Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty

I like the Bible. Sure, it seems a given that a person in my position would, but I like it for more than just the obvious reasons. Reasons such as, it’s God’s Word, our directions for living, a history of Christianity.

No, I like it for another reason, as well. The Bible tells it like it is. We read about these heroes, but not just the great things they have done, oh no. We read about their failings, their wrongdoings, the evil things they did, their dark sides.

Think about it. Noah got drunk. Moses disobeyed God, Jonah was vindictive. Jacob cheated his brother. Peter denied Jesus. Paul used to persecute Christians. Abraham passed off Sarah as his sister. There’s a list of “heroes” for you.

And then you have David. Here was a man God had anointed as a youth. Here was a man who, as a youngster, had defeated the mighty Goliath. He was the general over Saul’s army. David was a man blessed by God, of whom it was said, “He is a man after God’s own heart”. But he was not perfect.

As we read in our scripture for today, he was human, with human failings. David’s sin both shocks and surprises us. Up till now we’ve read about the great things David had done. But like I said, that’s what I like about the Bible. It’s definitely not a view through rose colored glasses. It gives us the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let’s walk through this passage and see what made David human.

READ VERSE 1. Do you see the first problem? It’s at the end of the verse. “David remained at Jerusalem.” Now you might wonder, “Why, if kings go out to battle, was David at home? Well, it is true that, generally, kings lead their men into battle, but this battle was close enough to Jerusalem that David decided to stay home and have Joab report to him daily on the battle. BIG MISTAKE!

Maybe David was feeling his age, or nursing an injury or illness. Maybe he was unconcerned because he felt that his men had everything under control, or maybe he was just lazy. For whatever reason, David in the wrong place at the wrong time. He would have been safer fighting the midst of a fierce battle than walking alone on his rooftop.

READ VERSE 2. David was tempted! We can ALL relate to TEMPTATION!! There is no one here that has never been tempted in some way at some time or another in our lives. We all face temptation, maybe every day. Now, granted, some of the things we are tempted by are relatively insignificant.

Maybe we’re tempted to have an extra scoop of ice cream, or stay up a little later than we should watching the end of a movie, or not marking down a stroke on the golf course.

The problem is that pretty soon we face bigger and more serious temptations. Maybe we drive 70 in a 55 zone, or we cheat on our taxes, or we look at pornography on the Internet.

And we justify our giving in to temptation by saying, “Oh, I was running late. I usually do 55.” Or, “the government is always stickin’ it to us, so it’s only fair.” Or, “I’m only looking at women I don’t know. No one’s hurt.” BIG MISTAKE!!

There are 2 lies that Satan wants us to believe.

1. Just once won’t hurt.

2. Now that you’ve ruined your life, you’re beyond God’s use, and you might as well enjoy sinning.

Sin is always fun………at first.

READ VERSES 3-5. David not only looked and lusted, but he invited it into his house with him. If you have a weakness for sweets, don’t buy cookies at the store and take them home. If you’re an alcoholic, don’t buy a case of beer. If you have a gambling problem, don’t go to the boat for dinner.

David sent someone to get Bathsheba. He knows she’s married, but he sends for her anyway. Then he goes from the frying pan into the fire. Bam, she’s pregnant. Just like watching a soap opera, isn’t it?

Of course, David, being a “man after God’s own heart”, does the right thing and fesses up to her husband, right? Well, let’s see. He sends for Uriah the Hittite and says, “Hey, you’ve been fightin’ a great battle for me. Why don’cha take a break and “go down to your house”? Wink. Wink.”

Well, Uriah has some integrity and he’s having none of that. David wants to cover up his sin by tricking Uriah. READ VERSE 11. Here’s Uriah, well within his rights to sleep with his wife, refusing the order to do so by the one who has no problem sleeping with another man’s wife.