Rise and Fall: Beyond the Barriers
2 Samuel 11
April 7, 2024
Jay Haugh
No one is too young or too old or too spiritually mature to make destructive choices.
In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. —2 Samuel 11:1 ESV
Godly men and women need to be careful in their success and systems.
(1) David is alone and unaccountable.
Be careful when you’re alone and unaccountable.
It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, —2 Samuel 11:2 ESV
Be careful when you’re alone, unaccountable, and it’s dark where no one can see you.
he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. —2 Samuel 11:2 ESV
(2) David doesn’t flee the temptation that arises.
And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” —2 Samuel 11:3 ESV
(3) David actively pursues and succumbs to temptation.
So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. —2 Samuel 11:4 ESV
David despised God’s word.
Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? “ —2 Samuel 12:9 ESV
David in his pride and success thinks that the Bible doesn’t apply to him.
David has had so much success that he has lost his fear of God.
And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.” —2 Samuel 11:5 ESV
David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. —2 Samuel 11:6 ESV
Sin will cause us to lose peace, joy, credibility, and confidence.
David thinks deceit will cover his sin.
When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. —2 Samuel 11:7 ESV
Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. —2 Samuel 11:8 ESV
But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” —2 Samuel 11:9-10 ESV
Uriah is a loyal servant of the king.
Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” —2 Samuel 11:11 ESV
Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. —2 Samuel 11:12-13 ESV
In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. —2 Samuel 11:14 ESV
David has officially bottomed out!
In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” —2 Samuel 11:15 ESV
And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died. —2 Samuel 11:16-17 ESV
David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.” —2 Samuel 11:25 ESV
When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. —2 Samuel 11:26 ESV
But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. —2 Samuel 11:26 ESV
Big Idea:
Blowing past God’s barriers will always lead to a place of destruction and death.
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Memory Verse: 2 Samuel 7:22 NIV
How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.
These questions aim to foster meaningful discussion and encourage participants to reflect on God’s Word to lead to heart transformation. Feel free to modify or expand upon these questions based on the dynamics and needs of your Small Group.
Read 2 Samuel 11
Before this chapter, what were your impressions of David? Does this chapter change your perspective at all? How does it make you feel to see a devoted follower of God stumble in sin? What can we do to protect ourselves and to protect those in leadership over us?
Why do you think David stayed in Jerusalem instead of leading his army into battle as was customary for kings? What does this say about the dangers of complacency or neglecting responsibilities? As you reflect on your different roles and responsibilities, both professionally and otherwise, are there any areas where you have become complacent or negligent?
David is alone and unaccountable as he is wandering on his rooftop. What is it about being alone that can more quickly lead us to a place of temptation? Have you ever been in a situation where being alone led you to make poor choices?
Being alone is inevitable, but David chooses not to flee when he is tempted. What is a different choice David could have made at this moment? When no one is around, and you feel the pull of sin and temptation, what do you do to combat these urges?
No one in David’s inner circle confronts him about his actions. Why do you think this might be? How approachable are you? If someone close to you saw you acting in sin, how would you react? How can we create an environment of accountability in our own lives? Where do you need or want more accountability in your spiritual walk?
David attempts to cover his sin instead of repenting, which leads to further wrongdoing. Discuss a time when you’ve seen or experienced this “snowball effect” of sin. As you reflect on the pattern we have seen of David falling into sin, do you recognize any of that pattern in your own life? How have similar failures led you or others into a downward spiral of sin?
The things that tempt us look extremely pleasing at first look, but the consequences are incredibly damaging. When we find ourselves in a place of sin, what is the correct path forward? How can we move from a place of shame and guilt to a place of restoration and wholeness? How can you help others who are experiencing shame and guilt and guide them to a place of restoration and wholeness?
David already has numerous wives and concubines, yet this was not enough for him since he is looking at Bathsheba with coveting eyes. Why is the desire for more never able to be satisfied? How does God challenge us to be content with what we have been blessed with (ex. Philippians 4:10-13)? As you reflect, is there anything in your life that you are coveting right now?