You Are The Man

"YOU ARE THE MAN"

TEXT: II SAMUEL 11/12

INTRODUCTION

Today’s text comes from the 11th and 12th chapters of the book of II Samuel. In the chapters leading up to our text we see David becoming the recognized King over all of Israel. He lead the nation of Israel in many successful campaigns over their enemies in the surrounding nations. Chapter 10 the chapter right our text finds David winning a resounding victory against the Ammonites. David is now a feared and respected leader throughout the eastern world. And he was as I Samuel 13:14 says, "A man after God’s own heart."

David was a great King. He loved and worshipped God and won many victories with the help of the Lord.

The chapters that make up our text however are not more scenes of victory -- these chapters record what is probably the low point in David’s life/in his walk with God.

Let’s recount the tragic events together.

Chapter 11 opens up this way, "IN THE SPRING AT THE TIME WHEN KINGS GO 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."

This is where his problems get started... David stayed home he should have been out doing battle for the Lord, but he stayed home. If he had gone where he should have gone and had done what he should have done -- these chapters in his life could have been avoided.

Isn’t this when we get ourselves into trouble, when we are not doing the things we should be doing, and when we are not going where we should be going. It is at these times when we are most susceptible to temptation and sin....Idle hands are the devil the devil’s workshop...

David was home and, he was not home alone. One evening he went up on to his roof to take a walk and while he was up there he saw a beautiful woman bathing (Bathsheba)... Whether David went up there to see just such a thing we do not know -- but we do know he could have looked the other way -- but he didn’t he allowed the temptation to turn into desire and as James says he was dragged away by this desire and it gave birth to sin.

David summoned her to his chambers and he committed adultery with her, it didn’t matter to him that she was married or that he was married.

Later he gets a call from Bathsheba and she tells him that she is pregnant with his child... David decides that if the Jerusalem Star got a hold of this it would be all over town so he sent for Her husband Uriah from the battle field. His plan was to have Uriah come home and sleep with his wife so that everyone would think that this child was his. But Uriah was a noble man and a great leader, even though David got him drunk -- he would not even go into his house he slept on the front porch, he said to David, "THE ARK OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH ARE STAYING IN TENTS, AND MY MASTER JOAB AND MY LORD’S MEN ARE CAMPED IN THE OPEN FIELDS. HOW COULD I GO TO MY HOUSE TO EAT AND DRINK AND LIE WITH MY WIFE? AS SURELY AS YOU LIVE, I WILL DO NO SUCH THING!"

What an honorable man, what a man to have fighting for your side -- on any other occasion David would have rejoiced at such leadership and loyalty ... But not now -- Now he could only think of covering up his sin.... And it was not respect he felt towards Uriah but intense hatred.

So David switched to plan B -- he sent a letter to his General Joab and in the letter he wrote, "PUT URIAH IN THE FRONT LINE WHERE THE FIGHTING IS THE FIERCEST. THEN WITHDRAW FROM HIM SO HE WILL BE STRUCK DOWN AND DIE."

The plan was carried out and Uriah the husband of Bathsheba was killed.... David allowed Bathsheba to mourn the required length of time after which he had her brought to his palace and she became his wife....

Nearly a year latter the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David... When Nathan came to him he said to David...

"There were 2 men in a certain town, one poor and the other rich. the rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle but the poor man only had one little ewe lamb. And the man loved and cared for that lamb. It grew up with his children, shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms --- It was like a daughter to him. One day the rich man was entertaining a traveler and rather than preparing one of his own lambs he took the ewe lamb from the arms of the poor man who with tears in his eyes watched it leave knowing that is was to prepared that for the rich man’s guest".