David & Bathsheba
Their Experience & Lessons For Us
The pain, grief, and guilt were unbearable.
The pain. King David’s precious firstborn son of Bathsheba, barely a few days old, lay dying in his arms.
The grief. Nathan’s burning prophetic words repeatedly seared David’s conscience. “The child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.” 2 Samuel 12:14.
Finally, the guilt of David’s sins continuously tore his conscience knowing he was the cause of the pain and grief all around him. David, Bathsheba and the young child were all in great distress.
Yet, the impending death of this innocent child was not the only thing that shook the King to the core. The sight of Bathsheba, his beautiful wife, repeatedly flashed a mirror of his sins before his eyes. David loved Bathsheba, but seeing her reminded him of her innocent husband Uriah, his loyal, faithful officer, whom he betrayed and orchestrated his death.
And lastly, knowing how he had greatly sinned against God, weighed heavily upon David’s soul, day and night.
The Great King
Oh, the great King David. God’s anointed. David was God’s chosen king to replace Saul as “King of Israel” and to rule His people.
David was well aware of his humble beginnings and what a great honor and glory the Lord had given him. As the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, David’s humble job had been to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
David’s character was well known. He had a boldness and unwavering trust in God.
When he heard Goliath’s defiant words against the armies of the living God, David asked, “What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine and taketh away the reproach from Israel?” Receiving no satisfactory answer, David tells Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” David slew the 12 ft giant with a simple stone and slingshot, then beheaded him with Goliath’s own sword, David delivered the head of Goliath to Jerusalem.
“David was known for his fidelity and reverence. His firmness, humility, love of justice, and decision of character qualified him to carry out the high purposes of God, to instruct Israel in their devotions, and rule them as a generous and wise monarch.”
King David had returned the Ark of the Covenant, previously taken by the Philistines to their regret, back to Jerusalem. He received a divine blessing from God through the ‘Davidic Covenant’. See 2 Sam. 7:12-14 These solemn promises of God were received by David most humbly when they were spoken through God’s prophet, Nathan.
It was when David was pure, true to God, possessing these exalted traits of character that God called David a man after his own heart.
1 Sam. 13: 14
But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people . . .
But now, everything seemed changed. God could no longer regard David as a “man after his own heart”. He had departed from God, step by step. God could not sanction or excuse these sins in David but sent a rebuke and heavy denunciation through Nathan.
David, The Mighty Warrior
David had rescued lambs from a lion’s jaw and a bear’s paw, slaying both the lion and the bear.
He had defeated the mighty Philistine giant, Goliath with a single stone as well as an additional 200 Philistines in order to gain the daughter of Saul, Michal, as his wife.
David had taken the city of Jerusalem, smote the Moabites, the Syrians, the Ammonites and reigned over all of Israel. He had been made King of all of Israel by the age of 30, and so much more; yet, here he was with his wife, Bathsheba, helpless and unable to save the life of their tiny infant son.
David’s Gradual Moral Fall.
Sin always leads from one step to another and often starts out imperceptibly.
The book, “Patriarchs and Prophets”, pg 717-718 tells us how this fall occurred.
“It was the spirit of self-confidence and self-exaltation that prepared the way for David’s fall. Flattery and the subtle allurements of power and luxury were not without effect upon him. Intercourse with surrounding nations also exerted an influence for evil.
According to the customs prevailing among Eastern rulers, crimes not to be tolerated in subjects were uncondemned in the king; the monarch was not under obligation to exercise the same self-restraint as the subject. All this tended to lessen David’s sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. And instead of relying in humility upon the power of Jehovah, he began to trust to his own wisdom and might.”
When David was exalted to the throne, his course was noticeably different than that of kings of other nations. He abhorred idolatry and zealously kept the people of Israel from being seduced into it by the surrounding nations.
But as he repeatedly conquered, triumphed and increased in wealth and greatness, the prosperity he enjoyed gradually led him away from God. There were many strong temptations, and one he fell into was the common practice of kings having more than one wife.
This first wrong of David’s was in taking more than one wife. This was not something God condoned. And this departure from God’s will prepared him for greater sins.
