OUT OF WEAKNESS…STRENGTH - David: “I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up”
2 Samuel 11:1-5 (p. 214) August 20, 2017
Introduction:
Have you ever met someone who looks for a reason to say, “Gotcha.” Someone who finds some weird happiness in catching you in something?
I heard about a minister who addressed his congregation one Sunday morning by saying, “There is a certain man among us who is cheating on his wife…unless he puts 50 dollars in the collection plate today I’ll read his name from the pulpit next week!”
After the service the treasurer showed the collection plate to the preacher…in it were 15 50 dollar bills and a 20 with a note attached to it, “other 30 pay day!”
That preacher wanted to be able to say, “Gotcha!” and profit from it. I’ve met a lot of people in my life who like to say, “Gotcha,” when it comes to sin…other people’s sins.
Our God is not a God that relishes saying, “Gotcha.” There is nothing dark or evil in His character, nor does He tempt anyone to sin. He doesn’t want us to fall into temptation. He is a righteous God that desires that we be holy, even as He is holy. He knows the consequences of disobedience and wants to spare His children of hurt, brokenness and guilt.
Satan is the author of temptation according to scripture…Ephesians 6:11 tells us…“Our struggle (and it’s real) is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
It’s why in the verse before, God’s people are cautioned: “To put on the full armor of God, so we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes.”
The enemy of humankind isn’t another human…even the most wicked and fallen…our enemy is the spiritual forces of darkness, led by Satan himself and his minions. And please know, this unholy General plans his attacks. He looks for breeches in our walls of defense. He aims his flaming arrows at open spots in our armor.
He did just this in David’s life! You remember David as a teenager don’t you? Anointed by Samuel, even as the youngest of Jesse’s sons…standing before Goliath without armor with 5 rocks and a sling…and God gives him the victory…David was a shepherd and a musician…but he becomes such a mighty warrior for Israel they give him a song…Pretty cool to have your own song…it went like this “Hey, Hey, Hey, Saul’s killed his thousands but David…Hey, Hey, Hey has killed his 10,000’s.” (I made up the Hey, Hey, Hey part.)
David is called in scripture “A man after God’s own heat.” Is there any better thing to be? NO. He brings Israel to peace, prosperity and power…Even to this day the star of David is Israel’s symbol. But trouble is waiting for David on a rooftop. Satan is scheming and laying a trap…and we should learn a spiritual lesson about sin, temptation and God’s grace this morning.
First of all:
I. BE CAREFUL ABOUT BEING AT THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME
It’s springtime in our text…the time after winter when kings go to war…David is a warrior king…God has used him to subdue the Philistines and others. He’s shed blood, that’s why God will not allow him to build the temple but uses his son Solomon. It’s one of the reasons God has called David to power…but instead of leading his soldiers into battle, he stays home and send Joab. This King should have been with his soldiers, but he remains in Jerusalem instead.
He put himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
[In the early days of my youth ministry I was so wet behind the ears I should have carried towels with me. I had ideas of saving the world (not a bad idea), but along with that I believed I should help everyone who struggle immediately. The minister I served with was elderly, so many times younger couples would reach out to me…one night I got a call from a young woman who asked if I could help her and her husband…They were really struggling in their marriage…I told Kari what was going on…got on my motorcycle and headed to their house…I walked up to the door, knocked on it and the woman opened it…she said, “My husband’s not here, she was wearing a white negligee and she asked me to come in. Folks I instantly knew I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was very little temptation because it scared me so badly. I stammered out “I’ve got to go.” I ran and got on my motorcycle and raced home, wrecking it through a fence on the way. I told Kari what had happened immediately.]
I’m a lot older now. I Understand I should have never gone there. I should have said, “I’ll meet with you and your husband in the morning at the church, with all the doors open and Kari sitting next to me.]
King David also had one of those situations.
One night, while at home when the other kings were at war, David couldn’t sleep…(I wonder why?) He got up, went out on the roof of the palace and from the rooftop he sees a woman bathing…The woman is very beautiful. (Scripture only uses this word twice…once to describe Bathsheba…and once to describe Joseph’s physique).
