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David and Bathsheba - The Book of 2 Samuel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And it came to pass in an
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  Speaker 1: evening tide, that David arose from off his bed, and
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  Speaker 1: walked upon the roof of the king's house. And from
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  Speaker 1: the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the
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  Speaker 1: woman was very beautiful to look upon. 2 Samuel 11
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  Speaker 1: 2 Heavenly Father, as I rest in the finished work
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  Speaker 1: of your hand, I will not drop my guard, because
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  Speaker 1: I am now enjoying a life of abundance as David did.
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  Speaker 1: I will remain diligent to continue the disciplines that ensure
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  Speaker 1: my success and peace. When entitlement and complacency try to
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  Speaker 1: occupy space in my mind and heart, I will be
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  Speaker 1: quick to evict them before they do damage to my destiny.
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  Speaker 1: When distractions try to entice me, I will not become
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  Speaker 1: enamored and emotionally connected because, like Bathsheba, they don't belong
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  Speaker 1: in my life. I declare that I am focused on
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  Speaker 1: my mission. I declare that I am determined to honor
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  Speaker 1: God in all that I do, and I declare that
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  Speaker 1: deceit and deception are not chapters in my book called Life.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, God, for protecting me from calamity and wrong options.
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  Speaker 1: I only want your best for my life. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: David and Bathsheba In our last story, we witnessed the
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  Speaker 2: triumph of David over the Syrians and Ammonites. David's bravery
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  Speaker 2: and skill was rivaled by no one. He claimed victory
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  Speaker 2: after victory in battle and brought Israel into a place
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  Speaker 2: of peace with many surrounding nations. Now we see David
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  Speaker 2: growing complacent in victory. David lets his guard down, and
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  Speaker 2: what happens next in an anchor to David's soul for
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  Speaker 2: the rest of his life as inspired by the book
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  Speaker 2: of 2 Samuel.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous reading, we
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  Speaker 3: heard of the Ammonite king, Hanun, who disgraced David's men
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  Speaker 3: and paid a high price for his abuse. We also
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  Speaker 3: saw David's heart of service and kindness to those under
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  Speaker 3: his leadership, an attitude that God blessed and always blesses greatly.
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  Speaker 3: But even the greatest leaders can fall to temptations when
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  Speaker 3: their attention drifts from the calling of God upon their life.
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  Speaker 3: And in today's passage, we'll see what happens when David
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  Speaker 3: takes his eyes off the vision that God had given
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  Speaker 3: him and allows his gaze to settle on a married woman,
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  Speaker 3: the wife of one of his mighty men. He will
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  Speaker 3: give in to this temptation, and it will change the
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  Speaker 3: course of his life forever. So, let's listen to today's
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  Speaker 3: reading now.
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  Speaker 2: Spring flowers were blooming all throughout the land of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: David was walking the courtyards of Jerusalem, turning his face
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  Speaker 2: towards the sunlight. He strolled among the city, pleased with
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  Speaker 2: himself and the state of his country. Still sore from
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  Speaker 2: his battle with the Syrians and content with his work
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  Speaker 2: as king, David sent Joab into battle against the Ammonites
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  Speaker 2: to finish the job. David remained in the sun. smiling
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  Speaker 2: with the foggy mind of a warrior returned home from victory.
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  Speaker 2: He napped until the late afternoon. The sun was a
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  Speaker 2: few hours from setting, and the evening spring landed gently
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  Speaker 2: on his skin like a feather. David arose from his
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  Speaker 2: nap and rubbed his eyes. He looked out the east
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  Speaker 2: window into the distance, wondering how Joab and his men
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  Speaker 2: were doing in battle. He knew that it was a
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  Speaker 2: king's duty to go into a battle such as this. However,
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  Speaker 2: David felt entitled to some rest. After all, he single-handedly
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  Speaker 2: defeated the Syrian general and sent them scattering. David smiled,
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  Speaker 2: content with his decision to send his army away. As
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  Speaker 2: David was looking out the window, a figure down below
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  Speaker 2: caught his eye. David looked closer to see a woman
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  Speaker 2: bathing through her window. David watched as water trickled down
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  Speaker 2: her intoxicating figure. She was incredibly beautiful. and David could
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  Speaker 2: not take his eyes off her. David was lost in
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  Speaker 2: the moment, admiring her naked body bathing as the sun
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  Speaker 2: began to set. David beckoned one of his servants and said,
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  Speaker 2: Find out who that.