It was the influence of the ungodly nations, whose kings had many wives, that led David to also regard it an honor to possess several wives. Throughout his life, he reaped the sad lessons of taking this evil course. His home had much unhappiness, rivalry, and jealousy among his wives and children due to his deviation from God’s design for families.
Months Earlier
Many months earlier, David’s shameful secret sins were reflected back to him through God’s Prophet Nathan.
Boldly approaching King David, an action that could have cost Nathan his life, the prophet carried a message of stern rebuke and judgment from God.
Nathan relayed a simple parable to the King.
2 Sam. 12:1-4
1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
Infuriated, David was ready to execute judgment upon that wicked man and said to Nathan:
“. . .As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
Nathan responded, ”You are that man.”
David and Bathsheba
How did Nathan’s parable apply to David?
2 Samuel, Chapter 11, tells us about the sad story of David’s moral fall with Bathsheba, the wife of his loyal and faithful soldier, Uriah.
David had been engaged in a war with the Ammonites from across the Jordan River.
Before the war was completely over, David left the battle to the trust of his captain, Joab, to return to Jerusalem. It seemed that the overthrow of the Ammonites was certain.
Being surrounded by the fruits of his victory and the honors given him, David’s spiritual guard was let down.
It was now, while at ease and unguarded, that Satan seized the opportunity to occupy David’s mind. It was now when he was full of self-confidence and self-exaltation at the defeat of the Ammonites, that he had let go of his hold upon God.
This is a lesson for all of us to be aware of. It is often when we are not on our guard that Satan presents us with temptations.
David wandered out onto his rooftop with his eyes resting upon a beautiful woman in the distance who was washing herself. Asking who she was, and being informed it was both the daughter of Eliam, one of his officers and the wife of Uriah the Hittite, another faithful officer, David sent for her to come to him, where he laid with her and she conceived. Soon after she informed David, “I am with child”.
Immediately David calls his Captain, Joab, to send for Uriah to visit him and enquires about how the battle is going. David encourages Uriah to go to his home to spend time with his wife. Twice Uriah, true to his loyalty to the other soldiers, declines and sleeps outside with the other servants. He didn’t feel he should enjoy special privileges when the rest of the men were sleeping in the fields.
As these efforts to conceal David’s guilt were not successful, King David resorts to another plan - wherein Uriah, his faithful officer, would be killed.
David hands a secure message to Uriah to deliver to his captain, Joab. How sad this is. Uriah hand carries the very message, his own death warrant, that will cause his fatal demise in battle.
David wrote to Joab, “Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.” 2 Sam. 11:15. Joab complies, and Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, the faithful, betrayed, brave faithful officer, is killed in battle. Uriah had no idea of all that had transpired leading to his death.
After the mourning period for Uriah, David now takes Bathsheba as his wife, likely thinking, ‘Who would ever know?’
“But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” 2 Sam. 11:27
We Cannot Hide Anything From The Lord.
God knows the characters of men. He sees their weakness. There is nothing we can hide from the Lord and we need to know this. It may seem, at first, something to be feared. But as Jesus is our Saviour, our Advocate, our Lord and our King, we should want Him to be able to see us as we are, as He can understand us in our victories as well as our defeats. For as He knows us, He is also able to help us.
“For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.” Job 34:21
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10
“Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” Psalm 139:2
Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.” Psalm 90:8
“For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.” Proverbs 5:21
How Satan Works
As soon as Satan can separate the soul from God, the only Source of strength, he will seek to arouse the unholy desires of man’s carnal nature. The work of the enemy is not abrupt; it is not, at the outset, sudden and startling; it is a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle.
It begins in apparently small things—the neglect to be true to God and to rely upon Him wholly; the disposition to follow the customs and practices of the world. This is what happened in David’s situation.
David’s Wake Up Call
The stark, pointed words spoken by Nathan hit King David with full force. God knew everything and was calling David to account for his deeds.
David now saw himself as God saw him and he listened as Nathan recounted, point by point, all that God had blessed him with and exactly what he had done.
