Bible Lessons

From: Messages of God's Love: 1927

2 Samuel 11.

IT is in the natural heart to pass over sin lightly, and even to ignore it altogether (unless oneself be injured by the sin of another person), and God’s Word, speaking of these things in Romans 1:29-32²⁹Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: ³²Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:29‑32) solemnly declares man away from the true knowledge of Himself; “who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

This chapter gives us the darkest page in David’s history. When the parallel story of grace is told, in 1 Chronicles, not a word of this is given, but here the sins as well as the piety, of David have their place. It is well for us that God should, in telling their life stories, have exposed sin in His children which, as His word says, “doth so easily beset us” (Heb. 1.2:1), else we should look upon such characters as Noah, Abraham, Moses and David as without sin, and wholly beyond ourselves. Instead, we have them principally as examples to be followed, in so far as they were guided by faith, and also as giving us warnings of what the believer may fall into, and must shun with all his power. The believer is set apart to God by the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:2²Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (1 Peter 1:2)); he should seek “those things which are above,” putting to death the things which characterized him before the light of God’s holy Word broke in on his soul (Colossians 3); he needs the “whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11, 13-18¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)
¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; ¹⁵And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: ¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:13‑18)). If sin overtakes him, he is to confess it to God and be forgiven (1 John 1:5-9⁵This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: ⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. ⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:5‑9)).

It was when David did not have on this armor of God, when he was tarrying at home instead of leading his army to battle, that he was tempted and fell. The consequences of that fall followed him to the end of his life, though his sin was confessed and forgiven, but of this we learn in the 12Th and following chapters. One sin was followed, as is often the case, by another in a hope of protecting himself from discovery and shame. Even the godly attitude of Uriah (verse 11) was a rebuke to David, and must have been felt by him. Joab, as to whom we have already noted that he was a self-seeking, unprincipled man, was quite willing, it seems, to put Uriah out in the forefront of battle where he was likely to be killed. And Bathsheba’s husband was killed (verse 17); so far David’s hopes had been realized. Circumstances seemed to favor him; he probably felt very much relieved when the messenger brought the news of Uriah’s being removed by death. Bathsheba mourned for her husband, and when the mourning period was over, David brought her to his house and she became his wife. A little son was born. The last sentence of the chapter is the only hint the chapter gives that there was punishment in store for David. He had sown; would he reap? He would indeed, for God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7, 8⁷Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. ⁸For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7‑8)).

ML 01/09/1927

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