Good morning. This morning we are going to continue our series CSI, as we look at some of the crime scenes from the Bible. So far we have looked at the crime scene of Cain killing Abel, we saw the scene of David verses Goliath, and today, we take a look at David once again. Today, David becomes a repeat offender, but this time, he is on the wrong side of the law.
Before we take a look at David today, let me open with a word of prayer. Let’s Pray!
He was a good man, an honorable man. And yet, he was betrayed by the one he loved the most, betrayed by the one he respected most, and he never even saw it coming. He died believing that he was fighting for a just cause, believing that his wife loved him, and that his King believed in him. But here is the sad truth, he was wrong, dead wrong.
Today’s crime scene all begins in II Samuel chapter 11.
Here’s what happened, it was the spring of the year. Now you and I know what spring means. Spring Cleaning! It’s time to do yard work, clean up the property, maybe do a little painting, a little raking, half of your driveway gravel is now on the grass so we probably have a lot of raking to do. Those are spring things. But in a different time and a different place, that wasn’t the case.
We read in II Samuel 11:1 that, “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.”
Spring, the time of year when the robins come back, the flowers come up, and kings go to war. Why spring? Well, I don’t know, but maybe in the winter it was too cold to go to war. And perhaps in the summer everyone was at the beach. Whatever the reason, we know that spring was the time for kings to go to war.
Anyway, here’s the story. It’s the spring of the year and the nation of Israel is at war with a couple of different groups, but the King, that would be David at that time, is not there. He’s at home, in Jerusalem. His troops are fighting the Ammonites in Rabbah and David’s in Jerusalem. Now today that might not seem all that strange, after all, the President of the United States doesn’t go out to the battle field and fight. But in David’s day and age Kings went to war, they lead their troops. But not David, not this time at least.
This time he’s home and one evening just after he had gotten up, honest that’s what the Bible says. II Samuel 11:2, “One evening David got up from his ben and walked around on the roof of the palace.” So, late one afternoon David got out of bed after taking a nap and went for a stroll on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath.
So, he’s taking a stroll around the flat roof of his palace and he looks over and this lady is out in her back yard taking a bath. And she’s not just any lady the Bible says that she was a woman of unusual beauty.
Now, I’m not saying that she shouldn’t have been bathing in the back yard, but I would think that when you neighbor’s house is much taller then yours that the thought might possibly cross your mind, “Hey this might not be such a good idea.” But, she evidently doesn’t think that, and so the story goes on and David sees her, and then he sends a messenger to go get Bathsheba and bring her back to his palace.
Now I don’t know why David invited her up in the first place. It might very well have been an innocent gesture. Maybe he wanted to warn her about the dangers of bathing in her back yard. Or maybe he wanted to compliment her on her beauty. Perhaps he wanted to ask her about her husband because by this time David already knew that she was the wife of one of his troops. I wonder if there was some neat art work in his palace that he wanted to show her. Or, possibly he knew what he was doing, and he had a plan for when she got there. Whatever the reason, I don’t know. But what I do know is what ended up happening. The Bible tells us that when she came to his palace, that, “He slept with her.” And then, in the very next verse she discovers that she’s pregnant and sends news to David of the consequences of their actions.
Now I want to move away here for just a minute. You have to put this into perspective to understand why Bathsheba got pregnant. I mean other then the obvious.
The Bible tells us that that reason Bathsheba was bathing was that her religion required it. Listen to what the Bible actually says in II Samuel 11:4, “Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.)”
Now what this means is that she had just completed the purification regulations after having her menstrual period. In the book of Leviticus laws are laid down for practically every facet of life in the Jewish community, and in chapter 15 there is an entire section concerning women’s menstrual cycle. After a woman’s period ended she was considered unclean for another 7 days, during which time she could not enter into sexual relations with her husband. After that 7 days she went through a ritual cleansing process which involved ceremonial baths, and then the couple was free to do whatever it is that couples do.
Now, I assume that you understand what the time frame here does? When a couple can resume marital relations, the woman would be in her most fertile time. Had either David or Bathsheba logged onto babycentre.com and used the calculator then he wouldn’t have asked and she wouldn’t have accepted. But what was done was done, and a baby was on its way.
Well, David was no dummy, at least not after the fact. And so he sent for Bathsheba’s husband Uriah, who was fighting in battle. Hoping that Uriah, having been away from home would be anxious to sleep with his wife, and would then think he was the father.
