YEAR 2, WEEK 35, Day 1, Monday, 25 August 2025

https://esv.literalword.com/?q=2+Samuel+11

Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Monday, 25 August 2025:

2 Samuel 11:1 — In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

This chapter begins with a quiet warning. When kings were expected to lead their armies in battle, David stayed home. His failure to fulfill his calling as king created the environment for temptation to flourish. Sin often takes root in moments of idleness, when we neglect our God-given responsibilities (Proverbs 24:30–34). Instead of leading his people in courage, David withdrew into comfort. The New Testament echoes this warning: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time” (Ephesians 5:15–16). Avoiding our duties opens the door for compromise.

Perhaps the most shocking, tragic, and frightening stories in the Bible is that of David’s adulterous and murderous deeds committed against his faithful warrior Uriah (but more importantly against God). How could this “man after God’s own heart” do such terrible, terrible things (deserving of the death penalty), particularly against someone as faithful and dedicated as Uriah who was deployed in combat fighting for the king? If David, a man who had such a close relationship with God, could do such a thing, what does that suggest about the potential susceptibility of ordinary people like us to sin terribly? We must vigilantly guard our hearts and walk by the Spirit, not by the flesh.

There are countless lessons in this story which will continue to unfold as we read on, but when I look at the chain of events (or decisions) that led to this tragedy, 2 Samuel 11:1 jumps out at me: When David should have gone out with Israel to battle, he stayed home. Simply stated, David wasn’t where he should have been or doing what he should have been doing. David set the conditions for his demise through his complacency towards personal responsibility. Complacency kills! He had let his personal guard down and had, as we say in the Marine Corps, “gone internal” or became “focused inward.” His focus shifted from “He” (God) to “me.” Self-gratification became the goal.

Verse 11:2 expands upon David’s mental/emotional state: “It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.” Why is the warrior king, during a time of war, on his couch late in the afternoon or idly walking around the roof of the palace? As the saying goes, “An idle mind is the devil’s playground.” David’s wandering mind led to wandering eyes which led to inappropriate inquiries which led to adultery and murder. Small decisions led to massive destruction (much of which we haven’t read about yet).

Faithfulness must be continuous. We all need a break from the responsibilities of life, and God’s word is clear that rest is critical to our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. However, even in our rest, we must remain alert to spiritual attacks. Just as our hearts, brains, and vital life supports systems remain active while we sleep at night, Christians must always guard their hearts and be very careful not to drift into complacency.

Rest is important, but it must not become an idol, and quite often, responsibilities will demand we deny self for sake of doing what we must. When we shirk our responsibilities in life, we make self king and open the door to sin. David should have stayed focused on his responsibilities and should have gone to battle with the rest of the men. You can imagine David telling himself, “I deserve a break; after all, I am the king, and look how hard I have been working all these years; Joab can handle it.” Be very careful when you find yourself looking for an escape from the burdens of responsibility or commitment. During these times of mental and emotional weakness, you are very susceptible to sin. David went to his rooftop and let his mind and eyes wander. Where do you go when you feel you need a break from life’s responsibilities and just want to “check out” or “turn off,” when you just want to stop thinking?

Be very careful about where you turn for entertainment or “amusement.” In Latin the word “muse” means to think. In Latin, when you place the letter “a” in front of a word it means the opposite; so “a-muse” means to not think or to stop thinking. However, as stated above, we never really stop thinking. So, amusement involves letting your guard down intentionally, to “just relax and escape the concerns of life.” Where do most Americans choose to stop thinking? In front of media devices or in front of TVs, which promote very destructive behaviors – essentially, they open the gates of their minds to sin. Also, many choose to ‘relax’ in social settings which promote excessive eating and alcohol. Does that make sense? “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

We all need a break from work and life stressors, but replace amusement with recreation, which is to ‘re-create’ oneself, activities which promote your health and welfare, which help prepare you for another day serving God. Do enjoyable, constructive things that refresh you, revive you, and contribute to a better you. Have fun, but with a sober, fully engaged mind. Use that “down time” to get outside and appreciate God’s creation, to pray, read the Bible, and fellowship with others – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) Finally, don’t let your mind drift into negativity — “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice…. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:4-8)

• Proverbs 4:23-27 [NIV] — Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it…. Keep [God’s word] within your heart…. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

Above all else, guard your heart by meditating upon God’s word and remaining vigilant in thought, word, and deed. Don’t let your eyes drift or your feet wander. Also, remember, “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) Sheep don’t rest with wolves, neither do Christians turn to the ungodly for entertainment for amusement.

• 1 Corinthians 10:31 — So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
• Colossians 3:17 — And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

2 Samuel 11:2 — It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.

The sight of Bathsheba sparked David’s lust, but the root issue was deeper: a lack of self-discipline and watchfulness over his heart. What began as a glance became fixation and desire (James 1:14–15). The heart that drifts from God does not fall suddenly; it erodes little by little, leading to devastating collapse. Like Job, we are called to “make a covenant with our eyes” (Job 31:1), committing our vision and desires to God in purity.

