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

Transcript

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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And it came to pass in an
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: evening tide, that David arose from off his bed, and
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: walked upon the roof of the king's house. And from
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: woman was very beautiful to look upon. 2 Samuel 11
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: 2 Heavenly Father, as I rest in the finished work
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: of your hand, I will not drop my guard, because
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: I am now enjoying a life of abundance as David did.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: I will remain diligent to continue the disciplines that ensure
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: my success and peace. When entitlement and complacency try to
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: occupy space in my mind and heart, I will be
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: quick to evict them before they do damage to my destiny.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: When distractions try to entice me, I will not become
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: enamored and emotionally connected because, like Bathsheba, they don't belong
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: in my life. I declare that I am focused on
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: my mission. I declare that I am determined to honor
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: God in all that I do, and I declare that
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: deceit and deception are not chapters in my book called Life.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Thank you, God, for protecting me from calamity and wrong options.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: I only want your best for my life. In Jesus' name, amen.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: David and Bathsheba In our last story, we witnessed the
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: triumph of David over the Syrians and Ammonites. David's bravery
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: and skill was rivaled by no one. He claimed victory
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: after victory in battle and brought Israel into a place
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: of peace with many surrounding nations. Now we see David
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: growing complacent in victory. David lets his guard down, and
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: what happens next in an anchor to David's soul for
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: the rest of his life... as inspired by the book
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: of 2 Samuel.
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous reading, we
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: heard of the Ammonite king, Hanun, who disgraced David's men
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: and paid a high price for his abuse. We also
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: saw David's heart of service and kindness to those under
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: his leadership, an attitude that God blessed and always blesses greatly.
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: But even the greatest leaders can fall to temptations when
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: their attention drifts from the calling of God upon their life.
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: And in today's passage, we'll see what happens when David
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: takes his eyes off the vision that God had given
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: him and allows his gaze to settle on a married woman,
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: the wife of one of his mighty men. He will
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: give in to this temptation, and it will change the
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: course of his life forever. So, let's listen to today's
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: reading now.
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: Spring flowers were blooming all throughout the land of Israel.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: David was walking the courtyards of Jerusalem, turning his face
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: towards the sunlight. He strolled among the city, pleased with
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: himself and the state of his country. Still sore from
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: his battle with the Syrians and content with his work
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: as king, David sent Joab into battle against the Ammonites
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: to finish the job. David remained in the sun. smiling
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: with the foggy mind of a warrior returned home from victory.
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: He napped until the late afternoon. The sun was a
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: few hours from setting, and the evening spring landed gently
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: on his skin like a feather. David arose from his
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: nap and rubbed his eyes. He looked out the east
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: window into the distance, wondering how Joab and his men
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: were doing in battle. He knew that it was a
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: king's duty to go into a battle such as this. However,
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: David felt entitled to some rest. After all, he single-handedly
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: defeated the Syrian general and sent them scattering. David smiled,
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: content with his decision to send his army away. As
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: David was looking out the window, a figure down below
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: caught his eye. David looked closer to see a woman
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: bathing through her window. David watched as water trickled down
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: her intoxicating figure. She was incredibly beautiful. and David could
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: not take his eyes off her. David was lost in
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: the moment, admiring her naked body bathing as the sun
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: began to set. David beckoned one of his servants and said,
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: Find out who that is for me. So the servant
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: left for a few moments. Since the woman was close by,
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: it would not be hard to find out which household
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: she was a part of. The servant returned and said,
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: That is Bathsheba. She is the daughter of Eliam. and
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David winced in frustration.
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: Uriah was one of David's mighty men. He was loyal, trustworthy,
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: and a noble warrior. David covered his face. He let
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: too many moments go by, enough moments to allow the
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: temptation to poison his blood. David's heart was close enough
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: to God's to know how to flee the situation. He
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: had options. Yet David ignored the spirit within him and said,'
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: Send for Bathsheba. Bring her to me.'' A little under
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: an hour had passed.' David was pacing his room in
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: anxious anticipation.' Then the door opened slowly.' David saw Bathsheba
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: enter in with nobody behind her.' He could not take
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: his eyes off her.' The two of them spoke for
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: a little while.' Beside candlelight they flirted and whispered to
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: one another.' David touched her face and the two of
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: them began to kiss.' The two of them were together
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: all night. Sighs filled the room as David and Bathsheba
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: embraced one another in secret. It was a night of passion, intoxication,
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: and betrayal. A few weeks had passed since that night.
