Lessons from the Life of David. There's outlines in the back if you don't have one. David's Fearful Fall is our title today. It's the most difficult and rather unwelcomed passage of scripture. In some sense, we wish we could hide this scripture, cover it up, that it might never be known. But it cannot be concealed, and it must not be concealed. After all, it's in the word of God. We could wish It had never happened. Wish it never happened. That somehow we could move the clock backwards somehow and do something to change the past. But alas, we can't. So here it is. And here we are, David's fearful fall. David's fearful fall. The very fact that's recorded in scripture at all, that's given a permanent place in God's Word tells us alone that it must be for God's glory and for our profit. For God's glory and our profit. We'll focus mainly on the second aspect, for our profit, but mark that it's also for God's glory that's recorded here. And we'll mention a few points that deal with that. The fact it's recorded at all is a testimony to the divine inspiration of Scripture. I mean, there's countless scribes who had the opportunity to do a little editing here, to simply blot this section out. It's a preservation of God's word, and again, a testimony to it, that's recorded all in scripture and wasn't edited out or blotted out by some human editor at some time in the past. Scripture is faithful here, I know, to record, just by way of introduction, to record even the faults. of the one whom it most applauds, David here. Things that are written for our admonition and our learning, things that we must take heed to if we are not to be ensnared at all. So may this passage that we're about to read awaken us to a holy jealousy on our own lives, a constant watchfulness. over sin. These are indeed great sins that David committed, in plural, sins that David is guilty of, and his sins were greatly aggravated by the choices he made, even in the process of sinning. Choices he made. David's sins are recorded here, injured and affected many. Many, but who are we, you might ask, who are we to sit in judgment of David, so full of sin ourselves? And we will not sit in judgment of David. We cannot sit in judgment of David. But let us approach this passage with great humility and with a good deal of fear and trembling if we are to derive any profit from it. The passage they're about to read stands as a beacon, a divine beacon, a lighthouse a warning us of the rocky shoals upon which David's life was wrecked. David's life was wrecked on these watchy shoals. Watch out, the lighthouse says, be on guard, lest your carelessness and unwatchfulness we too may slide down the same slippery slope. How are we to account for David's fall, his fearful fall? Why did he succumb so readily to this temptation? And what were the events that led up to it? And what should he have done differently? what things were actually his responsibility. We'll let the scripture speak rather than myself. We'll let the scripture be our teacher, our instructor. Let's look first at the sources of his sin. There were several. The sources of his sin. 2 Samuel chapter 10. We'll read the first 2 Samuel chapter 11, we'll read the first five verses. And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they destroyed the children of Amon. and besieged Rabbah, but David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in an eventide that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. David sent and inquired after the woman, and one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her, and she came in unto him, and he lay with her. For she was purified from her uncleanness, and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived, and sent, and told David, and said, I am with child. The sources of his sin, the sources of his sin. We read, first of all, right in verse number one, it says, It came to pass, after a year was expired, when kings go forth to battle, it says, David tarried still at Jerusalem. Neglect of duties. You see, sin, serious sin, maybe all sins, suddenly, seldom appear suddenly. or all by themselves. Serious sins seldom appear suddenly or all by themselves. So in our case study that we have before us, we have just a few verses, but again, they are inspired words of God, so they're very potent and full of meaning and full of information. In our case study, we need to carefully examine the soil, the soil from which David's sin germinated and the seeds that were planted in that soil. Carefully examine the soil. That's what the gardener does. He goes out there, he checks out the quality of the soil, its properties, because that has a big effect on what's going to happen. So that's what we'll be doing is looking at the soil. The soil, the Holy Spirit has actually provided the materials that we need for this instructive study. But, you know, in real life, like our lives, seldom in our daily lives are we able to objectively step outside our own personal situation for a similar analysis. So here it is in Scripture. We can objectively