Day 6: Protected when Destructive
of The Heart of God: Through David’s Eyes
Below is Day Six of the study, but there is an introduction to check out which gives context and sets the tone, and previous weeks to look at below. If you would like the full content all in one place, this book is now available for purchase on Amazon. Week 1 - He Longs for Us to Know Who We Are
Day 1: We Are His People
Day 2: Chosen when Humble
Day 3: Victorious when Weak
Day 4: Loved when Selfish
Day 5: Valued when Careless
Day 6: Protected when Destructive
We each have a unique memory of the first time we intentionally lied, the moment we felt the heat rise within us, the nerves bouncing within us, the fear of what would occur the moment we got caught. For some of us, this feeling never truly goes away, but, for others, this is something we have pushed down and ignored in an effort to be able to keep hiding and excusing our behavior. Over time, we become experts at deceiving others and even deceiving ourselves.
The inherent desire to lie, hide, and deceive others when we make a mistake can directly affect our relationships and often have unexpected consequences that impact the lives of others as well.
The last several days we have been looking at David’s lust and careless behavior toward Bathsheba. His terrible behavior would have consequences, but before we can get to that, there is more to the story. Not only did David take Bathsheba when she was in a committed marriage, he also took advantage of his power and treated her as a valueless tool, his shame then in what he had done leading to even more terrible consequences.
The woman (Bathsheba) conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.” [2 Samuel 11:5 (name added for clarity)]
David’s choice to sleep with Bathsheba would have physical, long lasting consequences: one of them showing up as another human being. The shame of fathering a child with another man’s wife led David to attempt to cover things up. Not only was he king, but he was about to be a father.
So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 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. But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.
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?”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!”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. 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. (2 Samuel 11: 6-13)
David was grasping at straws here. He was trying to get Uriah to sleep with his wife so no one would suspect that Bathsheba's baby was actually David's. He is about to be a father, but wanted to relinquish any responsibility for his actions. He wanted Uriah to be the one responsible for his child.
Unfortunately for David, and soon we will discover for Uriah, he was unwilling to go home to his wife. Ironically, this man had such a considerate heart, Uriah felt it was unfair to go sleep with his wife when he was in town visiting the king. He thought it was more appropriate not to take advantage of the situation and show respect to his military unit.
Not only did David attempt to send him home, but also tried to get him drunk in an effort to get what he wanted to occur. Even in his inebriated state, he was still a man of character and did not go home. This led David to take the matters into his own hands once again.
In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 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.” (2 Samuel 11: 14-15)
David stooped so low and instructed his military to kill the husband of the woman he just took advantage of. He was now not only an adulterer, but also a murderer. There is arrogance, but also cowardice tucked into this choice. David wanted Uriah dead, but did not have it publicly known. Instead he put the responsibility on others to end his life. The depth of this choice and lack of values for others is heartbreaking but something all humans are very capable of.
This king, a man chosen by God for his high-quality heart, made many despicable choices. It takes quite a bit of distortion to be able to devalue others to the point of using them for pleasure, hiding the evidence, and ultimately asking others to take responsibility to hide and mend one’s mistakes. David, still on the high of victories and under stress of leading, completely forgot who he was in order to protect himself.
Unfortunately, the plan David set in motion was easy to put in place, and everything went according to plan (see 2 Samuel 11:16-17). Yet, it is vitally important to notice God’s view on the choices David made:
When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son… (2 Samuel 11:26-27a)
It is unlikely that at this point Bathsheba knew that David had killed Uriah. He likely devised this plan and kept her out of things. He allowed her to mourn, but what a terrible way to initiate a relationship. Not only was their relationship based on his desires and requests, but it was also based on lies and deception.
It is a relief to hear that this is not the end of this chapter. God’s point of view had been left out of the whole event. However, the author–likely the Prophet Samuel- was sure to add a comment about God’s view of these events.
But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. (2 Samuel 11: 27b)
While there is more to the story, as David eventually remembered who he was created to be and faces the many consequences of his choices, this is a helpful place to pause for reflection. The lengths to which David went to hide his mistakes was despicable but also relatable.
As people who often function out of fear or shame, or their lethal combination, we are quick to use others to cover up our mistakes and shift blame. We desire nothing less than to free ourselves of the guilt we deserve. Knowing we’ve done something terrible we try to trade in our negative feelings in an effort to relieve our discomfort. No matter how we try to cover things up, the guilt remains - as it should.
God could have, as he had done several times before, reacted to David’s behavior in wrath and ended his life in retaliation. That would have been a valid response. However, God knew something that we didn’t know - the heart beneath the brokenness.
Notice David’s mistakes. Make a list of his intentional, sinful behavior in 2 Samuel 11 that we have been reading the last couple days.
Write a brief statement about a time you forgot the value of others and used others to cover or hide your mistakes. Was shifting the blame helpful to you? How do you feel about the situation now?
How do you feel about the comment at the end of this passage? Do you think God’s displeasure is enough here? Were you hoping for more severity or more grace?
What is your emotional reaction to God protecting David’s life and his role as king despite his awful decisions?
Reflection Activity
Ask God to illuminate ways you are hiding your sin or failures.
Write or jot down any words of comfort or compassion God expresses in response to your desire to bring things into the light.
An excerpt of The Heart of God: Through David’s Eyes by Jill Ng