“It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 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 11:2–3, ESV)
The scripture above captures a turning point in the life of King David. Before this fateful moment in his life, David lived an unbelievably blessed life. He fought the giant Goliath and won! He was protected by the advice of prophets. He was made famous in battle. He escaped death on multiple occasions. He was a father of at least 21 children. He was loved by the people of Israel and Judah. He wrote many of the Psalms in our Bible and was even an ancestor of Jesus! Though his life was filled with great accomplishments, the scripture for today includes a low point in David’s life. 2 Samuel 11 includes the moment David first laid eyes upon Bathsheba. Many things went wrong because of the decisions David made on that fateful day when he spied Bathsheba. The beloved King David’s image was forever tarnished.
2 Samuel 11:2 records how David rose up from his couch and went to look over the city of Jerusalem. It sounds like a small thing, a natural occurrence. However, what David saw changed his life. He looked out and saw Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, taking a bath. In those days, people might bathe on their rooftop, where rainwater gathered in pools. Uriah, Bathsheba’s soldier husband, was no doubt out fighting for his country (2 Samuel 11:1). When David saw “beautiful” Bathsheba (as 2 Samuel 11:2 describes her), his hormones went full tilt. He watched her bathe. He let his imagination run wild. The temptation proved too much, and David sent for Bathsheba. Then, he had sex with her. By doing so, he committed adultery. Within weeks, he found out she was pregnant. To cover up the illicit sex and pregnancy, David had Uriah killed to cover up his own sin.
David, a man known to be of great faith, failed in a moment of weakness. By letting lust get to him, David committed multiple sins in quick succession including adultery and lying and murder. This man, who was called God’s “beloved”, fell hard. His one moment of afternoon lust forever altered his reputation and relationship with God. He proved with his actions that day that no matter how close you are to God, no matter how faithful you are, sin can grab hold and destroy everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve. Even the most faithful can fail. You are never too faithful to fail miserably and need grace.
You’d think a man like David would know better than to let lust take control. Life, however, is not so easy. People, though they might know better, can make some pretty big mistakes.
“George Morar made his first parachute jump in Korea when his plane went down behind enemy lines. It saved his life. In 1983 he made his last jump from a small plane over northern California. It killed him. The plane he and three other sky divers shared flew from the field of the instruction school he owned. At 5,600 feet the divers were preparing to jump when, suddenly, Morar’s reserve chute burst open, billowed outside the craft, and tangled in the plane’s tail, instantly plunging it into a nose-dive.
He should have dived out instinctively after the chute, but instead he grabbed frantically for the chute, trying to pull it back in. Why this pioneer of parachuting panicked and ignored all his own teachings and experience we will never know. For when he finally jumped, the reserve chute ripped off, and a wind gust or contact with the plane tore away his main chute as well. After nearly 3,000 jumps, an incredible blunder cost his life.
It is a warning to us all. We never get so good, so intelligent, or so experienced that we are invulnerable to foolish, deadly mistakes. Just when we think we have grown beyond a certain temptation, we find ourselves falling to it. When we feel mature enough to capably handle any crisis, a small problem renders us helpless. David had reached the zenith of his career and seemed invincible; then, one fateful [afternoon], he walked out on his balcony …” (Virgil Hurley, Speaker’s Sourcebook of New illustrations, pp. 146-147).
Some very incredible people in the Bible made huge mistakes during vulnerable moments. Moses committed murder. Elijah contemplated suicide. Judas betrayed Jesus. Peter denied Jesus three times. Paul persecuted the faithful. Each of these God-fearing men failed. No matter how many years you have faithfully worshipped God, there will come a day when your own temptations or weaknesses will take you down a path of great suffering.
Because of the human propensity to sin, all of us need the grace of God. All of us will need God’s forgiveness and restoration. You are not above sinning. A stressful day might make you irritable and resentful, causing you to lash out at someone you love. A fear might cause you to fail to do the right thing. A psychological insecurity might result in your feelings of inadequacy, preventing you from standing up for truth. Jealousy might push you to betray a friend’s trust. A desire to look good to others might fuel your desire to spend too much money on beauty products. A prideful attitude might cause you to lie to protect your integrity. There are billions of ways to fail God. No matter which temptation gets you, repentance with the desire to make things right with God must follow.