2 Samuel 12:7-14
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
Now fulfillment of these prophetic words was being realized. The newly born infant son of David and Bathsheba was dying.
David acknowledged his sin and made no excuses for it. He felt the full sense of his sin and, with remorse and sincere grief, bowed his head before Nathan, admitting his guilt.
Unlike King Saul, who sought to excuse his sin, King David was a converted man and acknowledged Nathan’s words and judgments, trembling at the word of the Lord.
The mournful and repentant King removed his royal robes and crown and lay all night upon the earth, fasting, praying and interceding to God for the innocent child that was suffering for his own guilt. As long as the child was alive, David continued to intercede, but as the seventh day of life came, the child perished.
”And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died.” 2 Sam. 12:18
King David’s Repentance
There was a great change in King David. He was broken in spirit by the consciousness of his sins and their far-reaching results. He felt very humbled in the eyes of his subjects and knew his influence was weakened. He also knew that the people, having a knowledge of his sin, would also be led to sin more freely.
His authority and influence in his home, his claim to respect from his sons, were also weakened. At times when he should have condemned sin in his house, the sense of his own guilt kept him quiet.
Lessons For Us
God intended the history of David’s fall to serve as a warning that even those whom He has greatly blessed and favored are not to feel secure and neglect watchfulness and prayer. And thus it has proved to those who, in humility, have sought to learn the lesson that God designed to teach.
From generation to generation, thousands have thus been led to realize their own danger from the tempter’s power. The fall of David, one so greatly honored by the Lord, has awakened in them distrust of self. They have felt that God alone could keep them by His power through faith. Knowing that in Him was their strength and safety, they have feared to take the first step on Satan’s ground.
Even before the divine sentence was pronounced against David, he had begun to reap the fruit of transgression. His conscience was not at rest. The agony of spirit which he then endured is brought to view in the thirty-second psalm.
Psalm 32 says:
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old. Through my roaring all the day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me: My moisture was changed as with the drought of summer.” Psalm 32:1-4, R.V
Psalm 51 is an expression of David’s repentance when the message of reproof came from the Prophet Nathan.
1 (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.) Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
“David’s repentance was sincere and deep. There was no effort to palliate his crime. No desire to escape the judgments threatened is what inspired his prayer.
He saw the enormity of his transgression against God; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart.
Psalm 51:10 says,
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
David did not, in despair, give over the struggle.
In the promises of God to repentant sinners, he saw the evidence of his pardon and acceptance.”
“This passage in David’s history is full of significance to the repenting sinner. It is one of the most forcible illustrations given us of the struggles and temptations of humanity, and of genuine repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through all the ages it has proved a source of encouragement to souls that, having fallen into sin, were struggling under the burden of their guilt. Thousands of the children of God, who have been betrayed into sin, when ready to give up to despair, have remembered how David’s sincere repentance and confession were accepted by God, notwithstanding he suffered for his transgression; and they also have taken courage to repent and try again to walk in the way of God’s commandments.”
“Whoever under the reproof of God will humble the soul with confession and repentance, as did David, may be sure that there is hope for him. Whoever will, in faith, accept God’s promises will find pardon. The Lord will never cast away one truly repentant soul.
The Lord has given us these promises:
“Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.” Isaiah 27:5.
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:7.
May this story and Biblical account encourage so many others who have ever found themselves in repentance and needing forgiveness. Let us ever keep looking to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
I leave you with these final words.
Hebrews 12:1-2:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
References:
Spirit of Prophecy, Vol 1, EGW.
Patriarchs and Prophets, Chapter 71, EGW.
BONUS:
Anointed “KING” Three Times
David may be the only known King to have been anointed as “king” three times.
Samuel first anointed young David as a young shepherd boy in the presence of all his brothers, while Saul was still alive. [1 Sam 16:13]. From that day, the Spirit of the Lord had come upon him.
After lamenting the death of Saul, the men of the House of Judah anointed David King where he reigned for seven years. [2 Sam 2:4; 5:4].
Finally, David was anointed King over the entire land of Israel by all of its elders at the age of 30. [2 Sam. 5:3].
It is a good lesson to know. If God can forgive David He will forgive us.