This extract from Tim Chester’s 2 Samuel For You reflects on the story of David and Bathsheba from 2 Samuel 11.
Could you deliberately kill someone?
Could you reach a point in your life when in cold blood you plotted someone’s murder? You don’t think so? 2 Samuel 11 starts with David—a successful king, a lover of God, a man who has been searching for peace in his land, who has seen so much blessing as he has trusted the Lord—wandering on a rooftop enjoying the fresh air. Just 13 verses later he is arranging a wicked murder. This is David, God’s anointed king, the man after God’s heart. And he murders an innocent man. How does this happen? We should want to know for fear it might happen to us.
David didn’t decide to murder Uriah in a single moment. He was drawn into sin step by step. Even if your path doesn’t end in murder, it may end with the destruction of your soul. For, one way or another, sin leads to death. James says, “After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:15). This is a life-and-death issue.
Step One: Neglect your duty
The scary thing is that the whole process starts with nothing. The story begins with David neglecting his duty as king to lead the army into battle.How does this lead to further sin? Self-denial and service bring true satisfaction because this is what we were made for. Think of the people in your church who are happiest, and think of those who serve most. More often than not, you’ll find they’re the same people. When you curtail your service, you become unhappy. When you become unhappy, you become vulnerable to temptation. You’re left wide open to the false promises of sin. But, when you have joy in Christ, the enticements of sin fall on deaf ears.
Step Two: Indulge your eyes
David is wandering on the roof when he sees Bathsheba taking a bath. David’s sin was not to see Bathsheba; his sin was to keeping on looking. Where do your eyes wander? Perhaps you look at porn on the internet. Perhaps you watch rom-coms when you know they’ll make you discontented. Perhaps you look at someone who’s not your spouse and indulge your fantasies. Or maybe for you it’s not sexual temptation. Maybe you see adverts for cars or clothes, for houses or holidays, and let those adverts shape your longings, hopes and dreams. You think you’ll be happy only if you go on the holiday, buy the car or have the latest accessories. The gospel offers you joy in Christ. But you follow your eyes and, in the end, are dissatisfied with God’s goodness. You convince yourself that God is not enough.
Step Three: Betray your commitments
“Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her.” (11:4)
There are at least three different commitments that David abandons here—three adulteries. He betrays his commitment to God; to his other wives; and to his people. The mundane realities of having small children have made your marriage seem dull—certainly when compared with the excitement of an affair. Or perhaps your spouse is not all you hoped they might be and so you’ve looked elsewhere. Perhaps singleness became more than you felt you could endure, especially when you saw friends getting married. So now you’ve persuaded yourself that you have a right to what everyone else has. Or perhaps you have no idea how you ended up where you are, but here you are in adultery.
Step Four: Hide your Sin
Bathsheba falls pregnant, so David’s last move is a classic act of politics and power—a cover-up. When his ruse of inviting husband Uriah back from the front fails, he is forced on to the final step...
Murderer
And so the tragic tale concludes with a faithful, honourable man lying dead at the request of a heroic man of God who became a neglectful, indulgent, devious betrayer.
You may not be one step from murder, but you are four steps from it. It might not be murder. But sin can take you down paths you would never have dreamed of walking. Nobody decides one day to have an affair. Nobody decides one day to steal from their company. But if you neglect your duty, if you gratify your eyes, if you indulge your fantasies, if you fail to flee temptation—then that may be where you end up.
2 Samuel For You by Tim Chester is available now
Tim Chester is a senior faculty member of Crosslands Training and has written over 40 books. He has a PhD in theology and PgDip in history along with 25 years' experience of pastoral ministry. He is married with two grown-up daughters and lives in rural Derbyshire where he is part of a church plant.