Satan understands men are tempted by what we see. Our eyes open our hearts and minds to our passions. God designed us this way. When we cast our eyes at our wives in marriage it’s a beautiful, holy thing…but Satan would have us cast our eyes towards another, outside of marriage. Satan understands this all too well. Pornography is a 200 billion dollar a year industry.
David looks at this very beautiful woman bathing and he has a choice to make, as we all do when faced with temptation.
God’s Word tells us what to do:
II. SUBMIT TO GOD, RESIST THE DEVIL AND RUN IF YOU NEED TO
David knew Exodus 20:14 “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
He had a choice to make on that rooftop.
Much like the choice we have when faced with temptation to sin…He could have turned his eyes away…walked down from the roof and prayed to God for strength. he could have waken up a priest or counselor…and gotten godly advice…He could have done a lot of things…He was the King…he had resources.
But he did none of those things. He liked the feeling…he wanted to follow them so he sent someone to find out who she was.
God’s Word tells us in James 4:7-8 “to submit ourselves to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you…come near to God and he will come near to you.”
When it comes to sexual temptations God’s Word gets even more direct…1 Corinthians 6 tells us that in marriage “a man and woman become one flesh.” And “whoever is united with the Lord is one with Him in spirit.” Then God’s Word says:
1 CORINTHIANS 6:18-20 (p. 796)
“Run.” “Flee” from this sin…it breaks the oneness between you and your wife and between you and God. RUN!!!
David’s married…Bathsheba is married. As someone said, “Your soulmate will never be someone else’s spouse! Ever.”
David has been told “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” She is someone’s daughter…she is someone’s wife. I wonder if the messenger is trying to make her real to David instead of an object of desire…maybe.
David knows the prohibitions. Maybe even thinks about the consequences…but choses the immediate intimacy over the longterm effects.
I’m sure Satan is working…as he does with us…the Liar is whispering… “no one will find out…you deserve this intimacy, you should have it…you’re the King.” It’s his method of deception whether it’s the Garden of Eden, a rooftop, or our workplace.
The book of James tells us, “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desires and enticed.” (James 1:14)
David doesn’t think about Bathsheba becoming pregnant on that rooftop…he hasn’t conceived the idea of killing her husband to cover it up yet. He doesn’t think about this child dying…the consequences of our sin can sometimes be horrific!
But there is hope…thanks to God.
III. FOR THOSE WHO CONFESS THEIR SIN INSTEAD OF TRYING TO HIDE IT
After David sleeps with Bathsheba and she becomes pregnant…David brings Uriah home from the battlefront and the cover up begins. he tries to get Uriah to go home and sleep with his wife so he’ll think the child is his. When Uriah will not he tries to get him drunk to do this…but he will not do this while his brothers are fighting and dying on the battlefield…where the King should have been. So he sends a message back with Uriah to Joab, Captain of the Army. “Put Uriah in the fiercest field…when it’s appropriate withdraw…the message is clear… “Kill him.”
Joab obeys…Uriah is killed…after Bathsheba mourns her husband’s death David brings her to the palace and makes her his wife…all covered up, right. No one the wiser? Right? NOPE!!!
It’s not hidden from God…and his sin is not hidden from his soul. When the baby dies…His guilt, his pain, his heart, is broken and he cries out…
PSALM 32:3-4 (p. 386)
God is not a “Gotcha” God. He is a Father who longs to be in right relationship with His children…and He knows sin separates us from Him…so he calls us back.
Let me conclude today with God’s prototype of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament…He’s a prophet named Nathan. He is sent to David to tell him a story. Here it is:
2 SAMUEL 12:1-10 (p. 215)
The story reaches David’s heart…angers him and then he receives the message. “You are the man who did this to another…and to me..saith the Lord.”
I believe it’s what the Holy Spirit is sent by Jesus to do in our hearts…It cuts to the core when we are sinners who need a Savior and David repents and confesses that sin. “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12:13)
And amazingly Nathan tells him “God has taken away your sin and you’re not going to die.” (2 Sam. 12:13)
I’ll end with what David writes in Psalm 51 to mark this event:
PSALM 51:10-17 (p. 395)
This is the testimony of forgiveness. God change me…live within me…restore me…and make me willing to do whatever pleases you. I’ll tell others how you’ve forgiven me so they’ll come back to you too.”
Let’s pray.