Anyway, the Bible tells us that Uriah comes home, David the king greets him in person and says “Hey, you’re doing a great job, why not go home get cleaned up and enjoy yourself.” The king then sent a lovely gift over to Uriah’s house, but Uriah didn’t go home. Instead, he slept outside. The King called him in and asked “Am I missing something here?” And Uriah responded by saying, “How could I possibly go home to a nice warm meal, a soft bed and a beautiful wife when my troops are still in the battle field?”
So it was on to plan “B,” which was where David invited Uriah to a meal at the palace, obviously an offer you can’t turn down. While he was there David proceeded to get Uriah drunk, and then sent him home. But instead, Uriah bedded down outside once again, proving that he was a better man drunk then the king was sober.
Well it was on to plan “C,” which was where David sent Uriah back to the front with a note for his commander. If Uriah had of peeked at the note this is what he would have read, in II Samuel 11:15 it says, “Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is the fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.”
But, Uriah obviously didn’t read it because he was killed in the battle. Now I’m sure that at this point, David must have been thinking, “I love it when a plan comes together.” And I’m sure that he thought that he had gotten away with it and listen to what the hypocrite had the nerve to tell Joab, who was Uriah’s commander. II Samuel 11:25 says, “Don’t let this upset you, the sword devours one as well as another.”
So, there is the story. Now, what is it that we can learn from this crime scene in the Bible?
First, The Beginning Is Usually Innocent.
Now understand, it didn’t start with adultery. Regardless of what you’ve read and seen in the movies, it doesn’t just happen. But it did start out with the pair of them doing what they shouldn’t have been doing in the first place.
She was just having a bath, that was it. Of course she was having a bath in the privacy of her backyard that wasn’t so private. If you want to peel off and sunbathe in the buff or bath in your backyard and you have an 8 foot privacy fence and yours is the highest backyard in the neighborhood, then that’s your business and what happens in your backyard stays in your back yard. But if your house is next to a much taller house and your neighbor has the habit of being outside overlooking your backyard, you might want to rethink the entire strategy.
And he was just out for a walk, what could be wrong with a walk? We’re all told that we should walk more. But first off, he should have been out to war. And secondly, I’m sure that his first glance was innocent enough, and maybe even his second, he had to be sure of what he was seeing. But how many glances did he need? And what was with inviting her up? That’s like putting your hand in the fire and wondering why you got burned. Someone once said, “You can’t stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.”
Sounds simple doesn’t it? The fact of the matter is that adultery is one of those things that starts out innocently enough. A mutual attraction to a neighbor, a co-worker, or even someone you go to church with. You both understand each other so well. You have so much in common with one another and you enjoy those moments that you have together. They seem more eager to listen to you then your spouse does. Then, there are the words spoken to each other that should not have been said. Then come the little pats, a gentle squeeze of your arm, a meaningful glance, a lingering gaze, a quick hug, a short embrace, and eventually you have been led down a path you never intended to walk.
Now I’m not saying that you can’t be friends with members of the opposite sex, but you know what I am saying. Sue Johanson who hosts a show on television says, “You can’t say, “I didn’t know what would happen.” That’s a crock. You knew with the sweaty palms and sweaty pits. You knew with the long gazes. You made the decision not to decide and you let it just happen.”
If you are climbing the ladder of affection, then get down, right now, don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are in control. The best time to stop disobedience is today! So remember, the beginning is usually innocent, but then it escalades into something much more.
Secondly, A Price Will Be Paid, There Are Consequences.
God didn’t put these commandments in to be a spoil sport; He put it in for a reason. God isn’t against sex. Remember the fact that He created man and woman, and He created sex.
It didn’t take David long to discover the consequences of his acts and they were not simply limited to that particular time frame, they had long reaching implications. Just looking at the book of II Samuel we discover that this covers 33 years of David’s life. The first half is a story of multiple triumphs. Chapters 1 to 5 deal with David’s political triumphs, 6 and 7 deal with his spiritual triumphs, and 8 through 10 are about his military triumphs. His life comes to this high point in chapter 11 where he is literally on top of the world and its here that he has the affair with Bathsheba. And what happens from there?
