2 Samuel 11:6-13 - David and Bathsheba - Part 2
2 Samuel 11:2-5 (NLT)
Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking
on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of
unusual beauty taking a bath. 3 He sent someone to find out who she was, and
he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the
Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the
palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after
having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. 5 Later, when Bathsheba
discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m
pregnant.”
1. Four fallacies about temptation we learn from David.
Being married won’t keep you from being tempted.
Being older won’t keep you from being tempted.
Being anointed by God won’t keep you from being tempted.
Being tempted isn’t a sin.
Luke 4:1-4 (NLT)
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by
the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days.
Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. 3 Then the devil said to
him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 But
Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’”
2. Rather than ask for forgiveness, David attempts to hide his sin, scheme #1
2 Samuel 11:6-11 NLT
Then David sent word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to
David. 7 When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and the army were
getting along and how the war was progressing. 8 Then he told Uriah, “Go on
home and relax.” David even sent a gift to Uriah after he had left the palace.
9 But Uriah didn’t go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance with the
king’s palace guard.
10 When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him and
asked, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after being away
for so long?”
11 Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents,
and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go
home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do
such a thing.”
James 4:2-3 (NLT)
You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous
of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it
away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God
for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all
wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
3. Rather than follow Uriah’s example of integrity, David attempts scheme #2.
2 Samuel 11:12-13 NLT
“Well, stay here today,” David told him, “and tomorrow you may return to the
army.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.
13 Then David invited him to dinner and got him drunk. But even then he couldn’t
get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with the
king’s palace guard.
Habakkuk 2:15 (NLT)
“What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk! You force your cup on
them so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness.
Proverbs 28:13 (NLT)
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from
them, they will receive mercy.
James 4:7-10 (NLT)
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you
sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief.
Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life
of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so
easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and
perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross,
disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s
throne.
Further Study Questions:
1. Interestingly, we learn that David was married (to several women and several
concubines) and was still tempted. David was maturing in age and was still
tempted. David was anointed by God and was still tempted. Have you ever
thought temptations would go away when you achieve a certain status?
2. Read Read Luke 4:1-13. What do we learn from Jesus about temptation?
3. Read 2 Samuel 11:1-11. Why does David want Uriah to go home and what
does Uriah do?
4. As a teenager, recall a time, (that you can laugh at now) when you schemed
to coverup something you did. Looking back, what did you learn?
5. Read James 4:2-3. Underline the words and phrases that fit David.
6. Read 2 Samuel 11:12-13 and Habakkuk 2:15. What is David’s second
scheme?
7. What truth and promise are found in Proverbs 28:13?
8. In James 4:7-10, what wonderful wisdom is found in each verse? What will
the Lord do in verse 10?
9. Read Hebrews 12:1-2. Who does this sound like, David or Uriah? What key
insights are there for us to follow?