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: David often thought about Bathsheba. He thought about her body,
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: the smell of her hair, and the sound of her breath.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: Yet afterwards, David would feel a pang of guilt for
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: the sin he committed. He knew he could not see
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: her again. His men were still at war, slowly defeating
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: the Ammonites, and David remained in the city, tending to
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: a few political duties. One afternoon, David was working in
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: his room when the door opened slowly. David looked up
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: and saw Bathsheba poking her head through the door. Surprised
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: and afraid that she would be seen, David quickly had
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: her come in and shut the door. Confused, David greeted her.
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: He wondered if she had come back for another night
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: of passion. or perhaps Yuria had somehow known about them.
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: Bathsheba looked up at David, tears streaming down her cheeks.
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: Her lips quivered as she said, David, I am pregnant.
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: David sprang into action immediately. He knew he could cover
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: up his sin if Yuria would sleep with his wife again.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: Then Yuria could raise David's child as his own and
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: be unaware of her betrayal. So David sent for Yuria
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: to return from battle. A few days passed. and David
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: was anxious to see Uriah again. The door opened slowly,
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: and Uriah greeted his king with a hug. The two
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: spoke of the war, the state of the men, and
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: how the Ammonites were taking longer to defeat than expected.
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: David smiled at Uriah and said, My friend, you should
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: go home and relax before you return. See your wife,
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: wash your feet, and then rest before leaving. Uriah returned
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: the king's smile, David's stomach turned when he looked at
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: his innocent gaze. Uriah put his fist to his chest
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: and said, The Ark of God is still in a tent,
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: and my fellow soldiers are sleeping on the ground beside
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: a battlefield. Shall I go home to sleep with my wife, eat, drink,
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: and lie in a bed? No, I will not do
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: that to them until the battle is won. David did
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: his best not to slap Uriah. His honor was making
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: David's lies more difficult to cover. Very well, David said.
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: At least stay the night here and drink with me.
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: Surely you can do that. Uriah agreed, and David did
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: his best to get Uriah drunk so that he might
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: sleep with his wife. Yet Uriah maintained his composure and
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: his honor. He gave David no choice. The next morning
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: David sent Uriah back to the battle. David also sent
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: word to Joab, saying, Send Uriah to the forefront of
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: the battle. Have him be the spearhead of the army.
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: Draw back just slightly as he goes in so that
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: he dies in battle. Joab had betrayed David before, and
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: David showed him mercy. So Joab did not question David's orders.
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: As Joab and his men were making their final push
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: to besiege the city, Joab sent Uriah to the front
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: to storm the gates. Uriah agreed and roared valiantly. He
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: flung himself into the Ammonite army, expecting his men to
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: be behind him. Instead, they held back for a few moments,
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: and Yuria was overcome by a fury of swords. Bathsheba
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: stood still as a messenger delivered the news that Yuria
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: had been killed. Her knees began to shake, and her
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: eyes began to fog up with tears. Then she crumbled.
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: She wept bitterly on her knees, knowing full well what
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: had transpired. Guilt, grief, and conviction filled her heart. She
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: mourned for weeks. When weeks had passed and the sting
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: of Uriah's death was now a dull pain, David sent
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: for Bathsheba. The two became married and Bathsheba bore a son.
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: David sighed in relief that his sin had been successfully
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: covered up. However, he overlooked a simple yet frightening truth.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: God knew.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: God had called David to be a king of honor
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: and conviction. David's sin would find him out soon enough,
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: and he would be met with God's rebuke, correction, and
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: kindness all at once.
