I Feel Your Pain

TITLE: I FEEL YOUR PAIN

SCRIPTURE: II SAMUEL 11:1-5 / 12:18a

This is a passage of Scripture that most if not all of us have been introduced to at a very early stage in our Christian journey. Between the two Scriptures that have been read there is so much that took place, that I will only briefly touch upon, so I encourage you to spend some time over the course of the next few days and read the Chapters to understand what God is saying to you.

Perhaps what we know about the text and what we understand about King David and Bathsheba has us somewhat disconnected as to the title of this morning’s message – I Feel Your Pain. This message this morning is going to deal with those among us that are STILL HURTING - HURT IN THE PAST AND STILL WEAR THE SCARS – DEALING WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PAIN, MOST OF THAT PAIN REFUSING TO LIE DORMANT IN OUR MINDS.

Do you mind if we just jump right into the passage, without my normal working with an Introduction to help focus and pave a path for us? That first verse tells us that David was already on a slippery slope - and the slope gets steeper. David should have been on the outskirts of Jerusalem - he should have been with his troops in battle against their enemies.

• I think that the first verse reminds us that we are most prone to temptation when we are not where we are supposed to be

• If David gets lost in this chapter, not being where he was supposed to be is his first steps in this journey

Can anybody here relate to that fact this morning? The most difficult times we have had in our lives happened when we were not where we were supposed to be. We deviated for just a moment. We find this same issue with ADAM after eating of the fruit. God asked a question, not that God was confused – GENESIS 3:9 “….ADAM WHERE ART THOU?” God was letting Adam know that he fell into sin because Adam was not where God left him. He was not where he was supposed to be. We find David on this slippery slope of sin because he was not where he was supposed to be. If we are truthful, we would all have to admit that we have been there throughout our lives. You remember don’t you:

• We told our parents we were one place when we were actually somewhere else

• If we had only been where we were supposed to be we never would have hooked up with that no good joker

• If we had only been in class instead of partying all over College Campus, we would have had the degree done by now

• If I had not been running all over town trying to find that knuckle head, would not have wrecked my car

• Not where we were supposed to be

• If I were only where I was supposed to be I would never have been introduced to Drugs

So this King was not where he was supposed to be and being restless, not able to sleep goes to the roof of the house and saw a very beautiful woman bathing. I always found it interesting that the text did not say Beautiful Woman, but quantifies it by placing the Adjective “Very” in front of the word Beautiful. From there an inquiry is made as to who is this Woman? The locomotive of sin is now moving down the track – full steam ahead.

My Biblical Curiosity was Aroused and I found it quite interesting how the narrator choose to introduce Bathsheba into this text. Is it just me or do you value the use of Words too?

• It is often the case that Biblical writers identify women by their husbands

• It is often the case that they identify women by their fathers

• It is rarely the case that Biblical writers identify women by both their husbands and their fathers

There is a reason for this, if we care to take time to study and labor in the Word. The narrator of our text does this to alert us, the readers, that the woman about whom David inquires is the daughter of one of thirty select military officers serving in David’s most elite corps:

• And that she is the spouse of another of these elite officers

• Of David’s thirty most trusted military officers, Bathsheba is related to two

• He fully understands that this is the wife and daughter of two of his finest Military Generals

• Promoted at the very hands of the King

• Uriah was not a common soldier