The children begged for a hamster, and after the usual fervent vows that they alone would care for it, they got one. They named him Danny. It was 2 months later when Mom found herself responsible for cleaning and feeding the creature. She located a prospective new home for it.
Mom was surprised that the kids took the news of Danny's impending exit quite well, although one of them said, "He's been around here a long time – we’ll miss him."
"Yes, But he's too much work for one person and since I'm that one person, I say he goes."
Another child offered, "Well, maybe if he wouldn't eat so much and wouldn't be so messy we could keep him." But Mom was firm.
"It's time to take Danny to his new home now. Go get his cage."
With one uproar all the kids shouted, "Danny? We thought you said Daddy!"
Today is Father’s Day! For some reason, it has never received quite the amount of press that Mother’s Day receives. This is a strange thing, because a father’s intrinsic influence has incredible potential in the shaping of sons and daughters.
Ill - Illinois Bell reported a few years ago that the volume of long-distance calls made on Father's Day was growing faster than the number on Mother's Day. They apologized for the delay in compiling the statistics, and explained that the extra billing of calls to fathers slowed things down. Most of them were made collect.
Ill – Someone wrote in a Father's Day card: "Dad, everything I know I learned from you, except for ONE thing that I learned on my own: the family car can do 110 mph!" Happy Father's Day!
Much of the loss of family influence and stability in our current age has been linked to the loss of influence of fathers. So, dads, we need men who will be men after God’s own heart, like David was called.
Acts 13:22 After removing Saul, he [God] made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'
In retrospect, David was a giant. His name and life are recalled more than any other OT character. He was a good man. And David stumbled, no, fell. Today, we’re looking at one of those times he fell. It’s a short story, but it had a lifelong impact on David.
2 Samuel 11:2-5 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant."
To make matters worse, the rest of the chapter is about the way David made a few attempts at a cover-up that flopped. God knows what we do. And the punishment David would incur is evidence of it:
2 Samuel 12:10-12, 14 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.' "This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'"
14 …because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die."
Remember, this is part of the life of “a man after God’s own heart.” In other words, sometimes good people fall, and they fall in a way that causes lots of people lots of pain. Dads, give attention to this.
Now, you’re a “good person.” After all, you’re here at Villa Heights on Father’s Day! But if you think you’re above messing up real badly, you’ve not been paying much attention to the life of David!
I have to ask myself, “Why did God have this part of David’s life included?” He obviously left out a lot of details. Why did He choose to include this?
All I can conclude is that God put this here for us to look at so that we won’t repeat David’s mistakes. In other words, it’s right for us to look at this chapter at David’s dirty laundry and to consider what contributed to his stumble. There are some principles there to help us not repeat his mistakes. In fact, I can’t think of any other reason that the Lord would have placed this story here.
What good, positive principles can I take out of this story that will keep it from becoming my story?
I. Be Careful When You Succeed
1 Corinthians 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!
Those words from Paul come right in the middle of the history of Israel and all their mess-ups.
David is at least 50 in II Sam 11. He has come such a long way. His family originally had voted him “least likely to be the next king of Israel,” but he has beaten the odds, in their eyes. Instead, he’s a published singer and songwriter; he’s a military genius; and as king of Israel he has established the nation in strength. Ch. 5-10 are all full of David’s successes.
2 Samuel 5:12 And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
David wasn’t blind or ignorant of his success. He knew it. He could count the victories, the servants, the spoil of his military campaigns. He knew. He looked at himself and thought of himself as someone who was standing.
Somewhere “out there” is a long list of former successes from recent history – a long list of names we don’t remember, because sometime after their success, they fell badly. Success has ruined many otherwise good people.
Ill - The March 1991 issue of Omni magazine included an article about “the success syndrome.” Its victims suffer from the three A's: aloneness, adventure-seeking, and adultery. It said the successful person snaps his Midas fingers and people jump. Yet, once a person seems to have it all, the castle comes crashing down and everything he or she touches turns to garbage.
There’s nothing wrong with counting your blessings. Just remember, when that list gets long is typically a time when good people fall. Be careful when you succeed.
II. Be Careful When You’re at Ease
Proverbs 30:7-9 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Notice at the start of this chapter where David is. Up till now, he’s been on the battlefield with his armies:
2 Samuel 11:1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
Not only is David at home this time, sitting on his royal couch and watching soap operas, but the Ark of the Covenant, which he had brought into Jerusalem, is camping out with the troops. (v11).