look at David's life and look at his fall into sin, whereas in our own lives we're seldom able to do that objectively. You know, we got our own opinions, we got our own mindset. You know, I didn't do it and it's not my fault. And that's why sometimes it is to our advantage to seek out a Christian counselor. And sometimes, in some situations, a Christian counselor is someone who can step outside your situation and can find the faults analysis. But here we have an opportunity to do just that. Let's step outside. Verse one tells us it was springtime, after the year was expired, verse one. So we know from that the winter season has passed. I hadn't realized until I was following the war in Ukraine that there is a winter season. is reduced because the troops can't move, the ground gets mushy and wet in early spring or late fall. So fighting, and so it was here, fighting drew to a close. But now it's springtime. It was time for the army to return. The Ammonites had not been totally destroyed. That was in the previous chapter. David had somewhat reluctantly gone against the Ammonites and fought against them. And now there's some mop-up operations required. It wasn't complete yet. and some isolated strongholds remained. And if those strongholds are allowed to, it's like the garden out there. I mean, there's some nut grass I've been trying to get rid of. In fact, I was just out there this morning, pulling out a few more strands of nut grass very carefully, because I'm in my good clothes, not my gardening clothes. But you can pull out nut grass, you just get a good grip on it and give it a little tug. You gotta make sure you get the root though, You've got to get all of it, right? Because if you leave a little bit of it, it just continues to expand. And it was taken over last year. There was more nut grass than there was daylilies. You probably didn't notice that, but I did. I said, look at all that stuff there. I thought it was baby daylilies, but it turns out it was nut grass, which looks kind of similar. Anyway, so the mop-up operations, Job and his men had to go out, and there were some fortified cities that needed to be taken, the Ammonites. So Joab and his army departed, sent by David. It says right here in scripture, David sent Joab and his servants with him. David sent the whole army out. Well, almost the whole army. It says, but, in the end of chapter, verse 1, but David tarried still at Jerusalem. It's an ominous but in scripture, and the Holy Spirit is the ultimate author of this account, and the Holy Spirit has put this ominous saying in there, but, showing the Holy Spirit was not in favor. disapproved of David's staying behind. After all, David had failed to attend to his duties. That was his first source of sin, neglect of duties. The king's place in this age, at David's time, was at the head of his armies, or if not the very head, with his armies, with his armies. You know, we don't send our president out to Iraq or to Afghanistan or someplace, although he goes perhaps on diplomatic missions out there. But in David's day, that was his duty, his responsibility was to be there. It was a time when kings Go forth to battle. David was neglecting his duties. His duty was to lead his men by example and utilizing, David was not just figurehead, David was a brilliant military genius. He was to use his talents there, inspiring his men by his actions. It's never a trifling matter to forsake one's responsibilities and obligations, be they prominent or be they menial. Illness, of course, is an exception, but it's not a trifling matter to forsake one's sins. First Corinthians chapter four, verse two, it's required in stewards. that a man be found faithful. After all, others are counting on you. Somebody had to open up the building. Somebody had to turn on the lights. Somebody had to make sure that the doors were unlocked. Somebody had to do these things, put out the bulletins. Some of them are small jobs. Some of them are larger jobs. Somebody has to do all this stuff if it's going to work. So it's never a trifling matter. But here's David neglecting his duties, relaxing at home. when he should have had his sword girded on. Perhaps he was preferring the luxuries of the palace to the hardships of the battlefield. After all, we talked last week about perhaps David was somewhat reluctant to go and fight these Ammonites. He sent some ambassadors out hoping to make some peace with them, make peace with the Ammonites of whom God said there shall be no peace. But David was hoping to make some peace with them because he was maybe getting a little tired. of fighting battles, so he preferred the luxuries of the palace. Spiritually and physically, physically and spiritually, David had his armor off and he's let his guard down. Consequently, he was without protection when the enemy attacks. He was without protection. This world is no place to rest in. And you say, well, I would like to rest. Well, God gives us a little oasis here and there, but it's no place to park our tent, park our caravan, our motor