Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 0-207 (Sermon)

by Andy Campbell

2 Samuel 11 : 1 -17 One of the things which gives me great sorrow is to see a person of good standing fall into disgrace through some foolish action. I imagine that we all can recall people of high standing who have fallen. People take delight in bringing down “Tall Poppies”, and if those persons happen to be professing Christians, so much the better. There are cries of Double Standards and Hypocrite; much sensational mileage is made by the media. While not condoning the actions of those who have fallen, we should at least try to understand how these things happened. It is very easy to sit in judgement, but we must realise that none of us are immune from temptation, and the old adage, “There but for the grace of God, go I” is well worth remembering. This story from 2 Samuel Chapter 11, is a case in point. This incident in the life of David, is a sorry reflection on a life which was blessed by God. It is hard to believe that we are reading about an incident in the life of one of God’s Heroes. We are not reading about one of history’s villians, this is David, – loved by God. There is truth in the saying “The bigger they are, the harder they fall”. I have charted the path of David’s downfall – “Ten Downward Steps”. Let us follow these steps by which David fell deeper and deeper into sin. 1.He stayed behind in the city when he should have been out with his army, who were out at war for him. 2.Lack of things to challenge him, he looks lustfully on a beautiful woman. (Bored?)

3.He sends for her and she comes. (Dare she disobey the King?)

4.He commits adultery with her and then sends her home. 5.Panics, when he finds out that she is pregnant. 6.Plots to use her husband as a dupe. (Get him to sleep with his wife,all will be well?)

7.Fails, because Uriah has a high sense of duty and loyalty. 8.Gets Uriah drunk in a vain attempt to break down his loyalty. 9.Plots the murder of Uriah to cover up the consequences of his adultery.
10.Sends Uriah back to Joab with a letter ordering his own death.

What a sorry tale! How could the man who wrote the Twenty-third Psalm, get himself into such a situation. After all, he already had at least two wives, one of whom was the noble Abigail, the widow of the churlish Nabal. She had distinguished herself in the eyes of David in her diplomatic approach to David on her late husband’s behalf. It seems that David had let his guard down and that Bathsheba was the object of his self-gratification. It is interesting to note that when God punishes David for this incident, he does not punish Bathsheba, but eventually grants her a place of honour, to become an ancestor of Jesus Christ, and one of only five women mentioned in his genealogy. I do not believe that she would have had much choice in the matter, maybe she should have bathed indoors, but remember David was on the palace roof overlooking the houses. He had a bird’s eye-view; and he should have known better. David acted in this incident as if God did not exist. He failed to heed the words of his own Psalm (Ps.14); He knew God’s Laws and especially the one against adultery. How can we account for this serious lapse in the life of a man who lived so close to God? There is a warning here for us all. We cannot trust in our own strength; nor rely on ourselves to keep ourselves sinless. David has allowed himself to stray from the Lord’s path and has behaved like a pagan king. Maybe he allowed his newly acquired affluence to go to his head. (Remember how he lived on the run from Saul, and was King in Hebron for seven years before all Israel claimed him King.) It is difficult to account for his lapse in any other way than to see it as David becoming lax in his spiritual life. He succumbed to the allure of a beautiful woman and to the fact, that as king, he had absolute power over his subjects. It seems reasonably clear that he had finished with Bathsheba, until he found out about her pregnancy. This would expose his adultery and cause her to be stoned to death if she were denounced by her husband, who gives every indication of being an honourable man. David may have been conscience stricken, but again, he resorts to his own cunning to try and deceive Uriah. Uriah’s loyal and honest behaviour contrasts strongly with that of the scheming of the desperate David. In the end it is this unwillingness to take unfair advantage of his comrades, that costs Uriah his life. No wonder that David’s conscience rebelled and accepted the judgement of God as just. We need to read on and see that D avid did not escape scot-free from the consequences of his sin. These would emerge as his family rebels and splits into dangerous factions. We, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, need to be reminded by stories like this, that even people as close to the Lord as David are still very vulnerable and open to attacks of the Devil. In fact, the closer we come to the Lord, the more open to these attacks we are. Satan delights in destroying the credibility of the Lord’s faithful servants. As a nation, we seem to have lost our way, and although it is easy to put the blame on politicians (and certainly they are not blameless), there is a general apathy in our community toward the things of God. Those people who care are looking for a strong moral lead and some are turning to Churches which emphasises the Authority of Scripture and are prepared to stand up and be counted. The story of David’s fall shows us that we need to keep in contact with God. God speaks to us not only through the words of preachers and teachers, but chiefly through the Scriptures. It is in the Bible that we find our daily spiritual bread. We need to feed upon the Word of God. To some people, the Bible is a mystery – too difficult to read – open to interpretation and confusing. It is only when a person be comes familiar with it, that people find that it is a cohesive whole. I would encourage those who have not yet developed the habit of daily Bible reading to try it. There are many excellent helps available. The Word of God is our armament in a battle which claims casualties everyday. It is no coincidence that when St. Paul is describing the Christians armor, he leaves the sword to last and names it “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. No soldier would dream of going to war without his weapon!!!! We need to know God’s Word in order to maintain ourselves in spiritual preparedness. This will enable us to recognise the attacks of the Evil one even when they are very subtle. There is only one sure defence against Satan and that is found in Jesus Christ our Lord, who defeated him at Calvary. Only by walking daily with the Lord can we confidently face the challenges which come to us. We need to remember that David was forgiven, because he truly repented of his sin, and that in Christ that forgiveness is available to us, if we also truly repent of our sins. My prayer today, is that we will all take heed of the warnings seen in the fall of David and endeavour to daily walk closely with the Lord; that he might guide our footsteps and direct our paths. To keep us from falling and to uphold us in the times of trial. In Christ’s precious name, Amen Next Week – Ten Positive Steps