We find David, in a time of day when it’s still light enough to see the neighbor’s back porch, in bed. He’s bored, or hot or something, so he gets up to take a walk.
He’s not reading up on war correspondences. He’s not working on writing a new song. He’s home, at ease, with plenty of time on his hands.
It’s no coincidence that David’s big fall happens at a time like this in his life. Not much is challenging him. He’s accountable to no one. That’s where the devil does his best work. Hey, David has put in his years – he started young. He deserves a chance to kick back and enjoy some at-ease time. OK. Granted.
Just make a note that David’s time of inactivity and boredom is the time he also fell hard.
If you’re retired; if you’re headed for vacation; if you’re off school for the summer; if your life has changed from busyness to the opposite, BE CAREFUL!
We weren’t made to do nothing. We were made to use our resources for the Lord’s glory – our work and our rest, our ability to be productive and our opportunities to take a break – all for the Lord’s glory. Be careful when you’re at ease.
III. Understand True Satisfaction
I don’t get impression that David was a sexual pervert; that this was a way of life for him. But there is evidence that he made some mistakes in understanding satisfaction in this area of his life.
2 Samuel 5:13 After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.
God had specifically forbidden kings from doing this in Dt 17. Israel’s king wasn’t supposed to multiply wives for himself. Did David think that by having many wives and concubines he would satisfy his appetite for pleasure? Obviously it didn’t satisfy it. Instead, it fed it. “If you keep on throwing steaks to a tiger, it doesn’t turn vegetarian!”
This is no new concept; nor is it an old one. In the very true words of the famed theologian Mick Jagger, “I can’t get no satisfaction.”
David was king. He could have chosen from any of a number of his wives or concubines that night. He was surrounded by anything he could want. So was he satisfied?
Quote - Oswald Chambers – “The man or woman who does not know God demands an infinite satisfaction from other human beings which they cannot give, and in the case of the man, he becomes tyrannical and cruel. It springs from this one thing, the human heart must have satisfaction, but there is only one Being Who can satisfy the last abyss of the human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.”
We need to understand true satisfaction. When it ceases to be a by-product of a good life and becomes the goal of life, it eludes us. How ironic – Jesus said if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we’ll be satisfied. But everything else in life that we crave and try to get never satisfies.
I know this isn’t a popular message, but having more isn’t what makes people happy. There’s no end to it. Look at this tragedy in David’s life and understand true satisfaction.
IV. Think Ahead
It’s pretty obvious that David wasn’t thinking very far ahead – right up to the time that he took Bathsheba to be his wife. After his attempted cover-up failed, and he married her, did he think that no one in Israel could count 9 months?
Understand this, Satan doesn’t want you to think ahead when he tempts you. He never tips his cards for you to see the consequences.
What if that was the devil’s approach? His messages to you would sound more like this:
• “Go ahead. Get drunk. It’ll be fun. Tonight you’ll wreck your car and lose your license for DUI. And in the morning, you’ll be in jail with a hangover.”
• “C’mon, cheat on the test. You’ll get a good grade, at least until the teacher finds out and then you’ll flunk it and be suspended.”
• “C’mon, don’t run away from your big chance on this date. You’ll both feel real good, and then later you’ll end up feeling guilty and used and cast aside and confused.”
• “C’mon, tell the lie. Everyone else is. Most people won’t find out. When they do, you’ll be fired and disgraced. You won’t be able to get another job for a while, and your whole family will be ashamed of you.”
If Satan used this approach, who would ever do it? If the people he tempted were reminded of the consequences, who would give in? Of course he doesn’t want us to think ahead. Instead, he helps blind our reasoning to the truths we already know.
Ill – There’s a scene in Episode 1 of Star Wars that came to my mind here. It’s only there for a few seconds. To appreciate it, you have to understand that the boy, Anakin, is about to participate in a race. His spiritual trainer, Quigon, is giving him some “winning advice” for the racetrack. (play clip: “Concentrate on the moment. Feel, don’t think. Listen to your instincts”)
I know it’s just a fantasy movie, but we wouldn’t send our kids out on a date with such advice. Why do we tend to follow it ourselves sometimes when we’re tempted?
Don’t think of just the moment. Think ahead. Consider the consequences that Satan wants to hide from you.
V. Remember What God has Done
David had to mentally distance himself from God. It’s not that he developed a hatred of God. It was a deliberate forgetfulness of God.