home, and make it a permanent place of rest, put on the whole armor of God. They may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians chapter six, verse 11. The world is no place to rest upon. So David's first source of his sin was he was neglecting his duties. If David had been at the battlefield where he was supposed to be, none of this would have happened. This sin, this temptation would not have taken him. Secondly, we notice idleness. This Holy Spirit very expressly notes There was that even tide, verse two, and it came to pass in an even tide that David arose from off his bed. That is, it was evening. David here had been wasting the day in slothfulness on his bed. Slothfulness, laziness, is used of great advantage by the tempter, the devil. Laziness is usually a great advantage. We note that it was while men slept that an enemy came and sowed the field with tares. The enemy came, that's in Matthew chapter 13. It was while men slept that the enemy came. Idleness, idleness, and a deliberate inclusion of this statement. It was deliberately included here. It came to pass in an even tide. You know, you could say, well, we didn't need to know that, but we did need to know that. We did need to know it because it explains one of the sources of David's sin, idleness. the deliberate inclusion of this statement shows it was not because of sickness or of old age that David had slept the day away. David had stated earlier in one of his Psalms that he prayed morning, evening, and at noon as well, morning, evening, and noon. But now on the day of this fearful fall, it should be feared that David has failed to pray at all. at all. Idleness gives great advantage to the tempter. Matthew Henry says, two pithy quotes, he said, standing waters gather filth. Standing waters gather filth. Thank you, Matthew Henry. That's why in our community, they have these fountains that are spraying water all the time. Standing water generates filth. I had a home energy analysis done some years ago in my house. And it came back. And they had this little pie chart diagram. And there was this big block. I mean, it must have been about 25% of our energy costs. It said, half horsepower pump. a water pump, a half horsepower water pump. And I'm thinking to myself, wait a minute. I'm from New York. We used to have a well in New York. But I think, we don't have a well here in Texas. Where do I have a half horsepower pump? Then I realized, it's my fish pond. It's my fish pond. My previous owner had this pretty massive pond in there. Because he used to have koi. He took them all with him. So I just had goldfish. But he had this big pump. Second up, 25% of my electricity. I said to Sue, I said, I know how to save 25% on electricity. I went out there, blick, I plicked the switch on that half horsepower pump. And all was well for a couple days. And then the fish were all up at the surface, going like, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop. And the pond was covered in scum. It was standing water. Gathers filth. I had to turn it back on because I didn't want my fish to die and I needed some oxygen in the water. Standing water generates filth. It gathers filth, Matthew Henry says, even years before. He just knew about that from observation. So it is with idleness. The bed of sloth, Matthew Henry says, often proves to be the bed of lust. The bed of sloth often proves to be the bed of lust. Thank God for work. Thank God for work. God gave man work to do, to till the garden, to make a living. You could have provided everything, but God gave us work to keep us out of mischief. Keep us out of mischief. If you got to go to work every day, or if you retired, You ought to make up some work for yourself to do. Volunteer at church. Find something useful to do with your time. Idleness is a great advantage, used as a great advantage by the tempter. And thirdly, and most importantly, David had a wandering eye. This is his third and most serious source of his sin. Remember, look at the soil and the seeds that David had planted. David allowed his eyes to dwell. upon this alluring but prohibited object. His petition in one of his Psalms, Psalm 119, well, we don't know for sure that David wrote Psalm 119, but he's believed, it's a collection of sayings that are widely believed, the Jews believe they're attributed to David. In Psalm 119, verse 37, it's written, turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity. We can't expect God to answer our prayer when we deliberately spy upon the privacy of others. Many have said this was David giving in to a moment of unexpected temptation. But I will argue that the evidence from scripture indicates that this incident with Bathsheba was not a momentary lapse of judgment. You see, that's an excuse, all right? A momentary lapse of judgment, I couldn't help it, right? I mean, I was overwhelmed, boom, the tsunami took me over, and I was carried away. It's not my fault. It's a momentary lapse. I mean, it could happen to anybody. Yes, it could happen to anybody. But if it's not a