Place: Lurgan Baptist 2:3:2003

 

Reading: 2 Samuel 11:1-27

 

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DAVID

 

12. A SKELETON IN THE CLOSET

 

 

The human skeleton is a marvel of creation with its 206 distinct bones working in harmony to support the anatomy. A publication some years ago noted an interesting statistic that a well preserved skeleton sold for $190 in 1976. Because of inflation, that rate rose to $475 in 1978. A year later a foot brought $26 while a skull with teeth intact could cost $140. Skeletons can demand a high price. This is especially true of skeletons that are hidden in back closets. If we were honest most of us have to admit that we are harbouring one or more skeletons from the past, perhaps something that we have done or said that returns at times to haunt us. Our deepest prayer is that these skeletons might not be discovered by others. Now up to this period, David had avoided any major mistakes. Certainly, he had his problems, just as we all have but his closets were relatively clean. Beginning with ( Ch 11 ) however, things changed. An ugly blot stained the life of God’s man. Unfortunately, David allowed himself the luxury of playing with fire and ended up with third decree burns and scars that marred his image until his death.

( 1 Kings 15:5 ) Now before we examine this tragic experience in David’s life we must offer a word of caution. You see, the temptation will arise to point an accusing finger at David or Bathsheba to condemn or criticise. We might even compare our sins to theirs and seek to justify ourselves or exalt out self righteousness.

Our purpose this …. is to discover the reason for this sin, its descending road, and its tragic results in order that we might avoid the pitfalls of any sin. If you shake your head in shame over David then you have completely missed the warning, “ Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

( 1 Cor 10:12 ) Wedged between the words,

“ standeth,” and “ fall,” are the words “ take heed.” My …. do we not need to do that on a regular basis ? For if we do not “ take heed,” by running as fast as we can from this kind of temptation, we will fall just as David did, for your flesh is as equally weak as his. Notice the scene opens here with:

 

(1) AN UNGUARDED MOMENT

 

David was now about fifty years old. He had been on the throne approximately twenty years. It was the springtime of the year, March or April. Joab was on the battlefield, David was in the city. Someone has said,

“ While Joab laid siege against Rabbah Satan laid siege against David.” Now this is the third time we see David in the capital alone. The first time in ( Ch 7 ) his thoughts turned to God. ( Ark ) The second time in

( Ch 9 ) his thoughts turned to others. ( Mephibosheth )

The third time here in ( Ch 11 ) his thoughts turned to

self. The sun was beginning to set on that cool refreshing day. The fighting was far away. With joy and perhaps a pinch of pride, he gazed over the growing city named after himself. But as the darkness began to creep across the Judean hills, darkness began to creep across David’s soul as he caught a glimpse of a young Jewish girl bathing in the evening. Suddenly, there was a lurid thought, a lustful look, and a lingering result. What led to this sin, to this unguarded moment. You see, David didn’t fall suddenly, some chinks had already begun to form in his spiritual armour. Look at three of them.

 

(a) INDULGENCE:

 

Go back to ( 5:13 ) Although the blessing of God was on him, on the people and upon his decisions and leadership, he increased the number of his wives and concubines. This was in direct violation of God’s commands. For in the Book of Deuteronomy ( Ch 17 ) we read that God’s king was not to multiply wives to himself. As David’s harem grew so did his lust. Brick by brick the wall of his integrity was crumbled by the crashing waves of his passion. For years David had been feeding his fleshly appetite, therefore paving the way for adultery with Bathsheba. You see, this king who took another man’s wife already had a harem full of women. Do know one of the lies of the devil ? If you satisfy you’re physical drives, they will be abated. No !

They will increase ! There is danger in gratifying the flesh. ( 2 Tim 2:22 ) Even when we play with sin in our thought life, there is the danger of being mastered by it.

