go home, he slept
at the entrance to the palace with his master’s servants and did not go down to
his house (v.9). King David asked him “Haven’t
you just come from a distance? Why didn’t you go home?” Uriah answered,
“The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in
tents, and my master Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open fields. How
could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you
live, I will not do such a thing!” (2 Samuel11:11).
What a faithful
soldier, and a loyal fighter. Uriah exemplified the epitome of dedication to
his lord, to nation and to his mission.
David
did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, he murdered Uriah indirectly
God used Uriah to awaken King David for fighting
in the battlefield, but King David was blind by his adultery sin, instead of
repenting of his sin and admitted he had done wrong; he resorted to Uriah’s
murder and coldly sent the letter of instructions by the victim himself. In the
morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In it he wrote,
“Put Uriah in the front line where the
fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and
die.” (11:15)
Joab followed the instruction; put Uriah at a
place where he knew the strongest defenders were. When the men of the city came
out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; and Uriah
the Hittite was dead. (vv.16-17). what an innocent soldier was dead by a
skillful scheme of his own master. King David committed a crime indirectly.
David did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Adultery sin may be concealed
from the public, but the omniscient God sees it. God is just, what judgment
would be to King David?
God’s judgment came to King David’s sin in His time
After
Uriah the Hittite was dead in the battlefield, Bathsheba mourned for her
husband. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his
house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the things David had
done displease the Lord. (vv.26-27). King David committed adultery, covered it up
with premeditated murder, God’s judgment came to him after one year. The Lord
sent Prophet Nathan to confront him. Nathan the prophet used a parable to lead
David to condemn his own actions and bring about repentance. Nathan said,
“There were two
men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very
large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little
ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children.
It shared his good, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like
a daughter to him.”
David burned
with anger against the man and said to Nathan,
“As surely as the Lord lives, the
man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and
had no pity.”
Then Nathan said
to David,
“You
are the man! This is what
the Lord, the God of Israel, says,’ I anointed you king over Israel, and I
delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you, and
your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah.
And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did
you despise the Word of the Lord by doing what is evil in His eyes? You struck
down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You
killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore, the sword will never
depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the
Hittite to be your own. This is what the
Lord says, ‘Out of your own
household I am going to being calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will
take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with
your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in
broad daylight before all Israel.’ (2Samuel12:7-12)
David himself
deserved death for adultery (Lev.20:10) and murder (Lev.24:17). For the sake of
God’s holy reputation among the nations, the sin of adultery had to be judged.
Then, David confessed and repented his sin and said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” as he wrote the Psalms 51 expressed
deeply sorry for what he had done. It says,
Have mercy on
me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me, against you, you
only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved
right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at
birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in
the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with
hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be white than snow. Let me
hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face
from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Don’t cast me from your presence or
take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and
grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your
ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the
God who saves me and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord open my
lips, and my mouth will declare your praise...a broken and contrite heart O
God, you will not despise…(Psalm51:1-15,17)
Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt,
the son born to you will die.”
After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and David became very sick. David prayed, fasted for child, and spent the nights lying on the ground. Elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them. But on seventh day the child died. The grace of God forgave his sin, kept his life, gave him strength to endure the consequences, but didn’t remove sin’s judgment. For God’s name sake, and His holy reputation among the nations, the sin of adultery had to be judged. His son that Bathsheba had borne to him was dead. Moreover,
Nathan’s
predictions of judgment in 2Samuel 12:11-12, “Out of your own household I am
going to being calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives
and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in
broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad
daylight before all Israel.” were
fulfilled in the tragedy of the rape of his daughter Tamar by his son Amnon.
And the violent deaths of his sons Amnon were killed by Tamar’s brother Absalom
(13:28-29), and Absalom was killed by Joab’s armor-bearers (18:15). And in
Absalom’s public appropriation of David’s royal concubines (16:22), these
consequences were clearly a fulfillment of God’s promised judgment on David for
his sin with Bathsheba (12:1).
God’s
judgment to the sin of adultery and murder is serious, don’t take it lightly. The
judgment will come, it matter of the time. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who
sows to please his sinful nature, from the nature will reap destruction; the
one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Don’t be deceived:
(Galatians6:7-8). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans6:23).
Man may fail, but God’s Word never fails.
God kept his covenant to King David
and did not take away his unfailing love from him. A man heart after God’s own
heart failed in the period of sin, God forgave his sin after he confessed and repented.
King David wrote psalm 32 describes the blessing of forgiveness that followed
chastening and confession, (vv.1-5) then encourages others to seek the Lord’s deliverance
rather than stubbornly refusing to follow Him (vv.6-10) and finally exhorts
them to rejoice in the Lord. (v.11)
“Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man
whose sins the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no
deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day
long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as
in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up
my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you
forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalm32:1-5)
After Bathsheba’s child was dead, David
comforted her and she gave birth to another son, they named him Solomon .The
Lord loved him, because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the
prophet to name him Jedidiah. (2Samuel12:24-25). Jedidiah means “Beloved of the Lord”, or some scholars
interpreted, “For the Lord’s sake”. The
name marked Solomon as successor to the throne. The Lord kept His Word, and
covenant to King David as He promised that the right to rule would always
remain with David’s dynasty. “Your house and your kingdom will endure
forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” Jesus Christ is the ultimate
fulfillment of these promises (Luke1:31-33)[4] as
Davidic covenant to this generation.
Life implication/application
1. Marital infidelity is sin, and sin bears
consequences. When a parent willfully and irresponsibly acts against God’s
Word, commandments, laws, decrees and principles, not only does the parent
suffer, but the family suffers as well. The
one who sows to please his sinful nature, from the nature will reap destruction;
the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Don’t
be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (Galatians6:7-8). For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans6:23).
2. By the grace of God, the sins of adultery
and murder can be forgiven, but God’s judgment will come and it’s incredible
painful. Some may suffer illness physically, and mentally, spiritually torment.
Lost children, and suffer the consequence of rebellion, hatred, dysfunctional
family without peace and unity. In King David’s case, the judgment was
fulfilled in the violent deaths of his sons Amnon (13:28-29) and Absalom
(18:15) and in Absalom’s public appropriation of David’s royal concubines.
(16:22).
3.
God’s forgiveness and unfailing love are
the gifts as the grace of God to those who truly repent and turn away from sin.
4.
Let
him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1Cor.10:12)
5.
Keep faithful, stop commit adultery and
murder. Sin may be concealed from the public, but the omniscient God sees it.
6. A great leader needs a godly counselor
like Prophet Nathan to keep him (or her) in the path of righteousness.
7.
Handling the consequence the best
attitude is to pray, fast, be still and quiet.
Solitude seeking God’s help, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and strength for
the further guidance instead of pity party.
Bibliography,
Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and
Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd Chicago: The
University of Chicago press, 2000.
Brown, Robert, Philip W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New
Greek English Interlinear New Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc.1990.
Friberg,
Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical
Lexicon of the Greek New Testament.1st ed. Victoria BC:
Trafford Publishing, 2005.
King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing
company
New American Standard Bible, The Open Bible.. La Habra, CA: Thomas
nelson publishers, 1978.
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible
(NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute.1986.
Swindoll,
Charles R. A man of passion & destiny
David. Dallas, TX: Word publishing, Inc.1990
[1] Charles C. Ryrie, The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).(Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986),419.
[2] Charles R. Swindoll, David.(Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, Inc,1997),185-186.
[3] Charles C. Ryrie, The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).(Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986),423.
[4] Charles C. Ryrie, The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).(Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986),419.