momentary lapse, but the climax of 20 years of habit, That's what I believe it was, the climax of 20 years of habit. We've already noted David's many wives and growing number. He had two wives. when he was ruler over Judah. Remember, he had taken Abigail to be his wife. She was an intelligent woman, attractive, and she was smart. And she came, and she had an initiative. And then her husband was dead. And David took wife number two, actually, technically his wife number three, because he had first Michael or Michelle, however you want to pronounce her name. But she was sort of divorced from him. We don't know all the details. But now he has two wives, and he becomes ruler over Judah. But by the end of those seven years, he's got six wives, or seven, counting Michel, which he demands back. And then in 2 Samuel 5, verse 13, it notes that after he became king in Jerusalem, David took more concubines. and wives, plural, out of Jerusalem. More concubines, more wives. So we know he already had at least seven, and now he's adding to that number, not just wives, but concubines as well. In other words, women who didn't have quite the same privileges, but were in his household. So the witness of scripture testifies that when David saw a woman that he considered sexually attractive, He took her as his wife or a concubine. That was his habit. That was his habit. He had been doing this for some years. Bathsheba was really no different. When he saw Bathsheba, he called, sent his servants to inquire after her, except for one little wrinkle. She was married. One little wrinkle. It was all, all of this was in direct violation of God's command, all of it. In Deuteronomy chapter 17, there's three specific laws given for kings. This was Deuteronomy, after all. This is not, we're not talking about the New Testament, scriptures that David didn't have access to, although its principles are the same. But this is Deuteronomy, three laws for a king. He shall not multiply horses to himself, neither shall he multiply to himself silver and gold, And neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away. Why these three rules for king? Why these three rules? Well, you see, there's a price to pay for leadership. A price to pay for leadership. A man in leadership cannot live as close to the edge as he dares. He can't live on the edge of temptation, an edge of sin. A man in leadership needs to stay far away from all appearances of evil, as our pastor has preached. A man in leadership must keep his life transparently right with God. David had succeeded admirably in the first two commands. He didn't multiply horses to himself. He hoed those chariot horses. That is, he rendered them unfit for a battle service. He just kept a small number for his own army. And he didn't keep the silver and the gold that he captured. He sent all that to the treasury of the temple and put it in store for Solomon, who would be born one day, of his son, to build a temple for the Lord. So admirably succeeded, but the third, he sowed the seeds of fleshly indulgence for over 20 years before he saw Bathsheba bathing. The steps of his sin, let's take a few moments to talk about that. They're simple. He saw, he sent, and he sinned. He saw Bathsheba. It says, came to pass in an even tide, verse two, that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself. And the woman was very beautiful to look upon. Perhaps the first glance was accidental. You know, we're not standing in judgment of David, so. We don't know if the first glance was accidental or not. Perhaps, well, we won't go there, but perhaps it was accidental, the first glance, but the second most definitely was not. The second was definitely most not. Here is a man who had once boasted in Psalm 101, I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. I will walk in my house in a perfect way. I will set no wicked thing before my eyes four times In four verses, David says, I will, I will, I will. But his sin with Bathsheba shows how much the will of man is worth. We dare not trust. will of man. We dare not trust our own will. I will not do that. I will never. You can write out a list of resolutions, but we dare not trust our own will. David's initial look almost immediately becomes a lust. So his first action after he saw Bathsheba was he sent his messengers to make an inquiry. I note that None of this is done in secret. None of David's actions are like unknown to anyone. All the pieces are there, they just have to get put together by different individuals. His servants were very much aware of what David's intentions were when he sent an inquiry, sent them to find out who this woman was. He sent some messengers to find out who she was. Perhaps, we only can speculate, but perhaps David's intending that if she were not married, he would take her as a concubine. But we notice the messengers return, verse three, and the David sent and inquired after the woman, and one said, here's the messenger returning, is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? The messengers return and