*2 Samuel 11-12
Psalm 55
*Romans 16
-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)
Have you ever focused so much on yourself that, whether accidentally or on purpose, you excluded God? I have, and I say that to my shame. Even now, as I’m trying to seek God with my whole heart, I find that I’m disturbingly easily distracted. It’s embarrassing and concerning to me. I have to maintain a constant vigil and firmly correct myself when I’m looking off to the side because I know from my own personal and painful experiences that “bad things” happen when I don’t let God rule my life (See 2/5 devotion). In our reading in Romans 16 today, there’s a short little blurb in v18 that says “For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own stomach…“(LSB). Ouch.
The verse above is strikingly reminiscent of Phil 3:19 which states “whose end is destruction, whose God is their stomach…who set their thoughts on earthly things.” (LSB). The (many) creature comforts that we have been given are nice, but if they are distracting us from proper service to and worship of our God then they have become a juicy, tasty looking worm on the end of a very sharp, barbed, and deadly hook to us. We see from the above verse that the end of (exclusive) self gratification is destruction, and Paul clearly tells us it’s a bad idea. Just think of what you could do with 30 pieces of silver though…but was it worth it? It wasn’t, it never is. We were bought at a (very high) price, and to act solely in our own self interests is to dishonor the one who paid it for us. Don’t set your thoughts on earthly things.
In our 2 Samuel reading today, it’s not his stomach that has become his God but another anatomical bit, and David sets his thoughts on earthly things. He sees from the roof of his house a woman bathing: she’s beautiful and he makes inquiries about her, finding out that she’s Eliam’s daughter and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Despite this, David sends for her, sleeps with her, and she becomes pregnant (2 Sam 11: 1-5). This is not only a violation of God’s law, but one of the basest social human betrayals that you could possibly imagine once you understand who Uriah was.
To understand better, King David had a mixed army of about 288,000 men, these were organized into 12 divisions of around 24,000 men each. This consisted of a paid standing army (regular troops whose job it was to fight), a militia designated by tribe (armed citizens who fought under veteran commanders) who took turns by month serving unless there was a special need and all of the people where called, and then his “Mighty Men” or “The 30“; a small but elite group of about 37 men (later expanded to 80) that were very much the equivalent of the Special Forces of the time, the ancient Jewish equivalent of Navy Seals, or probably more accurately, “Mossad”. (external sources include: chabad.org, biblicalwarfare.com, and it aligns logically with what we know from scripture). Uriah was one of the Mighty Men.
The Mighty Men of David were generally thought to have been the fierce and loyal followers who stayed with him when he was fleeing King Saul (or at times exceptional fighters who joined later and gained their position from extraordinary feats of bravery). At the very least, they fought side by side with him. Uriah’s closeness to David is illustrated by how closely he lived to the palace, you could see his house clearly from the roof of David’s house. There is a special bond formed when men fight beside each other, when their lives are in danger, and when they are forced to rely on each other for survival. David considered all of this, and then chose to betray his close friend in order to feed his earthly appetite.
Then, as sin often does, it got worse. David tried to conceal his crime (2 Sam 11: 6-13) by trying to get Uriah to go sleep with his wife (and failing because of Uriah’s fierce loyalty and code of honor), and then resorts to having Uriah killed (2 Sam 11: 14-27). Understanding how fiercely loyal his friend Uriah was and how David repaid that loyalty is truly cringe-worthy. I can’t think of a deeper betrayal that one human could do to another, it’s definitely the low point of David’s life.
This is all starkly shocking considering the favor that God has shown David, but it should highlight the painful fact that we are all subject to the lusts of our own flesh and must constantly discipline ourselves to remain true. David was a man after God’s own heart, but he was still a man, and all men have fallen short. In this case he broke a number of commandments, killed one of his closest friends, and betrayed the trust of a nation and his God.
When Nathan shows up to speak to David in 2 Sam 12: 1-14, he tells David a parable of a rich man who took advantage of a poor man and took his one beloved ewe, and David reacts in outrage and says that the man should be killed, after which Nathan explains that it is David himself who was that rich man, and offers a bit of punitive prophecy in v10-12 and v14 (war, betrayal of David, his wives taken publicly, and the baby will die). He is also told at this time that God will forgive him (v13), but all of these dark prophecies against him will still take place as a result of his sin. This shows us yet again that our God is indeed a God of justice, but also of mercy.
David’s actions at this point should be a template to us when we sin: he weeps, he prostrates himself before God, and fasts intensely. He begs and pleads with God. We can presume that he tore his robes and put ashes on his head (although it doesn’t specifically say that) as was customarily done in those days to express regret. He does his absolute very best to humble himself and to, if possible, avert the catastrophe that Yahweh has promised in return for his sin. In this instance, God did not revoke his judgment and the baby dies, but later when Solomon was born it says (in 2 Sam 12:24) that “God loved him”.
As a side note, in 2 Sam 12:26-30 there is a “war event” that requires a mustering of all of the forces (probably around 288,000 men, as noted above). This is usually noted by the phrase “all the people”, or sometimes “all of Israel”, as in v29. There’s a bit of disturbing information towards the end of this chapter in v31 that describes the practices of the conquering armies to their enemies that just highlights how brutal war was (and is). I recommend you don’t read it if you don’t have a strong stomach, but if you do read this please note that these were the practices of men and not the commandments of God, and make that clear distinction in your mind.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Each of us is very different, but we are also much the same. Reflect for a moment on David’s greatest sin, what was the worst sin that you have ever committed?
- When you repented of that sin, how specifically did you ask God to forgive you?
- Is that sin still poignantly fresh in your mind? Whatever your answer is, why?
- What steps did you take in order to never commit that same sin again, and were you successful?
- How can we be successful against temptation to sin? What are your specific weaknesses and what measures can you personally take that will help you to overcome them?
PRAYER
Father God, please forgive me of all of my sin, whether intentional or unthinking. Please show me the way into Your kingdom, and cleanse me of all my wrongdoing and many shortcomings. Help me to listen and to obey Your word, and to honor the price that was paid for my salvation. Thank you Lord God for sending us Your son to teach us, and to be an example of obedience. Discipline us God, not in Your wrath lest we be destroyed, but according to Your mercies. Thank you Father, in Jesus name, Amen.
Seek Grow Love 