Psalms 51:1-2, 10 – 17

2 Samuel 11 – 12

Psalms 51 was written by King David after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan chastising him for his adultery with Bathsheba and arranging of the death of her husband. The passage begins with David asking for mercy and appealing to the lovingkindness of God. Four times he asks to be washed, cleansed, and made pure from his wickedness. Verse 10 is the more familiar verse where David ask the Lord to “create in him a clean (pure) heart…” Periodically I pray this for myself so I can be in right standing with the Lord. As I stand before Him, I want my heart and mind to be right.

But what was the incident that drove David to this point? The events are found in 2 Samuel 11 – 12. Now most of us probably have not forced someone to committed adultery with us or planned someone’s murder, but there are some aspects of David’s actions that may be in our lives that will lead us down a “slippery slope” to a disaster.

2 Samuel 11:1 – Instead of leading his troops in battle, as was customary for kings at that time, David stays home and assigns this responsibility to another.

Slippery Slope Questions:

• Are you some place you shouldn’t be? Are you associating with people you shouldn’t? Are you negligent of your responsibilities? Is your primary focus on something or someone else than where it should be?

2 Samuel 11:2 – 5 – David sees Bathsheba bathing. Even though he had other wives and concubines (2 Samuel 6:13), David inquired about Bathsheba. He found out that she was Uriah’s wife, but this did not deter him. He had her brought to him and slept with her. It didn’t matter to him that others knew what he was doing (the servants and attendants who informed him who she was and brought her to him). He was driven and “blinded” by lust.

He also put Bathsheba in an awkward position. They were both aware that the penalty for adultery was death for both offenders (Leviticus 20:10). Bathsheba even bathed herself according to Leviticus 15:18 after having intercourse with David. The irony is that she followed Levitical law after breaking it.

Slippery Slope Questions:

• Have you been driven by something, other than the Spirit of God, that is leading you down the wrong path? You could be driven and “blinded” by lust, like David. You could be driven by anger, past hurts, ambition, pride, loneliness, depression, selfishness, lusts for money, power, influence, acceptance or revenge.
• Are you putting someone else in a bad situation? Are you pushing them to do something they normally wouldn’t do? Are you ignoring roadblocks and warning signs? Have you blocked out possible and probable consequences from your mind?
• Are you being hypocritical in some way? Are you putting up a front of “good” when there is really “bad” in your heart and mind?

2 Samuel 11:6 – 13 – Once David discovers that Bathsheba is pregnant, he begins a plan to cover up his sin. His hope is that Uriah would go home, sleep with his wife and later assume that the child she carried was his.

David knew fully well what he did was wrong. The driving force in his life transitioned from lust to the fear of getting caught…of it becoming publicly known what he did. The nation finding out about his actions would at the very least compromise his authority as king, and could possibly end his life (Leviticus 20:10).

He was blinded by his fear. He was so blinded that he didn’t give great consideration to the position he was putting Bathsheba in again. If she followed along with the flow of things, she would sleep with Uriah and be part of David’s deception that the baby was Uriah’s. If she revealed the truth, she would be subject to humiliation, the downfall of the king, and finally death by stoning. All because of one man’s lust.

Slippery Slope Questions:

• Are you in the midst of a “cover up”, i.e., trying to hide something that you hope others won’t find out? Do you find yourself plotting and scheming?
• Are you afraid of the truth?
• Are you about to mess up someone else’s life to cover up your own mess?

2 Samuel 11:14 – 17 – David’s plan of manipulation fails, and he becomes desperate. From an integrity standpoint, he sinks lower than he probably thought he’d ever would go…the level of plotting of another man’s death. This time he pulls another person into the scheme to cover up his sin, Joab the commander of his army.

Just a little side note: David had to sink to this level of low integrity because of the high integrity shown by Uriah. Uriah didn’t want to enjoy the comforts of home while his comrades were risking their lives on the battlefield fighting for their country and king. (verses 6 – 13). Sometimes, someone else’s high integrity will uncover the lowness of yours.

