David, Israel’s second and greatest king, loved God. Around fifteen years into his reign, though, David made a colossal mistake. Israel was at war with the Ammonites, and David sent his soldiers on a campaign. It was “the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle”…except for David, who “remained at Jerusalem” (II Samuel 11:1). That single decision set in motion one of the great tragedies of Scripture, shaking David’s family and the nation.
David, the giant slayer, sees a woman on the roof bathing. Bathsheba is the wife of Uriah, one of David’s thirty greatest warriors (II Samuel 23:39). Overcome with lust, David has an affair with her, disregarding loyalty to God and his men. Unsurprisingly (she had been purifying herself following her monthly cycle), their liaison results in a child that could not be Uriah’s.
David, the psalmist, attempts an elaborate cover up. He calls Uriah back from the frontline for an update on the war. David tries to get Uriah to go home to his wife on two consecutive nights, even getting him drunk. Uriah, the Hittite (not even a native Israelite), is more loyal to God and his comrades than David. He refuses to know his wife’s embrace while God’s people and His ark of the covenant are in a battle. (David had no such reservation.)
So David, the man after God’s own heart, orchestrates Uriah’s murder. He sends instructions to cause Uriah’s death in battle – and has Uriah unknowingly deliver them. Cruel. Heartless. Evil.
David never should have been on that roof: he should have been fighting God’s battle. David never should have brought that woman home: he should have been faithful. David never should have lied, schemed, and murdered to conceal his sin. Yet, he did.
Let there be no doubt the Bible is true: fictional heroes don’t do this. Real people do, though. Real people, who know and love God, don’t always go where we need to be. We do things we shouldn’t. We hurt other people. We try to hide our wrongdoing. Yet, sin is too foul to be hidden. It gives off a spiritual stench as it rots us on the inside. It displeases the LORD.
David shows us that good people who love God still sin. He also shows us how God’s word can convict us, as the word brought by the prophet Nathan did (II Samuel 12:7-12). While the consequences of our actions may remain, he shows us how genuine confession can cleanse our souls, put away our sin, and allow us to live (II Samuel 12:13-14).
Let’s not pretend we are better than David. If instead of ignoring or hiding our sin we can learn to truly repent and confess, we can be cleansed. We can be healed. Then we can live.