David the Fallen

David the Fallen
King David was a great shepherd, a great warrior, a great worshipper but he was also a great sinner. His life was forever marred with a single act of adultery that led to a chain of problems personally and with his family. Tonight I want to look at his failures not to point fingers at him but to learn from him and hopefully help each one of us overcome the temptations we face.
David had risen to the top. He was in a position of power and had many wives at least 10 at the time of his affair, who bore him children. Everything seemed to be going well for him, God had blessed his life beyond his dreams and it appeared that David had everything a man in midlife (estimated to be 50-60 years old) could ever want. But David like all of us have a chink in our armor. We have a weak spot that can easily be attacked if we are not careful to guard it. David’s weakness was exposed when he put himself in a vulnerable situation that we read about in 2 Samuel 11.
For some reason not explained, David did not go out to war with his troops. He had placed Abner in charge of the military and when the Spring of the new year rolled around, David made a decision to stay back at the palace. It could be argued that had he gone out with his military he would not have been in the situation that he found himself but I think David would have been confronted with a similar situation in the future that would have tested his heart and moral character. We all will face similar situations perhaps not with the same type of sin but nonetheless we will be attacked with temptations. David seems to have been bored. He had gotten up from a nap in the late afternoon and then went up on his rooftop to look around. This often is a time when all of us are exposed to temptation. We are perhaps bored or are not doing what we need to be doing. It is easy for us to be confronted with temptation when we find ourselves looking for something to do instead of doing what we know we should be doing.
While David was on his rooftop one evening he noticed a beautiful woman, Bathsheba, bathing. We do not know how discriminate Bathsheba was but she most likely did not think anyone would see her and especially David since he normally was out with his troops. David was not on the roof top trying to be a peeping Tom, it was not as though David was looking for trouble. He saw Bathsheba and made a decision at this point to pursue her rather than turn away and go back inside his home. We all have those moments when things are presented to us that we are not looking for and we have a choice to make and we must make it quickly or we can be drawn into sin. Rather than turn away David decided to make an inquiry about the women. He had plans that were not moral. His sexual desires had been aroused and he was determined to act upon them. David’s downfall began when he allowed his eyes to look upon Bathsheba and then began to let his imagination run toward evil. David lusted after Bathsheba and his next step was to make inquiry and invite her to his home. David had no business pursuing Bathsheba. He had several wives to meet his needs yet he allowed the image to incite his imagination that led to the inquiry and the invitation. David was plotting his own demise and was making decisions that would destroy his life. We are all like David in that we can easily allow our imaginations to run wild and lead us down a pathway that will destroy our lives. We read of many great men and women of God who make decisions that destroy their lives. I read some statistics on adultery from a couple of sources and discovered that 22% of married men and 14% of married women have had an affair (womensavers.com). The accuracy of the statistics are hard to determine and they are probably higher than stated, some have quoted 55-65%.
David was not forced to do what he did, he wanted it and was willing to set aside his character, reputation and relationship with God to fulfill his lust. Bathsheba was the wife of one of his most trusted and courageous soldiers. She was also related to Ahithophel, David’s most trusted counselor. None of these relational ties mattered to him. He obviously did not consider the ramifications of what he was about to do, he was only concerned for the moment and the pleasure that he would experience. Just last week I read of two ministers who had to step down from their positions of leadership in the church because of moral failures that were exposed. I am sure that when they committed them they did not think that it would lead to them losing their positions and being subject to humiliation in public when it was announced in the media what they did. 90% of churches that have pastor’s fall into adultery go through problems of division and church splitting.
David did not consider how this would play out in his life and was set on fulfilling his lust and took actions to bring it to pass. David could have stopped even after Bathsheba came to his home. He had opportunity to change his plans and avoid his sin yet he continued and slept with her. At times it seems that sin tries to sabotage us, blind side us and surprise us. We can be exposed to things quickly but we still have opportunity to respond in a way that will keep us from falling into sin and disgrace. Yet too often we like David, entertain thoughts and take actions in the wrong direction that lead to moral failure. Bathsheba was not completely innocent in this affair. As a subject of the king she really had no choice in accepting his invitation. Certainly David was the initiator and the aggressor yet Bathsheba did not resist. David was in a position of power and he misused it to take advantage of Bathsheba. We do not know what was going through the mind of Bathsheba at this time. Perhaps she was afraid, perhaps she was lonely, perhaps she also willing to violate her marriage vows. Nevertheless, David carried the blame for what he did and had he responded properly, none of what followed would have been a part of his life.
We see the progress of David’s fall which began with an image that led to imagination that led to inquiry and then to invitation and finally to immorality. It all happened very quickly but the damage had been done and now the consequences of his actions would be revealed. Bathsheba’s news of testing positive to the pregnancy test a month or two later propelled David to take his next step which I call insanity. Now he had to cover up his sin and try to make himself look innocent. His plan to get Uriah to sleep with his wife totally backfired. Uriah was too loyal a soldier to even consider having a privilege that none of the other soldiers would have. Uriah had more self control and honor than David. David must have been beside himself when he found out that Uriah did not go back home to be with his wife. Even in a drunken state Uriah had more dignity that David did when he was sober.