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  Speaker 1: Is for me.
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  Speaker 2: So the servant left for a few moments. Since the
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  Speaker 2: woman was close by, it would not be hard to
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  Speaker 2: find out which household she was a part of. The
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  Speaker 2: servant returned and said, That is Bathsheba. She is the
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  Speaker 2: daughter of Eliam. and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.
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  Speaker 2: David winced in frustration. Uriah was one of David's mighty men.
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  Speaker 2: He was loyal, trustworthy, and a noble warrior. David covered
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  Speaker 2: his face. He let too many moments go by, enough
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  Speaker 2: moments to allow the temptation to poison his blood. David's
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  Speaker 2: heart was close enough to God's to know how to
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  Speaker 2: flee the situation. He had options. Yet David ignored the
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  Speaker 2: spirit within him and said,' Send for Bathsheba. Bring her
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  Speaker 2: to me.'' A little under an hour had passed.' David
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  Speaker 2: was pacing his room in anxious anticipation.' Then the door
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  Speaker 2: opened slowly.' David saw Bathsheba enter in with nobody behind her.'
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  Speaker 2: He could not take his eyes off her.' The two
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  Speaker 2: of them spoke for a little while.' Beside candlelight they
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  Speaker 2: flirted and whispered to one another.' David touched her face
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  Speaker 2: and the two of them began to kiss.' The two
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  Speaker 2: of them were together all night. Sighs filled the room
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  Speaker 2: as David and Bathsheba embraced one another in secret. It
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  Speaker 2: was a night of passion, intoxication, and betrayal. A few
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  Speaker 2: weeks had passed since that night. David often thought about Bathsheba.
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  Speaker 2: He thought about her body, the smell of her hair,
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  Speaker 2: and the sound of her breath. Yet afterwards, David would
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  Speaker 2: feel a pang of guilt for the sin he committed.
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  Speaker 2: He knew he could not see her again. His men
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  Speaker 2: were still at war, slowly defeating the Ammonites, and David
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  Speaker 2: remained in the city, tending to a few political duties.
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  Speaker 2: One afternoon, David was working in his room when the
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  Speaker 2: door opened slowly. David looked up and saw Bathsheba poking
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  Speaker 2: her head through the door. Surprised and afraid that she
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  Speaker 2: would be seen, David quickly had her come in and
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  Speaker 2: shut the door. Confused, David greeted her. He wondered if
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  Speaker 2: she had come back for another night of passion. or
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  Speaker 2: perhaps Yuria had somehow known about them. Bathsheba looked up
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  Speaker 2: at David, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her lips quivered
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  Speaker 2: as she said, David, I am pregnant. David sprang into
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  Speaker 2: action immediately. He knew he could cover up his sin
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  Speaker 2: if Yuria would sleep with his wife again. Then Yuria
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  Speaker 2: could raise David's child as his own and be unaware
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  Speaker 2: of her betrayal. So David sent for Yuria to return
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  Speaker 2: from battle. A few days passed. and David was anxious
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  Speaker 2: to see Uriah again. The door opened slowly, and Uriah
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  Speaker 2: greeted his king with a hug. The two spoke of
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  Speaker 2: the war, the state of the men, and how the
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  Speaker 2: Ammonites were taking longer to defeat than expected. David smiled
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  Speaker 2: at Uriah and said, My friend, you should go home
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  Speaker 2: and relax before you return. See your wife, wash your feet,
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  Speaker 2: and then rest before leaving. Uriah returned the king's smile,
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  Speaker 2: David's stomach turned when he looked at his innocent gaze.
