Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: 2 Samuel 11 and Psalm 88

We come now to two of the most painful and confusing chapters of the Old Testament, 2 Samuel 11 and 12. Fortunately in our 5-day-a-week reading plan, they fall on either side of a weekend break. Each chapter highlights a great truth.

The first truth, highlighted in chapter 11, is that no one is righteous, no one at all. Ecclesiastes 7:20 proclaims: “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.” In writing of the foolishness of humanity, David pointed the finger at others in Psalm 14:3 “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” But here in chapter 11 it is David who slips into the sinking sand of sin.

It all begins with David deciding to let someone else go out and do his fighting for him. He was not yet old. He did not need Joab to lead the army. But David decided to indulge himself and give himself the springtime off, while sending all his fighting men out to war. This great leader of men, whose visionary leadership would have been of great help to his men, was languishing lazily on the roof while his men were shedding their blood on the battlefield. From this self-indulgence comes another as David, strolling about on the rooftop, affords himself the “guilty pleasure” of lustfully gazing on the nakedness of a neighbour’s wife instead of turning his eyes away to preserve her honour. His slide down the slippery slope is gaining momentum, and soon David is abusing his power to send for the beautiful Bathsheba … use her for momentary sexual pleasure … to order her husband, Urriah, from the battle field … to try to manipulate a sexual encounter between Urriah and Bathsheba to cover up the tell-tale sign of her pregnancy before it was too late … to connive first to deceive Uriah … then to assassinate him remotely on the battlefield.

When chapter 11 began, David appeared to be a righteous man, having so recently demonstrated God’s heart through radical mercy and kindness to his enemies. By the time the chapter is over, David is shown to be an adultererous, corrupt murderer. Indeed, David was right, “no one is righteous, no, not one.”

This chapter is a strident warning against the prideful assumption that other people fall into grievous and life-destroying sin, not me. No! If it can happen to the man after God’s own heart, it can happen to anyone. It may not happen this way; my sins may be different to his. But sin is sin, and all sin has the power to lure us onto a slippery slope that leads to ever-increasing consequences of brokenness and pain for ourselves and others. Let us heed the warning of this chapter and take sin very, very seriously indeed.

Heavenly Father, thank You for my Saviour Jesus, Who came to deliver me from the power of sin. Help me to resist my temptations by His power at work in me. Holy Spirit, warn me when my temptations are bringing me to the brink, and help me to turn and run when necessary! I believe I have been made righteous by Your unmerited grace, and I long to live out that righteousness daily. Empower me I pray. Amen.