When I was in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany our company would spend a couple of months during the year practicing war maneuvers in an area far from our base. A few people would be left back at the base to keep things going. Many of the soldier’s wives were staying in the base family housing and they were not able to go to the field. It was a trying time for them and unfortunately many of them began affairs with the men who were at the base. These men were not like Uriah but were more like David, looking for an opportunity to enjoy themselves while destroying someone’s wife as well as their own lives. Many marriages failed because of the men who lacked moral character to show honor and respect for these women and their husbands.
Percentage of cheating men who get caught▪ 80%
Percentage of couple who preserve their marriage after an affair▪ 64%
Of those couples who remain married despite an affair, what percentage later describe the marriage as unhappy or empty?▪ 78%
From Divorcpeers.com

David got desperate and desperate times call for desperate measures. His plan failed, he could not hide the fact that Uriah was not the father of this child so this led to another insane action on his part. David was not going to be held guilty by Uriah for sleeping with his wife. In the law this was a sin punishable by death and so in David’s mind the answer was to kill Uriah so he could not press charges. David could simply lie about sleeping with her and accuse Bathsheba of sleeping with another man who got her pregnant. Uriah returns to the military with his death notice in his hand, instructions to Abner regarding what he should do to make it look like Uriah was a victim of war and not one who was intentionally murdered. David’s plan worked, Uriah along with several other men were killed in battle and when he receive the report from the messenger set by Abner, David must have thought his troubles were over. Dean Sherman, a teacher with YWAM, has stated that sin is insanity and it is easy to see in David’s situation how insane his sin had been and how insane his actions to cover it up had been. God was fully aware of everything that had happened, nothing is hidden from His eyes and He will bring about justice in every situation. We can try to hide our sin from people but it is never hidden from God and eventually we will pay a price for what we have done. David managed to keep it hidden for perhaps 9-11 months but the day of reckoning came when God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David with his sin. Though David had hid his sin, the scriptures (Psalms 32 &51) tell us that he was suffering physically and mentally. David had refused to admit his error (99.9 percent deny they are having an affair and hide the truth! The exception is when they confess without being forced into it.), confess his sin and seek forgiveness. He thought it would eventually go away but it was not working. God in his mercy sent Nathan to confront David. David needed to stop hiding his sin, he needed to be held accountable and responsible for his adultery, murder and lies. God sent Nathan with a story that he knew would be a direct hit on David’s heart. David had spent years caring for his father’s sheep. He knew the attachment the little lambs could have with the shepherd. He knew how vulnerable they were to attack and how much special care and protection they needed to survive. Nathan tells the story of a man who only had one lamb, not a whole flock of them in which if you lose one you can survive. His story was one of the attachment of the man with his only lamb and how much he cared for it almost as though it was one of his children contrasted with a man of wealth and power who could use his power to take whatever he wanted even though he did not need it. When David heard how the man of power misused his power and stole the prized lamb of the needy man it outraged David. David had not lost his sense of justice and he immediately wanted to respond to bring justice to the man who had been robbed as well as to the man who did the robbing. David totally understood the story and he responded appropriately in demanding the man be found and brought to justice. Nathan then turned the tables on David when he said, “You are the man!” I think David felt a sword go through his heart when he heard these words. The true application of the parable hit home and it hit hard. The mighty David had been exposed and he saw himself as he really was in the eyes of God, guilty and deserving of death.
7Then Nathan said to David, “You are that rich man! The Lord God of Israel says, ‘I made you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. 8I gave you his palace and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9Why, then, have you despised the laws of God and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah and stolen his wife. 10Therefore murder shall be a constant threat in your family from this time on because you have insulted me by taking Uriah’s wife. 11I vow that because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man, and he will go to bed with them in public view.a 12You did it secretly, but I will do this to you openly, in the sight of all Israel.’ As you read Nathan’s response notice how many times God says “I”
I made you king…
I gave you his palace..
I would have…
Then the focus is directly on David:
You despised my law
You have murdered Uriah
You have insulted me
David did not make excuses for his sin, he did not try to bargain with God, he simply acknowledged that he had sinned against God. This was what God was looking for in David, a heart of repentance, a contrite and broken heart. Nathan quickly responded that God had forgiven David. Penance was not required nor was a period of mourning or feeling really guilty. God was quick to forgive a heart that was truly repentance. God was waiting for David to humble himself so he could be restored. It seems that David from this point on in his life developed a greater intimacy with God. David though forgiven still suffered the consequences of his moral failures. His kingdom reign would go downhill from this point. His newborn son would die to spare God from being mocked by the story that would go out among Israel’s enemy. God will not be mocked by our behavior. The death of David’s son would be for the benefit of everyone even though it would be hard for both David and Bathsheba to live with the memory of the death of their child. God was being merciful to them. The other consequence of David’s sin can been seen in the effects that it had on his family. Though David had sinned against God the ripple effect of his actions would be seen among his children culminating in Absalom’s coup and violation of all of David’s concubines in view of everyone. David’s daughter Tamar was raped by her half brother Ammon, Solomon fulfilled the saying, “What parent’s do in moderation, their children do in excess.” We see this in his multitude of wives and concubines that led his heart from God. The ramifications of David’s sins were severe and I am sure that David lived with the pain of his poor choices.
