Sometimes we do not want others following in our footsteps öthat could be our children, wives, fellow church members, co workers, etc.
There are things about us, things that we have done, things that currently describe us that each one of us would say "Do not follow me in this"
Between you and me there are certain things that I want my son or any of you to follow me in. As a parent there are some things about me that I would like him to take as a model for his life. There are also some things about me that I definitely do not want Scott to pick up from me.
As you know Iâm talking about the fact that each one of us serves as a role model to someone else. How can we influence those around us÷our children or whoever to imitate us in matters of righteousness and not follow us in matters of sin?
1. Prayer: When I talk to God about the sins I am struggling with I often ask God in his mercy to keep my son from those sins. Yes Iâm fully aware that he sees me but Iâm also praying that he doesnât become like me in those things
2. Donât give up the battling against that sin: Our children and those around us will see us struggling in Godâs strength to live a righteous life and to have victory over our sins. If we cease to struggle against the sin in ourlives our children or others will see no reason in not indulging in those things themselves
3. Talk to the child and others about it. People are not blind. If you say "I was wrong when I did·."
4. Be vigilant regarding your example. The Bible tells us to watch our life and doctrine closely.
If we do these things, others following us in matters of righteousness and not in our sins, will be more likely.
At times we will detect that our children or others will have seem to have picked up on our sins. Again: Go to God in prayer. Second, talk to your child or that person about it. Third, understand that if youâve asked for forgiveness for your sin that you indeed are forgiven. Fourth: understand to that your child or that person canât just blame it all on you÷they are making a choice to sin on their own÷you arenât twisting their arm and encouraging them to sin in this way: you yourself are fighting against that sin.
Today you I and are going to consider the story of David and Bathsheba. Time and time again David is remembered as a man after Godâs own heart. When a king did what was right he was commended as one who was like his father David. However, there is one thing on Davidâs record that stands as a dark blot. His committing adultery with Bathsheba and his murdering of her husband.
To be sure, if there was one thing from his life that David would want to erase, it would have been this period in his life where he was backsliding spiritually.
Once convicted of this sin David was fully repentant and he went on with God as strong as ever. Yet when you and read of what Davidâs children were like and the problems they had, one canât help but ask the question "Did they, against their Fatherâs wishes and prayers, decide to follow him, not according to his righteousness, but according to this famous sin"
The big point I would like to make today is this: we need to be careful about what we model to our children and those around us.
My second big point is this: Thank God for his grace and the forgiveness he gives.
The account we will focus on today depicts David scraping the bottom spiritually. When you and I consider the text it appears that David was in a backslidden state for over 1 year. Yet how is he remembered in the scriptures? Thank God for restoration. Thank God for forgiveness. Thank God that there is hope for you and I.
Read text.
I. IN THE WRONG PLACE v.1
At times we commit terrible sins because we arrange for ourselves to be in the wrong place. Sometimes we place ourselves in right upon sins doorstep.
If we are to set a good example we must take care regarding the places we frequent and the situations we place ourselves in.
Our text tells us that David was in the wrong place. As the king of the land his place was at the head of his army. Q What was he doing staying home? For David to stay home at the door when the kings go off to war is a bad thing: would not make him look good.
David was in the wrong place: he was derelict of his duties.
II. HIS EYES FELL UPON THE WRONG WOMAN v.2
When our text says "One evening David got up from his bed" our text is subtly critical of Davidâs actually being in a bed. He should have been with his men who according to Uriah were sleeping out in the open fields. Meanwhile, David was in his bed.
Anyways, David, being in the wrong place took a stroll upon his roof. Davidâs roof would have no doubt been the highest one in the city and so seeing the goingâs on his subjects would have been relatively easy. From his he spots a woman bathing, an exceptionally beautiful woman. A woman he sends his servants to inquire of in respect to who she was.
At this point David already had at least 2 wives. If he wanted to have relations he should have sought out one of his wives. But no, he wants what he is not to have. At this point he is struggling with Lust.