Ill - Get inside of David’s head with me for a minute. The power God had given him over a lion and over a bear, the power and courage to face the giant Goliath – all those times that God had been there by his side, all those memories of times in the past when God had given him victory – they all fade away in the great gallery of his mind’s eye, and the spotlight is turned on just the prospects of the moment. There’s a beautiful woman over there. All he can see now is the present, and the possible immediate future. And it looks good to him.
Imagine for a moment all he had to ignore. He forgot his position as king. He forgot his marital vows. He forgot God’s Law. He forgot the consequences of sin. He forgot God!
When the news comes that Bathsheba is pregnant, not only is David’s memory of God faded, but his ability to make rational decisions is gone too.
He did the right thing when he realized that he’d messed up. He did the wrong thing when He decided he needed to cover it up.
So, Bathsheba’s husband Uriah is brought home off the battlefield. If David could just get him to spend some time with Bathsheba, there would be no problem! Uriah is sent home with royal room service for 2. But Uriah is a soldier of such character that he refuses to enjoy time with his wife while the rest of the army is out fighting. So David tries getting him drunk. Uriah still won’t go home. Finally, David sends him back to the battlefield with a sealed letter in his hand. Uriah doesn’t know that it bears his own death sentence. And David uses the Amonites’ sword as a murder weapon to kill Uriah. (12:9)
Think with me. What did killing Uriah accomplish? It didn’t cover the sin. It made more people aware of it. It didn’t cover David’s sin. It added to it. Rational thought was gone. David was mentally distancing himself from God.
All a good person has to do to fall badly is to forget what God has done. Forget the hard times He has brought you through. Forget the times of victory. Forget the answered prayers, the blessings, the challenges He has helped you through. In fact, you’ll have to forget those if you’re going to fall real badly. You’ll have to set them aside somewhere else for a while. You can’t dwell on the great things God has done and fall badly.
Or, you could fill your life with reminders of the good things God has done. You could surround yourself with the people and the things that help you remember.
Why is it we come here each week, together, and in the middle of everything remember Jesus and what He did at Calvary? It’s because it’s impossible to focus on the cross and the wrong stuff of the world at the same time. It’s impossible to hang around with brothers and sisters in Christ and live like we don’t belong in the family at the same time. We’re here to be reminded of what God has done, and to be reminded that we belong to Someone Who shines brighter than anything else that would make us fall.
Hebrews 10:24-25 “…let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
In other words, let’s help each other remember what God has done as a way of keeping ourselves from falling.
Conclusion:
Now, there’s a plan for not falling. Is it foolproof? No. We’re pretty complex creatures.
Do you need it? After all, we’re pretty good people anyway, aren’t we? Yes.
But good people fall.
Men after God’s own heart fall.
In fact, you have fallen, and you are falling short of the glory of God. That’s what Paul says in Romans 3:23. “all have sinned and are falling short of the glory of God.”
That may not sound pleasant, but it’s the news that makes the gospel “good news.”
So let me conclude this morning by sharing 3 bits of good news:
1. Only God sees your heart and knows the very worst of what you’ve done, and the Bible’s not being written any more.
Public leaders being caught in sexual scandal is nothing new to our generation. A TV evangelist named Jimmy Swaggert was caught in a very compromising situation. The President of the United States was also caught and then caught trying to cover up his tracks.
Along with our shock, our indignation, our criticism, and even our satisfaction that we have not been so foolish like such people, there’s the inward relief that our worst moments haven’t been detailed and broadcast to the entire world over the internet and over the evening news.
So, let’s breath our sighs of relief openly and admit with humility that we’re glad our falls haven’t been published. That’s a perspective to hang onto. That’s good news for me and for you.
2. Even “good” people fall and we’re ultimately all in the same boat: guilty.
We all have at least one story we wouldn’t want published in our autobiography. It’s probably not one as sordid or as complicated as this one – after all, you’re not the king of the Jewish nation. But when all biographies are all read and closed, the story line is one and the same: we’re all guilty people in need of forgiveness. We’re all messed up. We had a choice to make, we made the wrong choice, and now we stand rightly condemned in God’s eyes. If you were already feeling guilty today, that really is good news. And it’s especially good because of #3:
3. Forgiveness is available to people who fall.
We’ll look at what it took for David to be a restored person next week.
But right now, for we who have fallen, there’s a source of forgiveness. In fact, even better than David could see it, on this side of the cross, God’s forgiveness is spelled out in letters written with blood.
The blood of Jesus was shed for people who have fallen. Forgiveness is available for people who fall.
It’s available for your good neighbor – a person who has fallen.
It’s available for your good friend – a person who has fallen.
And it’s available for you – a person who has fallen.