Give sin an inch and it will take a mile. Sin has a tremendous appetite the more it is fed, the more it wants until it gets to the stage where instead of us controlling it, it controls us. ( Prov 4:23 ) (a)

 

(b) INDOLENCE:

 

Look art ( 11:1 ) David was in bed, not in battle. Had he been where he belonged, with his troops, there never would have been the Bathsheba episode. Because David chose to stay at home in his palace, he started off the chain of events which resulted in this temptation. Instead of fighting he became idle. Do you know something ? Our greatest battles don’t usually come when we are working hard, they come when we have leisure time, when we’ve got time on our hands, when we are bored. That’s when we make those fateful decisions that come back to haunt us. Martin Luther says, “ The human heart unless it be occupied with spiritual employment leaves space for the devil who wriggles himself in and brings with him a whole host of evil thoughts and temptations.” My …. are we vigilant in those moments of leisure ? Are we watchful in those times of relaxation ? Are we on guard during those

“ light hours, ?” ( Matt 26:41 ) One of the most effective ways to avoid yielding to temptation is to be involved in the work of the Lord. So there (a) (b)

 

(c) INDIFFERENCE:

 

1. David was Careless as to what he SAW:

 

Can you see him as he rises from his bed ? He stands on his palatial palace …. healthy, handsome, hawk like in his gaze. He is proud, prosperous and the most powerful potentate in that part of the world. I mean David can have anything he wants. Then he sees beautiful Bathsheba. The Hebrew conveys the idea that she was a smasher, she’s a knock out, physically attractive beyond description. The trouble was he continued to stare. His desires were activated by the sight and he failed to curb them. Desire conceived the sin in his mind, his will surrendered and this led to sin, and sin led to death. He saw, he sent, he took. Does it not remind you of the Garden of Eden ? ( James 1:14 ) And it all began with a lustful look ! Do you know the chorus ? “ Oh, be careful little eyes what you see.” My …. are we vigilant in the programmes that we watch, papers that what we read, company that we keep ? ( Job 31:1 ) 1.

 

2. Bathsheba was Careless as to what she SHOWED:

 

The sight of her was provocative to David and it could be that Bathsheba knew exactly what she was doing  when she chose to bathe in view of where the king might see her. My …. in a society where anything goes if you want to be part of the answer to the common battles with sensuality rather than part of the problem, then work in cooperation with righteousness. That means that you give thought to your dress, your looks, your actions, and your conduct ! It means that you are modest, careful and controlled, not leaving even a hint of allurement, lest another be tempted. ( 1 Tim 2:9 ) (1)

 

(2) AN UNSUCCESSFUL MANEUVER

 

David got what he wanted, he was satisfied and he thought that was the end of the matter, but then sin won’t stay silent, skeletons don’t stay in the closet, chickens come home to roost. Did you notice ( 11:5 ) ?

What could David do ? Can you imagine the turmoil he must have been going through in those moments ? Should he admit his sin or cover up ? David decided to cover up. Can you see here:

 

(a) DAVID’S PATENT DECEPTION:

 

You see, instead of facing his sin and confessing it. David panicked. “ Why this cannot happen to me, I am the King. I am different. I am special.” Quickly he sent for Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, one of David’s mighty men ( 23:29 ) and Uriah came in and talked about the battle, but the thing that David was concerned about was not the progress of the battle but the pregnancy of Bathsheba. David wanted Uriah home so that David could father the child off on Uriah. But his ploy didn’t work so in desperation he tried something else. He made Uriah drunk but still he did not go home. No doubt the stolen waters of David and Bathsheba’s sin was sweet but the consequences were turning bitter. My …. Satan is a two faced foe. Satan never tells the heavy drinker,

“ Tomorrow there’ll be a hang over. Ultimately, you’ll ruin your family.” He never tells the drug user, “ this is the beginning of a long, sorrowful dead end road.” He does not warn the adulterer, “ You know, pregnancy is a real possibility, or you could get a life threatening disease.” Face it, when the sin is done, and its time for you to reap the consequences, the devil is nowhere to be found. He smiles as you tumble ! Was it not Walter Scott who said, “ Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” (a) But against that there was:

 

(b) URIAH’S PERSONAL DEDICATION:

 

Did you notice the contrast between David’s self-indulgence in ( 11:1-2 ) and Uriah’s self-denial in

( 11:11 ) Uriah refused legitimate pleasure, but David not refuse illegitimate pleasure ! Uriah was some kind of disciplinarian wasn’t he ? What a faithful soldier. Who taught him to be this kind of man ? David ! Until now David had lived like that, but now instead of being on the battleground, he’s on the playground. My …. are you like David or Uriah ? Are you marked by self-indulgence or self denial ? The Lord Jesus said, “ If any man will come after me let him deny himself.”