carefully report back to David that this lady is Uriah's wife. Now this should have been the end of David's involvement. The end. Indeed, it should not have happened at all. Should not have happened at all, but David was not satisfied. He not only saw, but he sent for Bathsheba. David, verse four, David sent messengers and took her. This was premeditated. All right, our courts of law have a difference between impulsive and premeditated. And this was most definitely premeditated. David had designs upon Bathsheba. Premeditated, and I'm gonna say it's also deliberate. clear deliberation. So he clearly deliberated and premeditated these actions. Perhaps, perhaps David justified his actions by telling himself, you know, we can justify all sorts of stuff. And again, we're looking at this carefully because we do the same things that David has done here, perhaps in different ways, but the same types of things. Perhaps David justified his actions by telling himself, Bathsheba's lonely. I mean, her husband's away. She's lonely. She's perhaps in need of some company and some conversation. Invite her up to the palace for a cup of tea or a light meal. Invite her up to the palace for some conversation and tell her a little bit about about the wars, and I know quite a bit about battles, and we can tell her about how Uriah's going to be safe, and Joab's a remarkable commander, and all of a sudden, maybe he was justifying that in his mind, or perhaps, simply, David thought, well, Uriah's out of town. This is a perfect time. to invite Bathsheba. I mean, so what if she's married? Her husband's gone. Wow. But God, and His grace, His faithfulness, God in his grace and faithfulness has placed some obstacles in David's path. God does that. You might be out in the woods, perhaps hiking, and you think you're on the trail. You hope you're on the trail. Sometimes the trail gets a little faint sometimes, but then you come across a side trail, and somebody has put some branches across it. That could be an indication that this is not the way to go. An obstacle. Somebody has blocked off this trail. I'm like, don't go that way. It looks like it might be a trail, but keep going the main direction. You see, God put obstacles in our path from time to time to slow us up. And you think, oh, why did this happen? Why did I get a flat tire right now? Well, perhaps It's an obstacle. Perhaps you're heading someplace the Lord doesn't want you to. I don't know. It could just have been a flat tire. Maybe you haven't checked your air pressure in so many days and you've been driving over nails. I don't know what it was, but things happen. But God does put obstacles. He put an obstacle in David's path. He said, Bathsheba's married to Uriah the Hittite. But David, in his lust, he simply ignores this obstacle. You know, the swollen branches, he just steps over them. Somebody has blocked the path. The Lord has put an obstacle there. David just steps over them and keeps on going down this path of great peril and lasting distress. You know, David, I'm sure there's times in your life you wish, I wish I could go back. I'd do it differently next time. You know, I'd be smarter, wiser. I wouldn't do that. I'm sure David would have done things differently. David would have done things differently. He should have paid attention to that obstacle. He should have drawn back. He should have, like the pilot in the plane, pull up, pull up. Sometimes you hear that on a crash video or whatever, one of those black box recordings. And they're shouting, pull up, pull up. And the pilot is trying to pull up the plane before it That's David, his fearful fall, he's heading down and we're shouting at him from centuries in the future, pull up David, pull up. Instead, David rushes blindly ahead like an ox to the slaughter. David would have done things differently if he could have. He not only saw Bathsheba, he sinned for Bathsheba, he sinned with Bathsheba. All the scripture says is he, took her, she came unto him, and he lay with her. That's all that needs to be said. It was against God's law. You see, the way of sin is always downhill. It's always downhill. And the more you get into a sin, The more downhill it is, the faster, the harder it is to turn around, to pull up, to pull out, to claw your way back up to the top. The harder it is. Sin is always downhill. When men begin to do evil, they soon find they can't stop themselves. A wise and solemn illustration of this is in verse four, that's shown also in James 1.14-15. David was drawn away of a lust. He was drawn away through fleshly ease and indulgence. He was enticed by the sight of that beautiful woman. I mean, if you don't want to see women bathing, then don't go out on your balcony that's overlooking the courtyards. I mean, David should have known better that that was not a good time to go out on his balcony. Undoubtedly, he'd seen some women bathing there earlier. He was enticed by the sight of a beautiful woman. His lust conceived brought forth sin, the sin was premeditated adultery. And his sin, this is