When we left our hero in the last episode, he was all Israel had hoped for. He was the king whom Israel needed to make God’s name known to the world. God was with David and because of that, his power grew. Our author made clear to us who holds the power by his repetitious use of the word send. In the preceding chapter, Chapter 10, the one that began with the phrase “in the course of time” and therefore, goes with these next 2 chapters.
In 2 Samuel 11, King David sends a sympathy delegation to King Hanun. King Hanun sends them back. King David sends Joab and the army into war. The two kings do all the sending, they are engaged in a human power struggle where the most powerful man wins. That man is David because he has found favor with the Lord.
But David is about to learn that while power given by God, used for God, glorifies God. That same power used for personal pleasure is a dark and deadly path of pain.
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You will see in 2 Samuel 11, David’s story is the story of the Fall all over again. David is in a Garden of Eden season of life. All that he and God desired, had been accomplished. Everything he needed was provided. The Promise to Abraham and Moses was fulfilled. David is living in the Promises Land and Time.
Eve was too, when her eyes betrayed her…
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked.
The eyes are a beautiful gift from God. What we see can give us pure pleasure: A gorgeous sunset, the smile of someone we love. But what we see can also catapult us into impure pleasure: adultery, addiction, idolatry.
David could have looked away. But like Eve, what he saw looked good to him…To him, it was all about him. And David chose to live by sight and not by faith. He put his desires ahead of God’s.
A few weeks later it was Bathsheba’s turn to send a message. Their secret affair was about to become public. Bathsheba is pregnant with the king’s child. With each step in the progression of the affair, David had a choice, he had to take some action.
He sent a messenger to find out who she was. He sent a messenger to get her. The author is making a point: In the last chapter David used his power to send men to war and lead them into accomplishing God’s purposes. In this chapter, David used his power to send for a woman and lead her into accomplishing his own purposes. David could use his power for good or for evil. Power is a massive responsibility.
Note: whom do you have power over? And how do you use your power over others to fuel your passion?
Scene 1: David Takes a Spring Break
Scene 2: Sleepless in the Spring
In Scene 3: David Scrambles to Conceal His Sin
Scene 4: David Uses His Power to Plot Murder
Verses Mentioned:
Show Notes Mentioned:
The Path to Good or Evil
The author of this article is Hayley Mowatt, producer of Bible Book Club.