Our text is very interesting. First of all David sends someone to find out who the woman is. Upon finding out who she is he then sends another batch of his servants to go and get her.
The fact that he found out that she was the wife of one of his most ablest soldiers should have been enough to stop him in his tracks. But no, David runs this spiritual red light and road block. David moves past lusting in his heart.
When it comes to setting a good example, sexual purity is a big area!
Sexual sin is major struggle for people today öfor women and men. However, it seems that sexual sin is a bigger struggle for men. There is hardly a man alive who doesnât struggle with sexual sin and its temptations. For all you women hear today, you need to know this. You need to know this so that you can help the men in your lives. Pray for them, help protect them from this evil. Be careful in how you dress and that you are not flirtatious!
Husbands, make sure your eyes, thoughts, fantasyâs are upon your wives. If not married donât entertain sexual thoughts and if you do be quick to confess and make sure to keep your mind from being polluted.
At the Pastors conference I was at recently our speaker, who is the field education director at Dallas Theological Seminary mentioned that he has his students write one paper only for him: The paper is called "My strategy to remain sexually pure".
Q Whatâs your strategy?
David ignored what should have been a roadblock and barrier to his further sinning: Bathsheba was a married woman, the married woman of one of Davidâs most famous soldiers (II Samuel 23:39)
Men, we really need to be careful in regards to what we model in sexual matters. Davidâs sons had their problems in this area. Iâm sure David counseled them and tried to teach them aright but somehow or other it seems that this aspect of his life had an influence on them.
III. WRONG TIME v.4b
An old saying is this "Timing is everything"
David was in the wrong place, he had his eyes upon the wrong woman, his sinning with Bathsheba took place at the wrong time
When David caught sight of Bathsheba bathing she was in fact purifying herself from her monthly uncleaness.
According to Leviticus 15 a woman was said to be ceremonially unclean during her period. So that you understand properly I would encourage you to read Leviticus 15 this afternoon. After a womanâs period was over she was to ceremonially wash herself, hence she became ceremonially clean and could then participate in temple worship.
Bathshebaâs cleansing of herself from her monthly uncleaness just so happened to coincide with her ovulating. So, when David had her brought up to his place it was the wrong time from the perspective that she was ovulating and could easily become pregnant.
I find it a little funny how God arranged the law. According to Leviticus 15 a man wasnât supposed to have relations with his wife during her period. Obviously the time away from ones wife would be missed and so most men would be looking forward to being back with their wives. Itâs funny how their getting back with their wives coincided in many cases with their wives ovulating. Here in a way we have Godâs plan for encouraging big families.
IV. WRONG RESPONSE: SIN OFTEN LEADS TO MORE SIN
Sin has a compounding nature to it. One sin often leads to another sin which in turn leads to another.
When you and I sin we have a choice when it comes to what we model: we can repent and seek to get right with God and those around us or, sadly, we can keep on going deeper into sin.
David was interested in a one night stand with Bathsheba, but in no time bad news came his way: Bathsheba was pregnant.
Imagine Davidâs quandry! He had committed adultery with a married woman. This was an act punishable by death. This was an act he thought he could get away with. David had no intention of confessing his sin, his every intention was to cover it up.
Davidâs solution: get Uriah home as fast as possible and make sure he had sex with his wife.
No doubt about it: our text pictures David trying real hard to get Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba. öfirst off he, using euphemistic language, sends Uriah home to sleep with his wife v.8. When that doesnât work David gets him drunk and then sends him home.
Davidâs sins are piling up!
-dereliction of duty, lust, adultery, unrepentant heart, attempts to corrupt Uriah.
A very sharp contrast of our text is this: Uriahâs the foreignerâs righteousness exceeds David the Jewâs righteousness.
Some of you may be wondering: why was Uriah so adamant about not going home to sleep with his wife?