2 Samuel 11:3-4 — And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house.

David was not ignorant of Bathsheba’s identity. He knew she was married, the wife of one of his loyal warriors. Yet he abused his authority to satisfy his desire. The verbs are stark — he “sent,” he “took,” he “lay with.” This echoes the language of Israel’s kings warned about in 1 Samuel 8, who would “take” what belonged to the people. David had crossed from shepherding his people to exploiting them. The misuse of power for personal gain always brings ruin.

2 Samuel 11:5 — And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

Sin never remains hidden. The consequence of David’s lust could not be covered up. Just as Adam and Eve tried to conceal their sin in Eden, David now scrambles to hide his transgression. Numbers 32:23 warns: “Be sure your sin will find you out.” What begins in secret will always come to light.

2 Samuel 11:6-8 — So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king.

David’s deception deepens. He calls Uriah back under false pretenses, pretending concern for the battle, but in reality seeking to cover his own sin. Sin often leads to more sin in an effort to conceal the first. Rather than repent, David chose manipulation.

2 Samuel 11:9-11 — But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

Uriah was a real leader. Uriah displayed the loyalty and fidelity one would have expected from God’s anointed king. Uriah loved his wife more than anything, but he did not go to see her because the other soldiers in battle couldn’t, and Uriah made this choice realizing that it could be his last chance to ever see his wife again since the battle continued. Uriah honored God through his noble character, yet God did not spare him from these tragic circumstances. The test of character is your willingness to do the right thing when no one is looking, regardless the outcome. Are you willing to be as faithful as Uriah even if it costs you everything?

Here the contrast could not be sharper. Uriah, a foreigner, displays greater loyalty, integrity, and reverence than Israel’s king. He refuses to indulge in comfort while his comrades remain in battle, living out the sacrificial principle that David abandoned. His integrity exposes David’s corruption.

2 Samuel 11:12-13 — Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

David resorts to lowering Uriah’s guard through intoxication, but even drunk, Uriah remained more righteous than David. David’s scheming collapses under the weight of integrity he cannot corrupt. When deception fails, David turns to violence.

2 Samuel 11:14-15 — In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.”

David’s sin now culminates in murder. The one who was once called a man after God’s own heart has stooped to killing a loyal servant to protect his reputation. Even more tragic, Uriah himself carried the letter containing his own death sentence, a picture of trust betrayed by the king he served. This is the fruit of unrepented sin: it blinds, hardens, and destroys.

There is no limit to what a person enslaved by sin will do. Sin is selfishness. When a person becomes wrapped up in sin, others become expendable.

2 Samuel 11:16-21 — And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died. Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting…

Joab obeyed David’s wicked command, and the cost was not only Uriah’s life but also the lives of other soldiers who fell alongside him. Sin arguably always spreads destruction to the innocent — even “private” sins have a ripple effect. Joab himself is drawn deeper into David’s corruption, participating in deceit and bloodshed.

2 Samuel 11:22-25 — So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us…. Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

David now justifies murder with fatalism: “the sword devours now one and now another.” Sin hardens the heart so that evil no longer shocks the conscience. What David once grieved over in others he now excuses in himself.

Many people needlessly died as part of the plot to cover up David’s sins which, by law, warranted the death penalty for David. At this point, David made himself one of the greatest ‘villains’ of the Bible.

What hope is there for the Uriahs of the world who are betrayed and victimized and see no justice on this earth? Paul reminds us, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) In this broken world, surrounded by other sinful people continually, we might not see justice on this earth, but our reward is eternal. Understand that in Sovereign, Perfect Providence, God is using even your persecution to glorify Himself, perhaps glorify you, while continuing to conform you to Christlike character. Through his integrity ‘til death, Uriah glorified God and was glorified through his behavior. Note that Uriah is mentioned in the lineage of Jesus, lest anyone forget his story – “And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah….” (Matthew 1:6) Though you cannot see what God is doing in your life, you can trust Him completely, and rather than seeking the outcomes you desire, pay attention to what God is actually doing, which is always better than what you could possibly imagine.

2 Samuel 11:26-27 — When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

David may have silenced the voices of men, but he could not silence the judgment of God. The final word of the chapter is not David’s, but God’s: “the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.” Human attempts to justify sin cannot erase divine displeasure. But where sin abounds, God’s mercy through repentance abounds more (Romans 5:20).

“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 25 August 2025: Guard your heart by embracing responsibility and fleeing temptation before it takes root. David’s fall began not with adultery or murder, but with neglect of duty and unchecked desire. Today, take one area of life where you have grown spiritually idle or complacent and re-engage it with intentional obedience. Replace idleness with purpose, and temptation with the pursuit of holiness in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:13; Colossians 3:5).

Pray: “Father, keep me from the drift that leads to destruction. Teach me to be watchful over my heart, faithful in my responsibilities, and quick to flee temptation. Guard my eyes, my desires, and my choices so that I may honor You in purity and integrity. Forgive me for the ways I have rationalized or concealed sin, and lead me in the path of repentance and restoration through Christ. May I walk today in the light of Your holiness, finding joy in obedience and strength in Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”