Well, you don’t have to read very far to discover the trouble that happened in David’s house. Chapters 12 through 13 chronicle the trouble that David had with his home. The son of David and Bathsheba died as an infant, David’s daughter Tamar was raped by her half brother, who was killed by Tamar’s brother. Later David’s son Absalom attempted to overthrow his father and died in the attempt. The last 11 chapters of the book detail the political turmoil that almost tore his kingdom apart.
And we can’t forget the emotional damage done by an affair. If your marriage stays together there will always be an element of suspicion. Will they do it again? Why did they do it in the first place? Every time you’re unexpectedly late or have an unexpected or unexplained absence there will be doubt. So understand, if your spouse no longer trusts you, perhaps it’s because you’ve proved yourself untrustworthy.
On the other hand, if the marriage doesn’t survive, if you actually end up with the person you had an affair with do you think they will trust you? I mean after all, they’ve already seen first hand how trustworthy you are and it’s because you cheated with them that they’ll never be sure that you won’t cheat on them. After all, as Dr. Phil says “If they’ll do it with you they’ll do it to you.” And this doesn’t even get into the guilt that you will carry around concerning what you have done.
So understand this, a price will be paid, and sometimes, the consequences are long term.
Thirdly, Others Will Get Hurt In The Process.
The most obvious person was Uriah, poor guy hadn’t done anything wrong other then trusting the wrong people. But it goes deeper then that, if you cheat it will hurt your spouse, your kids, and those who look up to you.
David, his family and his kingdom were never the same again. Do you think that his people ever looked at him differently? I told you a little bit about what happened in David’s family after his affair. Do you think you will do any better?
Do you think that children will trust someone who cheated on their mother or father? Someone who had no issues about lying to their spouse? About betraying their marriage vows? And not only that, understand that children learn from what they see. Remember, more is caught then taught. If the marriage that they see in their parents is one where adultery is the norm then they will follow that model. That’s a no brainer.
Bottom line is summed up in Proverbs 6:27-29 which says, “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Cab a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?”
By the way, that passage was written by David and Bathsheba’s second son. “Can a man scoop fire into his lap and not be burned? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?” Those are rhetorical questions, no answers are expected. So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished. Words from a man who knew what he was talking about considering that David was his father, and he had seen the lasting affects on his dad.
I keep telling you, Sin will always take you further then you want to go. It will always cost you more then you want to pay. And it will always keep you longer then you want to stay. You think you will be in control, but it will be sin that is in control.
A number of years ago, another minister was guilty of running off with his piano player. Within a couple of years his son had walked away from God, his teenaged daughter was pregnant, and his oldest daughter left her husband after becoming pregnant as the result of an affair. Why is that? Because their moral compass was gone, and they ran aground on the example of their father’s immorality.
No matter what you think, others will get hurt when you engage in an affair, or any other sin for that matter.
Next, Understand That You Are Going To Get Caught.
Well, I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, sooner or later, you will get caught. David thought that he would never be caught. He was being too sneaky to be caught. He tried to have Uriah come home and be with his wife, and that didn’t work. He tried to get Uriah drunk and sleep with his wife, but that too failed. Finally, he sent Uriah back to battle with his own death sentence in hand. Finally, Uriah was dead, and the secret was hidden forever. No one would know that it was David who fathered the child that Bathsheba was carrying. David knew that he had beat the system. But then, the truth came out, and he was caught.
In II Samuel 12:1-7 it says that, “1”
You see, David thought that he had gotten away with it. He had planned for everything, and his secret was safe as it died in battle with Uriah. But come to find out, he didn’t get away with it. He did get caught. And that brings us to our final thought from the crime scene of David and Bathsheba.
Finally This Morning, There’s Always Forgiveness.
After being hard on the issues in David’s life, we now need to address the promise that there is forgiveness of sins. Have you struggled with moral failure like David? Figure that you’ve blown it and there is no hope for you? Don’t know that you can fall much further than David fell. And yet in Psalm 51 we read David’s prayer of repentance. Psalm 51:1-2 says, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleans me from my sin.”
Well in II Samuel 12:13 David is talking to Nathan the Preacher who confronted him with his sin, and this is a part of that conversation. II Samuel 12:13 says, “Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.”
So where are you at? I don’t know what might be hidden in your heart but God does. I don’t know the sin that you deal with, but God is willing to forgive and forget if you will repent and seek His forgiveness.
David had some high points in his life, like last week with Goliath, and he had some low points like this week with Bathsheba. But what we need to remember, is that he remained close to God. Let’s Pray!
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