Look at v.11
To Uriah there was something repulsive and sinful about such an act÷especially in light of the fact that the ark of God and his fellow soldiers are camped out in open fields. To have sex with his wife in such a circumstance was tantamount to sin. How could David even suggest it!
One of Godâs standards for war according to I Samuel 21:1-5 was that Jewish soldiers abstain from sex.
Also note: itâs obvious that David is far away from God at this point. His being far away from God is even more noted since where is the ark of God where God in a special way presenced himself? öfar away from David, with his men, where David should have been. For the majority of his life David desired to be close to God, here God is far away by Davidâs decision
In his attempts to cover up his sin with Bathsheba David falls into more sin.
1. In one of the sickest moves recorded by the Bible, David sends Uriah back to the front line with a letter to Joab that instructs Joab to arrange for his death.
2. He partners with Joab, the same man who in ch. 3 David pronounces a curse on for murdering an innocent man.
3. He sends Uriah along with a group of his men to their deaths, a virtual suicide mission in their attack on the enemy city.
4. He pretends to be righteous by marrying Bathsheba. It would have looked pretty good, his marrying a grieving widow.
I find it all so disturbing, yet I know that any one of us can fall deep into sin. For some reason David, otherwise one of the more godly men around, began a descent into evil. Yet: praise God, we know the end of the story. David was restored and so to can you and I.
I. YOU CANâT COVER UP SIN v.27
If you and I want to be good models we shouldnât be so keen on covering our sins up÷we canât anyways. There is an old saying: you can fool all of the people some of the time but you canât fool all of the people all of the time.
No matter how hard David tried, nor how hard you and I try, sin cannot be covered up.
The old adage is true: "Be sure your sin will find you out"
You and tend to think we are pretty smart. "I can do such and such because no ones watching or will know" WRONG!
God sees and knows everything and when we sin he becomes displeased with us. This is why confession and repentance is so key for us.
The thing David had done displeased God.
You and I canât cover up our sin.
Our sins bring consequence: To David God sent the prophet Nathan. In chapter 12 judgment is pronounced against David. Lets read v.7-14
CONCLUSION
David genuinely repented of these sins. Psalm 51 records his prayer and heart. Yet in his case there were still consequences to face.
When you and I slip into ch.13ff we read of how Godâs word comes to pass. The calamity spoken in v.11, because of these sins, becomes a thorn in Davidâs side.
In particular Davidâs children for the most part turned out to have a variety of problems. One big problem for them concerned the area of sex. First off his one son rapes his half sister, then another son eventually kills him. Then that son tries to kill David, his own father. Then thereâs Solomon: husband to 1000 wives.
The reason for Davidâs family having so many problems was because of the prophecy of God against David. Most likely you have not received a prophecy from God saying that for the rest of your days calamity will be upon you for your sin. Again, thank God for his grace and not always treating us as we deserve.
When it comes to our being models: Itâs not guaranteed that our bad behavior or good will lead to our children or others exactly following us in our footsteps, but because we our influencers there is a greater chance of that happening.
We need to be very careful regarding how we live, for as we live- we model behavior.
Hence
-letâs discipline ourselves to being Godly
-letâs be quick to get right with God
-letâs show our love for God by walking in his ways
-talk to those under your influence
-pray.
My intention is not to send you home filled with guilt. I want you to go home committed to being a godly example. I want you to go home assured that for those sins you have confessed: you have forgiveness for.
I also want you to go home remembering these principles as it relates to your example
1. Make sure you frequent the right places
2. Guard your heart against lust
3. Develop a plan to stay sexually pure
4. Remember that sin tends to be compounding. Nip it in the bud by not trying to cover it up and repenting quickly
5. Anyone can fall into sin and remember this: sin is a slippery slope
6. You canât cover sin up so donât bother trying: youâll only be sinning all the more
7. Repentance is the way out
8. Our struggles do not necessarily have to be our childrenâs or those around us.
9. Thank God for forgiveness and his grace. David experienced forgiveness and restoration and so can we.
