_ (13) And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house. (14) And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. (15) And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. (16) And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were. (17) And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.”
There is one book in this world that spells out very clearly exactly what we need to know about sin and it’s unintended consequences. There is so much. There are so many Scripture passages that spell out the sins of man; it will be difficult for me to say all that needs to be said about it in light of King David. But let’s start here.
First, we are betrayed by our own inner desires. Most of us most of the time don’t know the power of our own sinful desires. Take for example your tendency to lying and deceit. David has now discovered that Bathsheba is pregnant and that he is the father. So, how does he handle it? He sends for Bathsheba’s husband and proceeds to engage in small talk with him. He asks him how the war is going. Couldn’t he have asked Joab himself? Is Uriah now his trusted advisor on the ongoing battles in the campaign against the Ammonites?
Look at the further and deeper sins. David commands Uriah to go home to be with his wife, the woman David has committed adultery with and who now is carrying his child. Rather than admit his sin, confess it to Uriah and face the consequences, David chooses to cover up his sin. When our guilt is evident to our spirits, we should realize that our guilt is God’s way of pushing us towards repentance. David calls for the valet and the chef and proceeds to send a beautiful meal to Uriah’s house. If Uriah was David’s new war correspondent, why not have a good meal with David? Then, when David finds out that Uriah wouldn’t sleep in his own house and in his own bed and that he stays at the palace and sleeps with the servants at David’s door that night instead, David proceeds with a line of questioning that only shows David his own foolishness while at the same time revealing the character of the good man that Uriah truly is.
Look again at Uriah’s response to David’s questions, verse eleven. (11) “And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.” David has lusted after Bathsheba. He has taken her and committed adultery with her. He knows that Bathsheba is now carrying his child. Now he attempts to cover up of his sins. And he’s discovering that Uriah is an honorable man, the say the least. So to further cover up his sins, David conjures up a plan. He invites Uriah in for a meal, gets him drunk, and sends him to his own house to be with his wife, verse thirteen, only to find that Uriah is extremely loyal to David. (13) “And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.” Uriah stays at the king’s door one more night as evidence of his love for David and loyalty to him.
So, David writes a personal letter to Captain Joab telling him to set Uriah at the forefront of the battle lines in hopes of seeing his slain in battle. And who hand-carries this letter to Captain Joab, but faithful, unsuspecting, loyal Uriah? Go on to Page Three
There is one book in this world that spells out very clearly exactly what we need to know about sin and it’s unintended consequences. There is so much. There are so many Scripture passages that spell out the sins of man; it will be difficult for me to say all that needs to be said about it in light of King David. But let’s start here.
First, we are betrayed by our own inner desires. Most of us most of the time don’t know the power of our own sinful desires. Take for example your tendency to lying and deceit. David has now discovered that Bathsheba is pregnant and that he is the father. So, how does he handle it? He sends for Bathsheba’s husband and proceeds to engage in small talk with him. He asks him how the war is going. Couldn’t he have asked Joab himself? Is Uriah now his trusted advisor on the ongoing battles in the campaign against the Ammonites?
Look at the further and deeper sins. David commands Uriah to go home to be with his wife, the woman David has committed adultery with and who now is carrying his child. Rather than admit his sin, confess it to Uriah and face the consequences, David chooses to cover up his sin. When our guilt is evident to our spirits, we should realize that our guilt is God’s way of pushing us towards repentance. David calls for the valet and the chef and proceeds to send a beautiful meal to Uriah’s house. If Uriah was David’s new war correspondent, why not have a good meal with David? Then, when David finds out that Uriah wouldn’t sleep in his own house and in his own bed and that he stays at the palace and sleeps with the servants at David’s door that night instead, David proceeds with a line of questioning that only shows David his own foolishness while at the same time revealing the character of the good man that Uriah truly is.
Look again at Uriah’s response to David’s questions, verse eleven. (11) “And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.” David has lusted after Bathsheba. He has taken her and committed adultery with her. He knows that Bathsheba is now carrying his child. Now he attempts to cover up of his sins. And he’s discovering that Uriah is an honorable man, the say the least. So to further cover up his sins, David conjures up a plan. He invites Uriah in for a meal, gets him drunk, and sends him to his own house to be with his wife, verse thirteen, only to find that Uriah is extremely loyal to David. (13) “And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.” Uriah stays at the king’s door one more night as evidence of his love for David and loyalty to him.
So, David writes a personal letter to Captain Joab telling him to set Uriah at the forefront of the battle lines in hopes of seeing his slain in battle. And who hand-carries this letter to Captain Joab, but faithful, unsuspecting, loyal Uriah? Go on to Page Three