Don’t ever get so spiritually arrogant to think you are above making some boneheaded mistakes. If King David can fail God, so can you! If King David needed grace at some point in his life, you will too. Aren’t you glad God offers grace and forgiveness to those who repent after a miserable spiritual and moral failure? Do you willingly grant forgiveness and grace to others, knowing we all are susceptible to human weakness?
2 Samuel 11:2 records how David rose up from his couch and went to look over the city of Jerusalem. It sounds like a small thing, a natural occurrence. However, what David saw changed his life. He looked out and saw Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, taking a bath. In those days, people might bathe on their rooftop, where rainwater gathered in pools. Uriah, Bathsheba’s soldier husband, was no doubt out fighting for his country (2 Samuel 11:1). When David saw “beautiful” Bathsheba (as 2 Samuel 11:2 describes her), his hormones went full tilt. He watched her bathe. He let his imagination run wild. The temptation proved too much, and David sent for Bathsheba. Then, he had sex with her. By doing so, he committed adultery. Within weeks, he found out she was pregnant. To cover up the illicit sex and pregnancy, David had Uriah killed to cover up his own sin.
David, a man known to be of great faith, failed in a moment of weakness. By letting lust get to him, David committed multiple sins in quick succession including adultery and lying and murder. This man, who was called God’s “beloved”, fell hard. His one moment of afternoon lust forever altered his reputation and relationship with God. He proved with his actions that day that no matter how close you are to God, no matter how faithful you are, sin can grab hold and destroy everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve. Even the most faithful can fail. You are never too faithful to fail miserably and need grace.
You’d think a man like David would know better than to let lust take control. Life, however, is not so easy. People, though they might know better, can make some pretty big mistakes.
“George Morar made his first parachute jump in Korea when his plane went down behind enemy lines. It saved his life. In 1983 he made his last jump from a small plane over northern California. It killed him. The plane he and three other sky divers shared flew from the field of the instruction school he owned. At 5,600 feet the divers were preparing to jump when, suddenly, Morar’s reserve chute burst open, billowed outside the craft, and tangled in the plane’s tail, instantly plunging it into a nose-dive.
He should have dived out instinctively after the chute, but instead he grabbed frantically for the chute, trying to pull it back in. Why this pioneer of parachuting panicked and ignored all his own teachings and experience we will never know. For when he finally jumped, the reserve chute ripped off, and a wind gust or contact with the plane tore away his main chute as well. After nearly 3,000 jumps, an incredible blunder cost his life.
It is a warning to us all. We never get so good, so intelligent, or so experienced that we are invulnerable to foolish, deadly mistakes. Just when we think we have grown beyond a certain temptation, we find ourselves falling to it. When we feel mature enough to capably handle any crisis, a small problem renders us helpless. David had reached the zenith of his career and seemed invincible; then, one fateful [afternoon], he walked out on his balcony …” (Virgil Hurley, Speaker’s Sourcebook of New illustrations, pp. 146-147).
Some very incredible people in the Bible made huge mistakes during vulnerable moments. Moses committed murder. Elijah contemplated suicide. Judas betrayed Jesus. Peter denied Jesus three times. Paul persecuted the faithful. Each of these God-fearing men failed. No matter how many years you have faithfully worshipped God, there will come a day when your own temptations or weaknesses will take you down a path of great suffering.
Because of the human propensity to sin, all of us need the grace of God. All of us will need God’s forgiveness and restoration. You are not above sinning. A stressful day might make you irritable and resentful, causing you to lash out at someone you love. A fear might cause you to fail to do the right thing. A psychological insecurity might result in your feelings of inadequacy, preventing you from standing up for truth. Jealousy might push you to betray a friend’s trust. A desire to look good to others might fuel your desire to spend too much money on beauty products. A prideful attitude might cause you to lie to protect your integrity. There are billions of ways to fail God. No matter which temptation gets you, repentance with the desire to make things right with God must follow.
Don’t ever get so spiritually arrogant to think you are above making some boneheaded mistakes. If King David can fail God, so can you! If King David needed grace at some point in his life, you will too. Aren’t you glad God offers grace and forgiveness to those who repent after a miserable spiritual and moral failure? Do you willingly grant forgiveness and grace to others, knowing we all are susceptible to human weakness?