Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
2 SAMUEL 11
David and Bathsheba
1 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.
2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”
6 So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. 9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.
10 David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?”
11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”
12 Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.”
16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.
18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19 He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, 20 the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’ ”
22 The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.”
25 David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”
26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.
Application Notes
11:1-12:19 In the episode with Bathsheba, David allowed himself to fall deeper and deeper into sin in several ways: (1) He abandoned his purpose by staying home from war (11:1). (2) He focused on his own desires (11:2). (3) When temptation came, he leaned into it instead of turning away from it (11:3). (4) He sinned deliberately (11:4). (5) He tried to cover up his sin by deceiving others (11:6-15). (6) He committed murder to continue the cover-up (11:15, 17), though eventually his sin was exposed (12:9) and punished (12:10-14). (7) The consequences of his sin were far-reaching, affecting many people, especially his immediate family (11:17; 12:11, 14-18).
David could have chosen to stop and turn from this spiral of sin at any stage along the way. But once the cycle of sin and cover-up gets moving, it is difficult to stop (James 1:14-15). The deeper the mess, the less we want to admit having caused it. It's much easier to stop sliding down a hill when you are near the top than when you are halfway down. By then you are moving at such a fast pace that you're at the bottom before you know it. The best solution is to avoid sin before it starts.
11:1 Winter is the rainy season in Israel, the time when crops are planted. Spring was a good time to go to war because the roads were dry, making travel easier for the movement of troops, supply wagons, and chariots. In Israel, wheat and barley were ready to be harvested in the spring. These crops were an important food source for traveling armies.
11:1 This successful siege (see 12:26-27) put an end to the Ammonites' power. From this time on, the Ammonites were subject to Israel.
11:3-4 As David looked from the roof of the palace, he saw a beautiful woman bathing, and he was filled with lust. David should have left the roof and fled the temptation or perhaps sensitively sent word through a trusted messenger to make the woman aware that she was visible.
Instead, he entertained the temptation by keeping his eyes on her and then inquiring about her. The results were devastating.
Take these actions in order to flee temptation: (1) Ask God in earnest prayer to help you stay away from people, places, and situations that may tempt you. (2) Memorize and meditate on portions of Scripture that combat your specific weaknesses. (At the root of most temptation is a real need or desire that God knows you have and can be filled in a proper way, but you must trust in his timing.) (3) Find another believer with whom you can openly share your struggles, and call this person for help when te111ptation strikes.
11:3-4 The progression of this story makes it plain that David was clearly wrong. David used his position of power and authority as king to exploit Bathsheba, and ultimately to manipulate Joab and take advantage of Uriah. David treated her as an object to fulfill his lust. (In the Hebrew text, Bathsheba's name isn't mentioned until 11:5; David himself does not address her nor refer to her by name.) Until this point in his reign, David had been submissive to both the law and God, but here he disobeyed both. With this act, David began to behave like the kings of all the other nations (see 1 Samuel 8:11-20) by taking. from his people whatever he wanted without thinking through the consequences.
Leaders in our churches and institutions often find themselves caught in the same grasp of power that David did, which frequently leads to sin. Godly leaders should behave in a manner that protects and respects those in their care and under their leadership. When we witness or experience exploitation or manipulation by our leaders, we need to be willing to step forward and stop what is happening, regardless of the consequences, much like the prophet Nathan does in 2 Samuel 12:1-12.
11:3 See Bathsheba's profile on page 507.
11:4 The phrase “she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness” means that Bathsheba had just completed the ritual bathing that Israelite women had to carry out following menstruation. Thus, she could not have already been pregnant by her own husband when David slept with her. Leviticus 15:19-30 gives more information on these rites that Bathsheba had to perform.
11:15 David put both Bathsheba and Joab in difficult situations. Bathsheba knew it was wrong to commit adultery, but to refuse a king's request could mean punishment or death. Joab did not know why Uriah had to die, but it was obvious the king wanted him killed. We sometimes face situations with only two apparent choices, and both seem wrong. Bathsheba had to decide between committing adultery and disobeying the king. Joab's obvious choices were to disobey the king or deliberately put one of his soldiers in harm's way. When such a dilemma arises, we must not lose sight of what God wants. The answer may be to pray and seek out more choices. By doing this, we are likely to find a choice that honors God.
11:17 Uriah and several other soldiers died as a result of David's scheme. Sin often hurts innocent bystanders. When you are tempted to do something that is wrong, remember the people who could be hurt by your sin, and resist the temptation.
11:25 David's response to Uriah's death seems flippant and insensitive. While he had grieved deeply for Saul and Abner, his rivals (2 Samuel 1; 3:31-39), he showed no grief for Uriah, a good man with strong spiritual character. Why? David had become callous to his own sin, hardening his heart against guilt and shame. The only way he could cover up his first sin (adultery) was to sin again (murder), and soon he no longer felt guilt for what he had done. Feelings are not reliable guides for determining right and wrong. Deliberate, repeated sinning had dulled David sensitivity to God's laws and the rights of others. The more you try to cover up a sin, the more insensitive you become toward it. Don't become hardened to sin, as David did. Confess your wrong actions to God before you forget they are sins, and better yet, stay away from what is tempting you.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)