Slippery Slope Questions:

• How low are you willing to go to cover up your sin?
• Are you starting to sink to a new low?
• Is someone else showing you the integrity you should have?

2 Samuel 11:18 – 27 – David finally arranges to have Uriah killed. What’s interesting is that after the time of mourning was complete (normally 7 days in Jewish culture), David had Bathsheba brought into his house as his wife. This is still an effort to cover up his adultery; to make it now look like the child she carried was his.

The driving force of David’s life was to cover up his “one night stand” with Bathsheba. Everything else was secondary like:

• Pulling Bathsheba into adultery which was a capital offense
• Putting Bathsheba into a position where she would have to sleep with her husband and lie about the baby being his
• Having his servants become part of the adultery
• Plotting the death of another man
• Deceiving another man who showed more integrity than himself
• Bringing Joab into the murder plot
• Running the country
• Leading his army
• His relationship with God

2 Samuel 12:1 – 15 – The Lord uses the prophet Nathan to expose David’s sin. What’s interesting is that the Lord, through Nathan, basically tells David, “Look, I’ve given you a lot. I have given you wives and the women who were in Saul’s household. You are ruling over all of Israel and Judah, and if all that wasn’t enough, I would have given you more. I’ve given you everything, and what did you do? You act like a fool.”

Verse 9 is particularly interesting. It states, “Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing this evil in His sight?” Apparently in God’s eyes, doing things contrary to His word is the same as despising His word. The Hebrew word “to despise” is bazah, which means to hold in low regard, to treat with contempt, to treat as worthless; to treat as filthy, foul, wretched.

Because God is holy, His word is holy. His instructions are holy. He holds His word in high regard – so much so that He identifies with His word, and it became flesh and dwelt among us in the form of Jesus (John 1:1- 4). So to disobey His word, is like treating it as if it was filthy and foul; its like treating Him as if He was filthy and foul. (To get a better feel for how we are to approach God’s word, read Psalms 119)

The Lord forgives David, in that he didn’t die as prescribed in Levitical law, but there were short term and long term consequences. The short term consequence was that the child fathered by David died (2 Samuel 12:15 – 23). The long term consequences referred to in verses 10 – 12, came to pass in 2 Samuel 13 – 19. There was chaos and death in David’s household for years. Some of the chaos and death probably could have been avoided if David rebuked and disciplined his sons, as a strong father should…but he didn’t. The mighty warrior on the battlefield displayed a level of cowardice in his own household…all due to his sin.

How It Began

David’s slippery slope began in a the way most of our troubles begin…with a few thoughts.

When we replay those thoughts in our minds over and over, we, in a sense, “saturate” our minds with the thoughts and leave room for little else. Then our emotions take over which leads to actions. And if we are thinking on the “wrong” things, then the resulting actions can lead to disaster for us.

David’s thoughts revolved around sexual lust. A “lust” is anything for which we have a passionate or overmastering desire for. But there are other aspects of our lives which can turn into “lusts”:

• Control
• Acceptance
• Money or material things
• Selfishness
• Trying to please others
• Pride
• Worry, anxiety, fear
• Lying
• Anger or bitterness
• Scheming wicked things
• Stirring up conflict in the lives of others
• Pursuit of ease, comfort and pleasure
• Addressing loneliness

How do we protect ourselves from “slipping”? First, we need to be aware that there is a slope and where it can lead us; that there will be short and long term consequences that will not only affect us but others. Second, need to realize that we will have to make daily decisions to turn around and go down a different path. If we feel like we are “slipping” in some area, then we will have to make a decision to reverse course; to stop ourselves. Third, we need to take control of our thoughts before they are wrapped up in a “thick layer of emotions”. The Bible provides guidelines on the type of things we need to think about (Philippians 4:8). Its a good list to follow. Also, as we engage in our morning devotions, we can think about what God is saying to us that day that is specific to our current season of life.

We all have our “secret sins” that begin as a few thoughts. God provided an illustration in the life of David to help us avoid slippery slopes that can lead to disaster.