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: Today's passage begins with David's army going into battle led
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: by his trusted commander, Joab. As king of Israel, it
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: was David's calling to join his men, leading them in
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: the fight. but he decided to stay in Jerusalem. And
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: with that choice, David opened the door to temptation. 2
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: Samuel 11 verse 2 records the moment temptation came upon
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: the scene. It happened late one afternoon when David arose
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: from his couch and was walking on the roof of
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: the king's house that he saw from the roof a
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful. Rather than
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: joining his men in the battle where he belonged, David
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: was lounging at home, And he stood atop his house,
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: surveying his kingdom and all that he had accomplished. And
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: his eyes began to wander from his God-given purpose. And
• 11:26
  Speaker 3: he began to look with lust upon a woman who
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: was beautiful, enticing, and not his wife. David should have
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: recognized the temptation, the danger of that moment. He should
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: have turned around, walked away, and obeyed God. Instead, he
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: sent his servant to find out who this woman was.
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: Her name was Bathsheba. And not only was she married,
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: But she was the wife of Uriah, one of David's
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: mighty men. So clearly, David is already treading into dangerous
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: territory and he is in trouble. His complacency and curiosity
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: led him into this situation. Yet there was still time
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: to turn back. David could have walked away from the
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: sexual immorality that was knocking at the door of his life.
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: But sadly, that's not what happened. He sent for Bathsheba
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: to be brought to him and the two slept together.
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: It wasn't long before David's sin caught up to him.
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: Shortly after their night of infidelity, Bathsheba became pregnant and
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: sent word to the king that she was carrying his child.
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: For some moments of stolen pleasure, David's whole life and
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: even his kingdom was now in jeopardy. If his sin
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: was discovered, David, the mighty godly king, would be disgraced.
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: But instead of owning his mistake, repenting, and showing the
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: nation an example of someone seeking God's forgiveness, David hatched
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: a plan to cover up his sinful deeds. He called
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: for Uriah to be sent home from battle in hopes
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: that the man would sleep with his wife and assume
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: that the baby would be his own baby. Uriah, however,
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: proved more honorable than the king. He refused to go
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: to bed with his wife, knowing that there was a
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: battle to be fought. And despite David's attempts, Uriah never
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: lay with Bathsheba. But now David was in way too deep.
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: He was committed to the lie, to the cover-up. So
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: he concocted an even more devious plan, a deadly plan,
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: one that would break yet another commandment. He sent Uriah
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: back into the battle along with a note to Joab
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: instructing him to place Uriah on the front lines and
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: draw back so that the enemy was sure to kill Uriah. Joab,
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: ever the loyal commander, did as David instructed. Now David
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: was not only guilty of complacency and lust and adultery
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: and dishonesty, he was guilty of murder, all to save
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: his own reputation and to hide his sin. Bathsheba was
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: now a widow, and after her mourning period, David brought
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: her into his home and married her. It seemed to
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: him like he had gotten away with all of this.
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: But God knew. God always knows. And God was deeply
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: grieved by David's sin. And in our next reading, we'll
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: see how God deals with David and how his mercies
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: persist even in the midst of David's sin and its consequences.
• 14:25
  Speaker 3: Dear God, may we always be reminded that you have
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: provided a way out of temptation. We ask that you
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: would deliver us from evil and that we would overcome
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: every sinful temptation in our lives. Help us never to
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: cover our sins but to always turn to you and
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: to seek repentance and forgiveness with you. Thank you for
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: your love and your grace, your mercy, and the power
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: of your cross to change our lives. For we pray
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: in the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank you for listening
• 14:58
  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I hope you
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: are enjoying it as much as I am. This is
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: Pray.com app and make prayer the priority in your life.
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: And if you You have enjoyed this podcast. Share it
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: with someone you love. By sharing this podcast, you can
• 15:16
  Speaker 3: make a difference in someone's life. This podcast is being
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: listened to all over the world by millions of people,
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: and we are celebrating the fact that God's Word is
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: being heard. And if you want more resources on how
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: to tap into God's power for living, be sure to
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: visit jackgram.org. God bless you.