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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: And it came to pass in an evening tide, that
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  Speaker 1: David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the
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  Speaker 1: roof of the king's house. And from the roof he
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  Speaker 1: saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very
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  Speaker 1: beautiful to look upon. 2 Samuel 11.2 Heavenly Father, as
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  Speaker 1: I rest in the finished work of your hand, I
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  Speaker 1: will not drop my guard, because I am now enjoying
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  Speaker 1: a life of abundance as David did. I will remain
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  Speaker 1: diligent to continue the disciplines that ensure my success and peace.
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  Speaker 1: When entitlement and complacency try to occupy space in my
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  Speaker 1: mind and heart, I will be quick to evict them
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  Speaker 1: before they do damage to my destiny. When distractions try
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  Speaker 1: to entice me, I will not become enamored and emotionally
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  Speaker 1: connected because, like Bathsheba, they don't belong in my life.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that I am focused on my mission. I
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  Speaker 1: declare that I am determined to honor God in all
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  Speaker 1: that I do, and I declare that deceit and deception
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  Speaker 1: are not chapters in my book called life. Thank you, God,
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  Speaker 1: for protecting me from calamity and wrong options. I only
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  Speaker 1: 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 is for me. So the servant
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  Speaker 2: left for a few moments. Since the woman was close by,
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  Speaker 2: it would not be hard to find out which household
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  Speaker 2: she was a part of. The servant returned and said,
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  Speaker 2: That is Bathsheba. She is the daughter of Eliam and
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  Speaker 2: the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David winced in frustration.
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  Speaker 2: Uriah was one of David's mighty men. He was loyal, trustworthy,
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  Speaker 2: and a noble warrior. David covered his face. He let
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  Speaker 2: too many moments go by, enough moments to allow the
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  Speaker 2: temptation to poison his blood. David's heart was close enough
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  Speaker 2: to God's to know how to flee the situation. He
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  Speaker 2: had options. Yet David ignored the spirit within him and said,
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  Speaker 2: Send for Bathsheba. Bring her to me. A little under
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  Speaker 2: an hour had passed. David was pacing his room in
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  Speaker 2: anxious anticipation. Then the door opened slowly. David saw Bathsheba
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  Speaker 2: enter in with nobody behind her. He could not take
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  Speaker 2: his eyes off her. The two of them spoke for
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  Speaker 2: a little while. Beside candlelight, they flirted and whispered to
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  Speaker 2: one another. David touched her face, and the two of
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  Speaker 2: them began to kiss. The two of them were together
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  Speaker 2: all night. Sighs filled the room as David and Bathsheba
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  Speaker 2: embraced one another in secret. It was a night of passion, intoxication,
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  Speaker 2: and betrayal. A few weeks had passed since that night.
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  Speaker 2: David often thought about Bathsheba. He thought about her body,
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  Speaker 2: the smell of her hair, and the sound of her breath.
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  Speaker 2: Yet afterwards David would feel a pang of guilt for
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  Speaker 2: the sin he committed. He knew he could not see
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  Speaker 2: her again. His men were still at war, slowly defeating
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  Speaker 2: the Ammonites, and David remained in the city tending to
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  Speaker 2: a few political duties. One afternoon David was working in
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  Speaker 2: his room when the door opened slowly. David looked up
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  Speaker 2: and saw Bathsheba poking her head through the door. Surprised
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  Speaker 2: and afraid that she would be seen, David quickly had
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  Speaker 2: her come in and shut the door. Confused, David greeted her.
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  Speaker 2: He wondered if she had come back for another night
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  Speaker 2: of passion, or perhaps Yuria had somehow known about them.
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  Speaker 2: Bathsheba looked up at David, tears streaming down her cheeks.
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  Speaker 2: Her lips quivered as she said,' David, I am pregnant.'
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  Speaker 2: David sprang into action immediately. He knew he could cover
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  Speaker 2: up his sin if Uriah would sleep with his wife again.
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  Speaker 2: Then Uriah could raise David's child as his own and
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  Speaker 2: be unaware of her betrayal. So David sent for Uriah
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  Speaker 2: to return from battle. A few days passed, and David
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  Speaker 2: was anxious to see Uriah again. The door opened slowly,
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  Speaker 2: and Uriah greeted his king with a hug. The two
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  Speaker 2: spoke of the war, the state of the Minn, and
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  Speaker 2: how the Ammonites were taking longer to defeat than expected.
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  Speaker 2: David smiled at Uriah and said, My friend, you should
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  Speaker 2: go home and relax before you return. See your wife,
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  Speaker 2: wash your feet, and then rest before leaving. Uriah returned
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  Speaker 2: the king's smile. David's stomach turned when he looked at
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  Speaker 2: his innocent gaze. Uriah put his fist to his chest
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  Speaker 2: and said, The ark of God is still in a tent.
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  Speaker 2: and my fellow soldiers are sleeping on the ground beside
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  Speaker 2: a battlefield. 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 Uriah. 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.
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  Speaker 1: Instead, they held back.
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  Speaker 2: For a few moments, and Uriah was overcome by a
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  Speaker 2: fury of swords. Bathsheba stood still as a messenger delivered
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  Speaker 2: the news that Yuria had been killed. Her knees began
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  Speaker 2: to shake, and her eyes began to fog up with tears.
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  Speaker 2: Then she crumbled. She wept bitterly on her knees, knowing
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  Speaker 2: full well what had transpired. Guilt, grief, and conviction filled
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  Speaker 2: her heart. She mourned for weeks. When weeks had passed
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  Speaker 2: and the sting of Uriah's death was now a dull pain,
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  Speaker 2: David sent for Bathsheba. The two became married and Bathsheba
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  Speaker 2: bore a son. David sighed in relief that his sin
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  Speaker 2: had been successfully covered up. However, he overlooked a simple
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  Speaker 2: yet frightening truth. God knew. God had called David to
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  Speaker 2: be a king of honor and conviction David's sin would
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  Speaker 2: find him out soon enough, and he would be met
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  Speaker 2: with God's rebuke, correction, 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: visit jackgram.org. God bless you.
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  Speaker 2: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative health care
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