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  Speaker 2: Uriel put his fist to his chest and said, The
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  Speaker 2: Ark of God is still in a tent, and my
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  Speaker 2: fellow soldiers are sleeping on the ground beside a battlefield.
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  Speaker 2: Shall I go home to sleep with my wife, eat, drink,
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  Speaker 2: and lie in a bed? No, I will not do
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  Speaker 2: that to them until the battle is won. David did
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  Speaker 2: his best not to slap Uriel. His honor was making
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  Speaker 2: David's lies more difficult to cover. Very well, David said.'
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  Speaker 2: At least stay the night here and drink with me.
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  Speaker 2: Surely you can do that.' Uriah agreed, and David did
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  Speaker 2: his best to get Uriah drunk so that he might
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  Speaker 2: sleep with his wife. Yet Uriah maintained his composure and
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  Speaker 2: his honor. He gave David no choice. The next morning
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  Speaker 2: David sent Uriah back to the battle. David also sent
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  Speaker 2: word to Joab, saying,' Send Uriah to the forefront of
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  Speaker 2: the battle.' Have him be the spearhead of the army.
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  Speaker 2: Draw back just slightly as he goes in, so that
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  Speaker 2: he dies in battle. Joab had betrayed David before, and
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  Speaker 2: David showed him mercy. So Joab did not question David's orders.
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  Speaker 2: As Joab and his men were making their final push
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  Speaker 2: to besiege the city, Joab sent Uriah to the front
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  Speaker 2: to storm the gates. Uriah agreed and roared valiantly. He
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  Speaker 2: flung himself into the Ammonite army, expecting his men to
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  Speaker 2: be behind him. Instead, they held back for a few moments,
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  Speaker 2: and Yuria was overcome by a fury of swords. Bathsheba
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  Speaker 2: stood still as a messenger delivered the news that Yuria
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  Speaker 2: had been killed. Her knees began to shake, and her
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  Speaker 2: eyes began to fog up with tears. Then she crumbled.
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  Speaker 2: She wept bitterly on her knees, knowing full well what
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  Speaker 2: had transpired. Guilt, grief, and conviction filled her heart. She
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  Speaker 2: mourned for weeks. When weeks had passed and the sting
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  Speaker 2: of Uriah's death was now a dull pain, David sent
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  Speaker 2: for Bathsheba. The two became married and Bathsheba bore a son.
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  Speaker 2: David sighed in relief that his sin had been successfully
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  Speaker 2: covered up. However, he overlooked a simple yet frightening truth.
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  Speaker 2: God knew. God had called David to be a king
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  Speaker 2: of honor and conviction. David's sin would find him out
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  Speaker 2: soon enough, and he would be met with God's rebuke, correction,
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  Speaker 2: and kindness all at once.
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  Speaker 3: Today's passage begins with David's army going into battle led
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  Speaker 3: by his trusted commander, Joab. As king of Israel, it
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  Speaker 3: was David's calling to join his men, leading them in
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  Speaker 3: the fight. but he decided to stay in Jerusalem. And
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  Speaker 3: with that choice, David opened the door to temptation. 2
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  Speaker 3: Samuel 11 verse 2 records the moment temptation came upon
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  Speaker 3: the scene. It happened late one afternoon when David arose
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  Speaker 3: from his couch and was walking on the roof of
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  Speaker 3: the king's house that he saw from the roof a
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  Speaker 3: woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful. Rather than
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  Speaker 3: joining his men in the battle where he belonged, David
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  Speaker 3: was lounging at home, And he stood atop his house,
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  Speaker 3: surveying his kingdom and all that he had accomplished. And
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  Speaker 3: his eyes began to wander from his God-given purpose. And
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  Speaker 3: he began to look with lust upon a woman who
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  Speaker 3: was beautiful, enticing, and not his wife. David should have
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  Speaker 3: recognized the temptation, the danger of that moment. He should
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  Speaker 3: have turned around, walked away, and obeyed God. Instead, he
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  Speaker 3: sent his servant to find out who this woman was.