( Matt 16:24 ) Do you deny self in order to promote the work of God ? Do you endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ ? (1) had led to (2) and now:

 

(3) AN UNBELIEVABLE MESSAGE

 

For seeing no other alternative David set down with paper and pen as he had done so often in his life, but this time it was not a psalm that flowed from a joyful heart but rather a sentence of death from a desperate king. In essence the note said, “ Send Uriah into the worst part of the fighting, then pull the rest of the troops back. Leave him there to die.” ( 11:15 ) David wrote the message, sealed it and said, “ Uriah take this to Joab.”

Let me ask you, did he trust Uriah ? All the way. He sent the man off with his own death warrant in his hand.

Do you see:

 

(a) THE LENGTHS DAVID WAS WILLING TO GO:

 

Is this the man after God’s own heart ? Is this the valiant warrior ? Is this the composer of psalms ? Is this the King of Israel ? Adultery was followed by ingratitude, deception, injustice, temptation, treachery and now murder ! My …. what has happened to David ? What has turned him from being a man of God into a deceitful hypocrite ? Think of (a) and think of:

 

(b) THE LIVES DAVID WAS WILLING TO GIVE:

 

For we read in ( 11:17 ) “ And there fell some of the people of the servants of David …. and some of the kings servants be dead.” You see, it wasn’t just Uriah who fell in the battle, other soldiers died as well. Many paid the price for David’s sin on that battlefield yet David says, “ That’s all right Joab ! Stay at it ! Tell them to go on.” My …. do we realise that playing with sin is like playing with fire ? If you don’t stuff out temptation when it first sparks in your mind the fire may be burn out of control. What all started as a lustful thought in David’s mind led to adultery which spread to deception which culminated in murder. Do we take temptation seriously enough ?  Do we recognise that we’ll never reach a point in this life where we are entirely through with sin ? Some of you might think that you have walked so long with God that you are too strong for temptation ! Never ! For you could fall after spending a lifetime of service for God ! (1) (2) (3) and finally:

 

(4) AN UNAFFECTED MONARCH

 

For when David heard the news of Uriah’s death his response is shocking. ( 11:25 ) In other words, “ You win some, you lose some.” He was completely unmoved. David was unaffected:

 

(a) MORALLY:

 

Do you see how far his sin had carried him ? He began with covetousness and he ended with callousness. Some of his most loyal men had been killed. Yet the King was unmoved through the hardness of his own sin. David put on a front until the week of mourning was over, then he asked Bathsheba to be his wife ! ( Gen 50:10 1 Sam 31:13 ) Can’t you hear David saying, “ Her husband has been so faithful to me through all these years, it’s the least I can do.” Can’t you imagine the people saying, “ What a great king we have to be so concerned about the wife and family of one of his mighty men.” I tell you with a sigh of relief David thought that everyone had been fooled. “ But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” ( 11:27 ) (a) But …. unaffected:

 

(b) SPIRITUALLY:

 

For not once did he seek God’s grace or forgiveness ! Yes, he had maintained his integrity in the eyes of the people, but his fellowship with God was broken. “ But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” That’s the same word that’s used in ( 11:25 ) it means to “ be evil or bad.” Joab was not told not to view David’s actions as bad or evil, but God viewed them that way.

“ But the thing that David done displeased the Lord.”

As one of the Puritans said, “ All the moisture of heaven had lapsed into drought. Everything was dry and barren in his soul.” “ But the thing that David …. Lord.” Have you done something recently that has displeased the Lord ? Oh, you may not be guilty of adultery or murder, but you’re just as much out of the will of God as he was. Your prayer life is dead, your Bible study is dull, your fellowship is broken. What have you done ? Have you tried to conceal your sin ?

( Prov 28:13 ) Or have you confessed it ? ( 1 Jn 1:9 ) My …. not one of us is ever immune to the temptations of sin. David was “ a man after God’s own heart,” yet lust was too big for him. David had enjoyed success but that did not keep him from failure. David was now over fifty years of age but the lust or desire of the flesh was still strong !

 

My …. lets be vigilant, lets stay close to the Lord, lets keep our hands occupied with the work of the Lord. A father walked out of a restaurant with his little son one day. There was one of the newspaper racks there, where you just left the money and took the paper, and went on your way. The father reached in and got his newspaper, but didn’t put out any money. He looked back in the restaurant, looked up and down up the street. He said,

“ Come on son, lets go.” The little boy said,

“ But Daddy you forgot to look up.” My …. there is a God in heaven and He is the All-Seeing God.

Will you go out and live in the realisation that “ all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do,”?