from 2 Samuel 11:1-15 is part of the larger story of David’s sin. This story does not gloss over anything. It dramatizes David’s humanness in an unforgettable way. It also reminds us that in accomplishing His purpose God is always forced to use fallible people. It warns against presumption upon position and status, that all people are vulnerable, and that no one is above God’s law.

The more likely reason for the inclusion of this story, which shows David in such a bad light, is to explain the events that come in the succeeding chapters as a result of God’s judgment upon David. The repercussions of David’s sins do not end with the death of his and Bathsheba’s son but seem to lay the foundation for a whole series of tragic events-rape, murder, and insurrection. The shock waves that began in a lustful heart on a rooftop were still being felt when David lay dying and was being pressured to make Solomon his successor on the throne.

In the Near East, kings normally went out to battle in the spring of the year because of the good weather and the abundance of food along the way. Had David been leading the troops as a king should, he would never have found himself in this moment of enticement. Also, he literally presided over a harem despite God’s command to refrain from multiplying wives and concubines. So that moment on the rooftop was part of a pattern: sin is never satisfied. It gets more and more daring as it opposes God. It was simply a matter of time before David’s sins would catch up with him.

David’s sin occurred because he ignored his duty and indulged his desire. David now had leisure he was not equipped to enjoy. He was a man of action with a bit of time on his hands, a warrior who now took naps in the afternoon and he may have felt the need for some excitement, for a new interest, or for an escape. David’s sin could have stopped with nothing more than an erotic fantasy, but it didn’t.

David did not sin by catching a glimpse of a bathing beauty. He sinned when he failed to take his eyes off of her. David was now the most powerful person in the kingdom and had grown accustomed to getting whatever he wanted, so he followed up his physical desire with an inquiry “about the woman.” David soon discovered that lust gives birth to sin, and full-grown sin brings forth death,

Caught in the passion of the moment, David ignored the statement  of his servant: “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite” The statement was David’s way out-if only he had heeded it. Uriah was one of David’s elite soldiers. To pursue Bathsheba would be not only foolish but also unjust.

What happened to David? The simple answer is altitude sickness. He was high too long. The thin air messed with his senses. He could not hear like he used to. He could not hear the warnings of the servant or the voice of his conscience. He is a good reminder of the old saying that “idle hands are the devil’s playground.” When someone wants to do wrong, it is never God who is tempting him or her, for God never wants to do wrong and never tempts anyone else to do it. Temptation is the pull of man’s own evil thoughts and wishes.

Nowhere does Scripture implicate Bathsheba in this event. She was innocently taking a bath, as she normally did within the supposed privacy of her courtyard. David saw her and he coveted her; then he sent for her and took her. She was a subject of the king and was required to do his bidding. When Bathsheba heard of Uriah’s death, she mourned for her husband. We do not know how she felt, since these words may be a reference to the prescribed ritual of mourning for the dead. It could have been as little as a week. We do know that she became one of David’s wives and bore him a son.

Hebrew law required that anyone caught in adultery should be stoned. While it was improbable that that the people would insist on such punishment for their king, his actions would have discredited him had they been known, so David tried to cover up his adultery and make it appear as if Bathsheba’s child belonged to Uriah. There is no limit to the depths of sin a person is capable of once he or she starts to walk away from God.

Uriah’s sense of duty, even when he was drunk, contrasted with David’s failure to even show up for battle. Some have wondered if Uriah heard rumours about his wife’s affair with David and refused to go home as a way of forcing David to live with the situation that he had created. Since David used servants in arranging the liaisons, there is little likelihood that his liaison had been kept a secret and word could have made its way to Uriah. The Scriptures tell us nothing of what Uriah felt or knew, only what he did. He is presented as a faithful and pious soldier who had more respect for the law of God when he was drunk than his king did when he was sober.

David was so anxious to cover up his sin that he was willing to commit murder, an act he had vehemently opposed regarding Saul. Committing just one sin often makes people callous to bigger sins, until they find themselves doing things they never imagined they would do. Once David began his effort to cover up his sin, each step seemed inevitable: first lust, then adultery, then deceit, and finally murder.

Our world has had its share of highly placed people who made matters worse as they sought to cover up their wrongdoing. A good example is Donald Trump’s recent conviction (as of 2024) for altering business records to cover up payments made to former prostitute Stormy Daniels to keep their affair secret. The world judges its’ own by a person’s greatest accomplishment, but it judges God’s people by their greatest moral failures. The world does not care if someone once touched the lives of millions for good, but it celebrates moral and financial failure. Should we expect more?

All of us are sinners. We lower our standards and values for just a little taste. The next thing we know, we have fallen into the trap of sin and don’t know how we got there. It starts with a small lie or a casual glance. One bad choice leads to a whole slew of other bad choices, and we are trapped. Temptation and sin often come in enticing packages. The problem is that once we have taken a bite, it gets easier and easier to fall into sin and harder and harder to stop pleasing ourselves.

Bad choices have consequences. David and Bathsheba suffered the loss of a child, but God remembered Bathsheba. God gives us second chances. He even gives us third and fourth chances. God forgives. When we mess up, God doesn’t give up.

So many believers don’t realize how susceptible they are to falling into sin. Many Christians are set up for a fall because they say, “Anything but that. Anyone but me!” Proverbs 16:18 says that pride comes before the fall. There is no sin that a Christian could not commit if his or her eyes are taken off Jesus Christ. When it comes to temptation, if we keep our eyes on Christ we will be able to resist temptation.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2013; pp. 413-414)
2. Chafin, K.L., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 8:1,2 Samuel (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1989; pp. 272-279)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson publishers; 2006)
5. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010; pp. 406-408)
6. Kelly McFadden, “Hooked.” Retrieved from https://homeword.com/
7. Allistair Begg, “Beware of Temptations.” Retrieved from newsletters@truthforllife.org
8. Jack Graham, “Winning Life’s Battles.” Retrieved from jgraham@powerpoint.org
9. “Dangerous Relationship.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
10. Harold Sala, “Here’s How Sexual Infidelity Happens.” Retrieved from info@guidelines.org