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  Speaker 3: Her name was Bathsheba. And not only was she married,
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  Speaker 3: But she was the wife of Uriah, one of David's
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  Speaker 3: mighty men. So clearly, David is already treading into dangerous
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  Speaker 3: territory and he is in trouble. His complacency and curiosity
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  Speaker 3: led him into this situation. Yet there was still time
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  Speaker 3: to turn back. David could have walked away from the
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  Speaker 3: sexual immorality that was knocking at the door of his life.
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  Speaker 3: But sadly, that's not what happened. He sent for Bathsheba
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  Speaker 3: to be brought to him and the two slept together.
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  Speaker 3: It wasn't long before David's sin caught up to him.
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  Speaker 3: Shortly after their night of infidelity, Bathsheba became pregnant and
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  Speaker 3: sent word to the king that she was carrying his child.
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  Speaker 3: For some moments of stolen pleasure, David's whole life and
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  Speaker 3: even his kingdom was now in jeopardy. If his sin
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  Speaker 3: was discovered, David, the mighty godly king, would be disgraced.
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  Speaker 3: But instead of owning his mistake, repenting, and showing the
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  Speaker 3: nation an example of someone seeking God's forgiveness, David hatched
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  Speaker 3: a plan to cover up his sinful deeds. He called
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  Speaker 3: for Uriah to be sent home from battle in hopes
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  Speaker 3: that the man would sleep with his wife and assume
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  Speaker 3: that the baby would be his own baby. Uriah, however,
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  Speaker 3: proved more honorable than the king. He refused to go
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  Speaker 3: to bed with his wife, knowing that there was a
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  Speaker 3: battle to be fought. And despite David's attempts, Uriah never
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  Speaker 3: lay with Bathsheba. But now David was in way too deep.
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  Speaker 3: He was committed to the lie, to the cover-up. So
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  Speaker 3: he concocted an even more devious plan, a deadly plan,
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  Speaker 3: one that would break yet another commandment. He sent Uriah
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  Speaker 3: back into the battle along with a note to Joab
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  Speaker 3: instructing him to place Uriah on the front lines and
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  Speaker 3: draw back so that the enemy was sure to kill Uriah. Joab,
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  Speaker 3: ever the loyal commander, did as David instructed. Now David
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  Speaker 3: was not only guilty of complacency and lust and adultery
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  Speaker 3: and dishonesty, he was guilty of murder, all to save
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  Speaker 3: his own reputation and to hide his sin. Bathsheba was
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  Speaker 3: now a widow, and after her mourning period, David brought
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  Speaker 3: her into his home and married her. It seemed to
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  Speaker 3: him like he had gotten away with all of this.
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  Speaker 3: But God knew. God always knows. And God was deeply
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  Speaker 3: grieved by David's sin. And in our next reading, we'll
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  Speaker 3: see how God deals with David and how his mercies
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  Speaker 3: persist even in the midst of David's sin and its consequences.
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  Speaker 3: Dear God, may we always be reminded that you have
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  Speaker 3: provided a way out of temptation. We ask that you
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  Speaker 3: would deliver us from evil and that we would overcome
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  Speaker 3: every sinful temptation in our lives. Help us never to
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  Speaker 3: cover our sins but to always turn to you and
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  Speaker 3: to seek repentance and forgiveness with you. Thank you for
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  Speaker 3: your love and your grace, your mercy, and the power
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  Speaker 3: of your cross to change our lives. For we pray
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  Speaker 3: in the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I hope you
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  Speaker 3: are enjoying it as much as I am. This is
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  Speaker 3: Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the
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  Speaker 3: Pray.com app and make prayer the priority in your life.
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  Speaker 3: And if you You have enjoyed this podcast. Share it
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