Now, David was settled in his palace in the City of David, with many slave girls and his two wives. He had brought the Ark of God near to him and he rested from his enemies. HIs prophet was now Nathan, and one day David said to Nathan, "Here I am, living in a palace, while the Ark of God remains in a tent." Nathan replied, "Whatever you have in mind, the Lord is with you." But, that night the Lord came to Nathan, saying, "Tell my servant David, '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. I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, son of your own body, and he will be king. 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. I will punish him if he does wrong, but my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever.'"
David, in answer to His Lord's revelation said, "How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel--the one nation on earth that You have redeemed from Egypt? O Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you , O Lord have spoken."
Now, David had peace, in his house and in his world. And one day while loitering on his balcony, he happened to see a woman taking her daily bath on the roof of a neighboring building. He was enthralled at her beauty and desired to meet her. David sent someone to find out about her, and the man told him, "She is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, who fights in your army." Then David sent messengers to get her and she came to him and he slept with her and she conceived. So David tried three times to bring Uriah home to sleep with her, but the soldier did not sleep with her because he did not want to sleep with his wife when his fellow soldiers would not have this same privilege. David was frustrated with this man and sent word to Joab, the leader of his army, and told Joab, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then, withdraw from him so he will be struck down, and die!" So, this is how David got Bathsheba as his own.
Study/"David put both Bathsheba and Joab in difficult situations. She knew adultery was wrong, but to refuse a king's request could mean punishment or death. Perhaps she rationalized this away, or perhaps she was proud that he wanted her, or she may have deliberately bathed in his view. And Joab did not know why Uriah had to die but it was obvious the king wanted him killed. We sometimes face situations with only two apparent choices, and both wrong. Therefore, we must not lose sight of what God wants. The answer may be to seek out more choices. By doing this, we are likely to find a choice that honors God." Certainly, let us hope, or else, put our own desires aside.
Study/ "David showed no grief for Uriah, a good man with strong spiritual character. Why? David had become callous to his own sin. The only way to cover up his first sin, adultery, was to sin again, and soon he no longer felt guilty for what he had done. Feelings are not reliable guides for determining right and wrong. Deliberate, repeated sinning had dulled David's sensitivity to God's laws and others' rights."
What a mess our hero dug for himself! Hero no longer? Or just a sinner like the rest of us! If he were alive today, I would suggest we pray for him. Perhaps we should pray for all those who may be caught up in this kind of "live trap"! More tomorrow on the outcome of David's situation.
Does David have a conscience?
Jo INMN
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