Summary of 2 Samuel 11:1-17:
David did not go to war; instead, he sent his men who destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. David saw Bathsheba from his roof top as she bathed on her rooftop. David slept with her, and she conceived. To cover his sin, David brought Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, home from war, but he did not sleep with his wife out of honor and duty to his fellow soldiers still at war. David then hatched a plan to make Uriah drunk and put him at the front of the battle lines when he returned to the field. He died in the battle exactly as David had planned.
BSF Study Questions People of the Promised Land 1: Lesson 20, Day 2: 2 Samuel 11:1-17:
3) Part personal Question. My answer: David encounters temptation and chooses to humor it. He pursues temptation by inquiring of Bathsheba and having her come to him. He then consummates the act. At all of these points, God gives David an out; he rejects it every time. David sinned with Bathsheba and then had to cover up his tracks, so he wouldn’t be discovered. He tried to bring Uriah back to sleep with his wife, which he refused. So David had him killed in battle. Sins can be compounded, especially as you try to cover up one sin with another, leading to even worse consequences.
4) Personal Question. My answer: I do everything in my power to not put myself into situations that are tempting that I know I will most likely fail. Growing closer to God, praying more, relying on Him more with strengthen me as well.
5) Deuteronomy tells us God commands the king to write down a copy of the Law, keep it with him, and read it and study it so that he may learn to revere God, obey God’s laws, and develop a humble attitude. In 1 Samuel 16, God gave David the Holy Spirit to guide him and be with him all the days of his life. God also used people such as Abigail to prevent him from sinning, as well as armies who attack and men who whisper behind his back so David doesn’t have to fight his own people. God is good, and God protects. But ultimately, it’s still our choice to not sin.
6) Part personal Question. My answer: Friends to pick you up when you fall, Holy Spirit to teach us and remind us of things, Jesus who intercedes for us, a way out when we are tempted, and faith in Christ. God also provides the Bible and prayer as a direct communication with Him. All are helpful at times, depending on the situation
Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promised Land 1 Lesson 20 Day 2: 2 Samuel 11:1-17:
This lesson for me is about trying to cover sin with more sin, which only causes more disastrous consequences. It’s best to own up to the sin instead of trying to cover it up.
End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promised Land 1 Lesson 20, Day 2: 2 Samuel 11:1-17:
In ancient times with infrastructure being non-existent and the difficulty of finding and transporting food to troops, wars were not normally fought during the winter. Rain and cold added to the misery, so most wars only happened when the weather was nice.
David should have been at the battle, but he remained behind. In 2 Samuel 10 Joab and the army of the mighty men were preserved against the Syrians and the Ammonites, but they did not win a decisive victory. The decisive victory came when David led the battle at the end of 2 Samuel 10.
Why did David commit adultery?
- David showed his disregard to God’s plan for marriage many years before when he took more than one wife (1 Samuel 25:42-43, 2 Samuel 3:2-5). He liked women and indulged this, which is why he sinned.
The Hebrew verb form of walked suggests that David paced back and forth on the roof. He couldn’t sleep and was uneasy – uneasy because he wasn’t where God wanted him to be.
How did Bathsheba sin?
.jpg)
- Bathsheba herself acted immodestly. Though it was evening and apparently the time when most people were asleep, certainly she knew that her bath was visible from the roof of the palace. Any immodesty on Bathsheba’s part did not excuse David’s sin, but she was still responsible for her wrong.
We must never be an occasion for sin in others, even in how we dress. Paul’s word in 1 Timothy 2:9 is relevant here: the women should adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation.
David sinned by looking prolongedly onto Bathsheba. He could have looked away but choose not to. He inquired of her, indulging the potential sin more, putting himself into a more tempting situation.
Solomon, David’s son had 700 wives and 300 concubines. David and Solomon show us that if one woman isn’t enough, 1000 women aren’t enough. This is a warning to parents that kids do what they see you do.
How does temptation work?
- In order to be tempted, your heart, mind, and soul must not be in a good place. This is what Satan looks for and when he strikes.
- David committed adultery in his heart up on the roof. He now has an opportunity to commit adultery in practice. Adultery in the heart and mind is a sin but not as bad as adultery in practice.
Bathsheba is from a notable family: She was from the upper classes. Her father was Eliam, one of David’s Mighty Men (2 Samuel 23:34). Her grandfather was Ahithophel – one of David’s chief counselors (2 Samuel 23:34, 2 Samuel 15:12). And she’s the wife of another of his Mighty Men (2 Samuel 23:8, 39). Once David learned Uriah was away a war, the temptation got worse.
Bathsheba made no resistance either. Both are culpable.
Consequences of David’s sin with Bathsheba
- An unwanted pregnancy
- The murder of a friend
- A dead baby
- HIs daughter raped by his son
- One son murdered by another son
- A civil war led by one of his sons
- A son who imitates his father’s lack of self-control, leading him and much of Israel away from God.
Themes of 2 Samuel 11: David didn’t think; he felt. Feelings can often lead us astray.
David never understood the reason for sex (a bonding experience between men and women).
Bathsheba purifying herself from her uncleanliness means she had just had her period.
Both David and Bathsheba are in a predicament when she ends up pregnant. The law says both should be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10)
Instead of confessing his sin and repenting, David tries to cover his sin up.
You can’t hide sin
- Our sin is never hidden before God and only hidden with difficulty from our conscience. Our hidden sin hinders our fellowship with God and others and is a barrier to spiritual life and power. Why even bother trying to hide it?
The nobility of Uriah the Hittite
- Uriah had a passion for the glory of God, even though he was a Hittite and not a native Jew.
- Uriah had great integrity and couldn’t see himself having pleasure when his fellow soldiers were fighting and dying. If only David had done a similar thing.
- Uriah carried his own death sentence, too noble to open the letter. How evil is that?
David tries a second time to get Uriah to sin by getting him drunk enough to let down his guard and sleep with his wife.
Joab did exactly as he was told; he allowed Uriah to be murdered.