Sin is deceitful and our hearts are easily deceived by the power of sin. Ravi Zacharias said there are three severe test for authentic ministry that every minister and by extension every believer must face. The first is thinking that God does not see. In David’s failure this was obvious that he thought what he was doing was not seen by God. The second test is thinking that God does not care, that God let’s us get away with sin because he knows we are sinners and cannot stop sinning. Sin does effect God, he grieves over sin and its effects on our lives as well as how it has affected the world. Sin breaks God’s heart because it is a rejection of his holiness. God confronted David with his sin, he held him accountable for his actions. If it did not matter to God he would never have sent the prophet Nathan to confront him. The third test is thinking that God will not bring justice. God lets people off the hook and they will never receive or experience the consequences of their sin. David definitely reaped the consequences of his sin. God brought justice to David and he suffered the consequences of his actions. God may delay his justice but he is just and every man will give an account for his life and be sentence justly. God sees all, he knows the intentions of our hearts and the lives that we have ruined because of our sin. His judgment will be based on the cold hard facts and no one will be able to say anything in their defense.
David’s fall has been repeated many times by people who are leaders in the church. Leadership does not get an exemption but seems to have a bigger target placed on them. Paul warned that any one who thinks he can stand better take heed lest he fall. God told Cain after he killed his brother Abel that sin was crouching at the door, waiting for him but that he must master it. When we think we are at our strongest is the time the enemy doubles his efforts to get us to fall. We must always be sober and alert and make sure that we have protection over our weaknesses. Each of us has areas that are easier targets for the enemy to attack and do damage. We have to identify these areas and take precautions that we do not deliberately place ourselves in situations where we will be tempted to fall and get sucked into sinful behavior. We need to guard our hearts and minds with the truth of God’s word so we can effectively use it to counter the lies of the enemy. We need the support of others, their prayers to act as a shield for us and their encouragement when we share our struggles. We need to stay busy in the work God has given us and not idle our time away giving the devil opportunity to take advantage of us. David did not put any of these things into practice in his life when he was tempted and he fell quickly and he fall hard. We will not do any better and we are deceived if we think we will.
David learned from his fall and we do not read of another episode like this in his life. When we truly repent we do not return to our sin. We may be remorseful because of what we have suffered but true repentance means we have turned away and gone the opposite direction. If we continue in our sin then we have not truly repented, there is still something within us that wants to experience the sin and we have not come to the point where we truly hate it. God is merciful and patient with us when we continue to fall into the same sins but his grace is extended in order for us to learn to get the victory over it and develop a true hatred of the sin so we do not return to it. I believe we all want to live holy lives and the way to live a holy life is not be keeping a list of do’s and don’ts and making our best effort to keep the list clear of violations. Holiness comes by having Jesus and the Spirit of holiness take control of our lives. The more we have of Jesus operating in our lives the less sin will have control. The more Christ dominates our lives the less we will find ourselves falling to sinful ways. It is all about surrendering control to him and letting him live his life in us. God by his nature is holy and His nature in us will make us holy like him. He will give us the grace, his ability, to stand against temptation and be victorious over each attack.
Perhaps you are here tonight and you have failed and continue to fail in certain areas of your life. There is a big gap in your armor and the enemy has been ruthless in his attacks on your weakness. No matter how many times you have fallen, God is ready to bring restoration to your life if you are willing to do what David did, humble yourself, admit your sin, truly repent from it, seek forgiveness and receive God’s grace to overcome as you allow Christ to be formed in you. I want to end the service tonight by reading Psalms 51 and let this be the cry of our heart tonight.
O loving and kind God, have mercy. Have pity upon me and take away the awful stain of my transgressions. 2Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again. 3For I admit my shameful deed—it haunts me day and night. 4It is against you and you alone I sinned and did this terrible thing. You saw it all, and your sentence against me is just. 5But I was born a sinner, yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 6You deserve honesty from the heart; yes, utter sincerity and truthfulness. Oh, give me this wisdom.
7Sprinkle me with the cleansing blooda and I shall be clean again. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. 8And after you have punished me, give me back my joy again. 9Don’t keep looking at my sins—erase them from your sight. 10Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires. 11Don’t toss me aside, banished forever from your presence. Don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. 12Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 13Then I will teach your ways to other sinners, and they—guilty like me—will repent and return to you. 14-15Don’t sentence me to death. O my God, you alone can rescue me. Then I will sing of your forgiveness,b for my lips will be unsealed—oh, how I will praise you.
16You don’t want penance;c if you did, how gladly I would do it! You aren’t interested in offerings burned before you on the altar. 17It is a broken spirit you want—remorse and penitence. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not ignore.
18And Lord, don’t punish Israel for my sins—help your people and protect Jerusalem.d
19And when my heart is right,e then you will rejoice in the good that I do and in the bullocks I bring to sacrifice upon your altar.