Text Recap:
David is a study in contrasts. He was a man after God's own heart, but like us, he was capable of great sin. Adultery, murder, deception—the list goes on and on. From this story about David and Bathsheba, we also learn that God pursues us to forgive and restore (2 Samuel 11). It is a sad—but captivating—story, but the important question is this: "What can we learn from the story?" This happens at the pinnacle of David’s career. He's a hero, he's powerful and rich—and then he gets another man’s wife pregnant. That is one of the biggest "uh-oh" moments in the Bible. We have all done things that have come back to haunt us, so we have some sense of how David must have felt: that sickening, panicky feeling in the pit of your stomach. Things only spiral down from there.
David was not where he was supposed to be, not doing what he was supposed to be doing. It was in the spring, when kings go out to battle, but David sent his armies out under others’ command. He is supposed to be out on the battlefield leading and inspiring his troops, but David is being irresponsible. The same can be true for us. When we are at the wrong place at the wrong time, doing something other than what we ought to be doing, we can get into a lot of trouble. We get in trouble when we fail to fulfill our God-given purpose in being transformed into followers of Jesus Christ. When we take our eyes off of that purpose, God gets smaller in our eyes and the draw of the world presents a whole new set of purposes to live for. When we take our eyes off of Jesus, we find ourselves wandering into trouble. That's what David did and that is where his trouble began.
When Bathsheba tells David that she is pregnant, David's world starts spinning out of control. His response is to come up with a plan to fix the situation (2 Samuel 11:10-17). In just one chapter of Scripture, a man after God's own heart broke all of these commandments! He fell so fast, so far, and God was not pleased. Yet, God is not going to leave David there. He sends Nathan to David to confront him about his sin. Nathan tells a story to set a trap, and when David responds, he springs the trap (2 Samuel 12:1-7). All of us need a Nathan in our lives—someone whom we give permission to speak truth to us in love, even when it hurts. Who is that for you? Who have you given permission to speak to you and tell you when you have stepped out of bounds and to tell you about your blind spots?
Nathan is such an important figure in this story. His courage is amazing. He is going to the King of Israel, the most powerful man around, and is going to confront him with his sin. We have to remember that David has already shown himself capable of killing an innocent man. Would you have confronted David? Nathan could have lost his life for doing this, but God told him to go, and he did. Even though he knew that it might cost him something, he listened to God and did what He said. However, Nathan knew that the goal is life-change, not mere confrontation. To accomplish that, he spoke the truth in love. As followers of Jesus, we not only need a Nathan in our lives, we need to be Nathan more often than we are to other Christians that we love.
Do you ever become discouraged because the good guys in the Bible often become the bad guys in the end? That seems to happen a lot (David, Abraham, Moses). All of these people in the Bible start off as role models, and then they blow it. That's disappointing because we have looked up to them. We see them as examples of what it means to please God. However, these stories in the Bible are not so much about David and Moses and Abraham, as they are about God and what He is doing. The story about David first teaches us something about ourselves so that then we can learn something about God. David’s story teaches us that we are all capable of the worst. You are thinking: "That David, what a terrible person! I would never do something like that." Do we really think that we are better than David, Abraham, or Moses? The Bible says, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
This story also teaches us that God relentlessly pursues us to forgiveness and restoration (2 Samuel 12:13). God airs David's dirty laundry because He wants us to realize that we too are capable of such sin, and no matter how great our sin, He still loves us, and He still pursues us so that He can forgive and restore us. Don’t get it twisted, though! God is not saying, "Sin is no big deal." No! David's sin could only be forgiven because Jesus was punished for our sin. David didn't have to die, because Jesus was going to!
David also gives us an example of how to confess our sin. When David was confronted with his sin—he confessed it to God (Psalm 51). That is what we are called to do. To confess means to agree with God about our sin, that it is wrong. When we confess and repent, God forgives and cleanses us from our sins (Psalm 32:1-5). There is nothing but joy and forgiveness and restoration on the other side of confession. Praise God for that!
Questions for Reflection:
1- When you first heard the story of David’s sin with Bathsheba, what did you think was the moral of the story you were supposed to get?
2- If a neighbor or friend at work asked you, “What kind of stuff do they talk about at your church?”, how would you summarize the main points of this week’s text and sermon? What key lessons can you take away from this text and apply to your life? Try to explain it in plain language so that anyone could understand it.
3- Read 1 Corinthians 10:11-13. For who’s sake (vs 11) was the story of David’s sin recorded in the Bible?
4- One truth that David’s story teaches us is that “If King David, a man after God’s own heart, is capable of these types of grievous sins, then so are we.” What sins would you say, or at least think (1 Corinthians 10:12), “Oh, I’d never do that!”
5- How does 1 Corinthians 10:13 correct your thinking about temptation? How does it comfort you in temptation?
6- David’s spiral into sin began with him neglecting his responsibilities (to lead his army into battle). Share about a time when neglecting your responsibilities became the occasion for sin in your life.
7- In what situations does God seem small and temptation seem big in your life?
8- What verses, phrases, or truths can you remind yourself of in a situation like that to ensure you are thinking clearly and not falling into sin?
9- Who is the “Nathan” in your life? Do you serve as Nathan in someone else’s life?
Application/Challenge:
1- Don’t lose your focus on God’s purpose and calling, causing Him to get smaller and distractions to get bigger in your life.
2- Build trustworthy relationships in your life to help you grow closer to Jesus.
3- God pursues us to forgive and restore, so confess your sins and receive the restoration, forgiveness, and joy that He offers.
Daily Bible Reading (Monday-Saturday):
This week, let’s read a few different passages to help identify the areas of life that cause men and women to fall. In this passage, David struggled with lust. Which temptation do you struggle with the most?
Monday- Judges 14-15 (Sampson struggled with pride)
Tuesday- Numbers 20:1-13 (Moses struggled with anger)
Wednesday- Acts 5 (Ananias and Sapphira struggled with greed and the love of money)
Thursday- Matthew 25:24-29 (Jesus warned of the results of laziness)
Friday- Psalm 127 (David warns about the risk of being a workaholic)
Saturday- John 21 (Peter struggled with burn-out in his life)
5 Question Bible Study (to answer every day in response to the Daily Bible Reading):
a- What idea particularly strikes me from this text (note which verses it comes from).
b- What question does this text raise in my mind—and how would this text answer it?
c- What about Jesus—his character and/or redemption—relates to this text?
d- What action must I take as a result of this text? Be concrete and specific.
e- With whom will I share what I learned from this text?
SPEC for the Text
Sin to avoid
Promise to claim
Example to Follow
Command to Obey
“I Will” Statement…
-Based on this text, what is one specific, measurable thing you will do this week to live it out?
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