James chapter one, verse 14 and 15, his sin, when it was finished, brought forth death. Not just the death of his Uriah, but the death of his son that was yet to be conceived. The seriousness of his sin, point three in your outline. Seriousness of his sin. David's sin with Bathsheba was far more serious than this momentary lapse of judgment would suggest. You see, that's another problem I have. If you say, well, this was a momentary lapse of judgment. David was just overcome with a sudden temptation. He couldn't resist. If you say it's a momentary lapse of judgment, he's saying it's not all that serious. But this was a most serious sin, and the aggravation of his sins were marked in many. First of all, David was no hot-blooded youth, hot-blooded, impulsive youth. David here is a man of 50 or more, a man of 50. David's no impulsive youth and hot-blooded. David, however, had many wives. Secondly, we note concubines, a point at which scripture is emphasized again and again, and a point at which Nathan, the prophet, brings forth in his story. He talks about the man, the rich man, who had many lambs, many lambs. David had many wives, many concubines. Uriah had one wife, Bathsheba. Bathsheba's name, her reputation were forever tarnished by David's actions. David, also I note, talking about the seriousness of his sin, David had grown sons. before whom he set a terrible example, a terrible example. And in fact, none of this is hidden. The servants are whispering to one another. The family finds out. This is a bad example, David, not just the appearance of evil, but evil itself. David, after all, was the king of Israel. David was under a binding obligation to his people to set an example of righteousness. In Uriah, I note, the husband he wronged was even then risking his life in the king's service. Uriah was out fighting the battles that David should have been there. And finally, and most seriously, David was a believer. We know he saved, from testimony in scripture, a child of God. in the service of the king of kings. He's wearing the king's markings, his shield, his helmet. He's dressed in the armor of the king. As such, he was under bonds to honor and glorify God's name. And here's David making a mockery of God's name. David says, He lay with her, for she was purified from her uncleanness, and she returned unto her house. David sent Bathsheba home. Verse four. Perhaps he's thinking, well, that's the end of that. That's the end of that. But God, you see, had other plans. God had other plans. In a few weeks, another messenger arrives, sent from Bathsheba. I am with child. Whoa, uh-oh. David, who had deliberately defiled God, he trampled his laws underfoot. He was about to learn that the way of transgressors is hard. Proverbs 13, 15, the way of transgressors is hard. Here, it seems hard to believe, but we know it's possible that one time can result in a child. And we know some couples who have tried to have children for years and years and hear this apparently one sin on David's part and now Bathsheba's with child. The day of reckoning had to be faced for the pleasures of sin are but for a season as the scriptures remind us. And scriptures also remind us be sure your sins We'll find you out, Numbers 32, 23. Be sure your sins will find you out. That's a good verse to keep in mind because your sins. We'll find you out. You know, the Lord has placed obstacles for sin. Unfortunately, men are taking them down as fast as they can, it seems like. It used to be in the day, I'm thinking about when I was growing up, I was a young boy, a young man. It used to be in the day, if you wanted to purchase a pornographic magazine, you had to go to a store, you had to, purchase this magazine. They say, well, I don't want to be seen. There is a barrier of shame, a barrier of recognition. Somebody might see you, purchase this magazine. It might be on your record. It might be on your credit card. Of course, you didn't have a credit card back in those days. You just had to pay cash. Anyway, there were barriers that had been taken down. You know, now it's just a click, now you got to really worry about your five-year-old stumbling up on something on the internet. Good heavens, what does this world come up, come to? Barriers have been fallen left and right, left and right. So the believer, or the believing parent, or a believer of all ages, have to put up their own barriers. You have to make your own fences, block off your own way, if you're going to avoid the temptations of this world. Not go to some shows, not go to a lot of shows, not to go to some places. You think, well, that's awfully restrictive. I used to do that when I was a kid. Well, things have changed, haven't they? The world's changed. And we're not called to live the way the world does, but to live holy lives, hence our theme for this year, Be Holy for I'm Holy. And so David's fearful fall, we'll see some of more of the consequences of that fall Next week, as we begin to carefully work through the rest of this passage of Scripture, let's look to the Lord.