David and Bathsheba

 

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Key Verse 27b 

“But the thing David had done displeased the LORD”

Today’s passage shows David’s main mistake and sin. It shows David’s limitation as a man. But it also shows how we all live by God’s mercy even for a man after God’s own heart. We need to fight against our sin from small things. When we sin we must seek God’s forgiveness instead of trying to hide it. 

Read verses 1-5. What does David do instead of going off to battle against the Ammonites? (1)  When David gets up in the evening and walk around on the roof of the palace, what does he see? (2) Who is the beautiful woman David saw from the roof of the palace? (3)  What happens after David sends for her and what is the outcome of this event? (4, 5)  How might David feel when he hears the news from Bathsheba?

Read verses 1-5. 

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.

² 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, ³ and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he sleptwith her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. ⁵ The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

What does David do instead of going off to battle against the Ammonites? (1) 

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.

David became lazy and did not participate in battles. He remained in Jerusalem. This small and insignificant thing led him to commit huge sin.

 

When David gets up in the evening and walk around on the roof of the palace, what does he see? (2) 

² 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, 

He became lazy and boring. So he walked around on the roof on evening just to spend time. Again this small act led him to commit terrible sin.

Who is the beautiful woman David saw from the roof of the palace? (3)

³ and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 

  

When David found out that she is married woman he should have stopped it. But his desire for her was stronger than his faith in God and any other thing. At first he found out about her, thinking that he will sleep with her only if she is a virgin. 

What happens after David sends for her and what is the outcome of this event? (4, 5) 

⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. ⁵ The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

Even thought David wanted to hide his sin, his sin found him. Bathsheba did not have many choices even though she did not want when David wanted to sleep with her. She has some portion of responsibility. So her husband and her son from David eventually all died.

 

How might David feel when he hears the news from Bathsheba?

David’s heart must have sunken. The small laziness led him to commit huge sin. And now his sin had an evidence that he could not remove. 

Read verses 6-13. When David learns that Bathsheba is pregnant, what does he do? (6-8))  How does Uriah respond to David telling him to go to his house? (9)  What is the reason Uriah gives David for not going home? (11)  What do you think we can learn from Uriah?  Upon hearing his reasons, what does David do? (12 13a)  What does Uriah do after he eats and drinks with David? (13b)

Read verses 6-13. 

⁶ So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David.⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.”So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.

¹⁰ David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?”

¹¹ Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”

¹² Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³ At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home.

When David learns that Bathsheba is pregnant, what does he do? (6-8)

⁶ So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David.⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.”So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. 

David planned to hide his sin by helping Uriah to sleep with Bethsheba. So he summoned Uriah by using his authority as king.

How does Uriah respond to David telling him to go to his house? (9)

⁹ But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.

Uriah was one of David’s loyal generals and he was faithful with his soldiers.

  

What is the reason Uriah gives David for not going home? (11)

¹¹ Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”

Uriah knew all other soldiers and his commander had a hard time. So he did not want to take advantage of comfortable life even though it was what the king allowed him. He was a faithful general. But his faithfulness gave David the difficulty to hide his sin.

David could have confessed his sin at this time being reminded of the ark and God when Uriah mentioned about the ark. It might not be a huge trouble if David just did not try to hide his sin by killing Uriah. But his sin made him fearful and David did a terrible thing.

  

What do you think we can learn from Uriah?

He realized that Uriah would not go and sleep with his wife and his plan would not work out.

  

Upon hearing his reasons, what does David do? (12-13a) 

¹² Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³ At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk.

David wanted to try to deceive him once more.

 

What does Uriah do after he eats and drinks with David? (13b)

But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home.

However Uriah controlled himself even after he was drunk and slept on his mat with his soldiers of Jaob.

Read verses 14-21. What does David say in his letter to Joab? (14,15) What does Joab do? (16) What happens to Uriah? (17)  What does Joab tell his messenger to tell to David? (18-21)

Read verses 14-21. 

¹⁴In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵ In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.”

¹⁶ So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

¹⁸ Joab sent David a full account of the battle. ¹⁹ He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, ²⁰ the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? ²¹ Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’”

What does David say in his letter to Joab? (14,15)

¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵ In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.”

Basically David wanted to kill Uriah through the hands of David. Joab would be innocent because he did not know what was going on. He simply obeyed the king’s order. He might have thought that David found some kind of treason.

What does Joab do? (16)

¹⁶ So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 

Joab obeyed David’s order at the cost of losing some soldiers.

 

What happens to Uriah? (17)

¹⁷ When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

Uriah died but he did not know anything.

  

What does Joab tell his messenger to tell to David? (18-21)

¹⁸ Joab sent David a full account of the battle. ¹⁹ He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, ²⁰ the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? ²¹ Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’”

Joab knew David would be mad because many soldiers died. But he did it in order to obey David’s order. So he instructed the messenger to point out the death of Uriah if David got mad.

Read verses 22-27. What does the messenger say to David about the battle?  (22-24) What does David tell the messenger to relay to Joab? (25)  How does Bathsheba respond to her husband’s death? (26)  What does David do after she mourns? (27a) How does God respond to what David had done? (27b)

 

Read verses 22-27. 

²² The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. ²³ The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. ²⁴ Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.”

²⁵ David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”

²⁶ When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷ 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 thing David had done displeased the LORD.

What does the messenger say to David about the battle?  (22-24)

²² The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. ²³ The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. ²⁴ Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.”

Somehow what Uriah said to the messenger is emphasized because it is repeatedly written twice. The messenger basically told David what Joab had told him to say.

 What does David tell the messenger to relay to Joab? (25)

²⁵ David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”

David encouraged Joab because he realized that Joab obeyed him at the cost of soldiers.

  

How does Bathsheba respond to her husband’s death? (26)

²⁶ When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.

She mourned for him. She did not know her husband died because of David. 

  

What does David do after she mourns? (27a)

After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son.

He took her to be his wife and she bore him a son.

 

How does God respond to what David had done? (27b)

But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.

But God was living and he did not like what David did. David displeased the lord. It was

 Intentional murder to hide his sin.

James 1:15 “Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

David could have sought the forgiveness from Uriah and Bathsheba but he did not do so. David’s desire to seek a little bit of comfortable life led him to commit huge sin. We must fight sin from the root and beginning.

When we sin we need to remember God’s grace of forgiveness and ask his mercy instead of trying to hide by lying which will lead us to commit greater sin.

End.