The Whole Story - The Life of David
2 Samuel 11-12
One of the first questions I was given last week when I asked what one question you would ask David if you could was,
"Why or how could you have fallen so low after God said that you would do anything that He asked you to do?"
My Bible commentary gives us a good answer to this question. When we think of David, we think shepherd,
poet, giant-killer, king, ancestor of Jesus – in short, one of the greatest men
in the Old Testament. But alongside that list stands another – betrayer, liar,
adulterer, murderer. The first list gives qualities we all might like to have;
the second list are qualities that might be true of any one of us. The Bible
makes no effort to hide David’s failures. Yet he is remembered and respected
for his heart for God. Knowing how much more we share in David’s failures than
in his greatness, we should be curious to find out what made God refer to David
as “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22).
David more than anything else, had an
unchangeable belief in the faithful and forgiving nature of God. He was a man who
lived with great zest. He sinned many times, but he was quick to confess his
sins. His confessions were from the heart, and his repentance was genuine. David
never took God’s forgiveness lightly or his blessing for granted. In return, God
never held back from David either His forgiveness or the consequences of his
actions. David experienced the joy of forgiveness even when he had to suffer
the consequence of his sins.
We tend to get these two reversed. Too often we would rather avoid the consequences than experience forgiveness. Another big difference between us and David is that while he sinned greatly, he did not sin repeatedly. He learned from his mistakes because he accepted the suffering they brought. Often, we don’t seem to learn from our mistakes or the consequences that result from those mistakes.
A question we might ask ourselves is this, What changes would it take for God to find this kind of obedience in us?
So,
in this week's lesson we witness the moral failure of a man after God’s own heart and the redemptive power of divine grace.
2 Samuel 11:1-5
David and Bathsheba
11 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. 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. 3 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?” 4 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. 5 And the woman
conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”
2 Samuel 12:1-5
Nathan Rebukes David
12 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came
to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and
the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor
man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it
up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel
and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4
Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of
his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took
the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then
David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As
the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die,
The
Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. 2 Samuel
11:1-5, 12:1-5
First comes David’s fall in chapter 11. At a time when kings went out to battle, David remained in Jerusalem, and in his idleness, he saw Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, bathing. Succumbing to lust, he abuses his authority to take her for himself, committing adultery. When Bathsheba becomes pregnant, David seeks to cover his sin by orchestrating Uriah’s death in battle. The chapter closes with a haunting indictment: “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:27). This is a stark reminder that sin, no matter how hidden or justified in human eyes, is always seen by God.
In chapter 12, the Lord sends the prophet Nathan to confront David. Nathan exposes David's sin through a parable about a rich man who steals a poor man’s only lamb. Stricken with conviction, David responds with humility, confessing, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13). God, in His mercy, forgives David, but the consequences of his actions remain, bringing turmoil to his household and kingdom. Yet even in judgment, God’s grace shines through, as David and Bathsheba’s second son, Solomon, is later chosen to continue the covenant line, pointing us to Christ.
As we explore these chapters, we see the weight of sin and the hope of repentance. David’s story reminds us that sin always leads to destruction, but God’s grace is sufficient to restore the broken. Ultimately, this account directs our eyes to Jesus, the greater Son of David, who came to bear the penalty of sin on our behalf. Where David failed, Jesus succeeded, securing eternal forgiveness and restoration for all who repent and trust in Him. Let us see in David’s story both a warning and a promise: sin brings death, but God’s mercy brings life. Jesus is here, even in David’s failure.
Discussion Questions:
When are you most vulnerable to sin — when
you’re stressed? bored? successful?
Have you ever justified passivity by telling
yourself you “deserve rest”? How can we recognize healthy rest vs. dangerous
idleness?
Are there doors you’ve left open to temptation?
What are the warning signs that you’re
lingering instead of fleeing?
Why do we believe the lie that our sin only affects us?
What are some examples you’ve seen — either
personally or culturally — of sin’s ripple effect?
How does this view of substitution help us understand why God forgave David?
Have you ever struggled to believe your sin
is really “put away”? Why?
END
2 Samuel 11:1-5
David and Bathsheba
11 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. 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. 3 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?” 4 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. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”
2 Samuel 12:1-5
Nathan Rebukes David
12 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die,
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. 2 Samuel 11:1-5, 12:1-5
2 Samuel 11:14–27
In the morning David wrote a letter to
Joab and sent it with Uriah. In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where
the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck
down and die.” So, while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah
at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. When the men of
the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army
fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died. Joab sent David a full account of
the battle. He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving
the king this account of the battle, the king’s anger may flare up, and he
may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know
they would shoot arrows from the wall? Who killed Abimelek son
of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the
wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If
he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is
dead.’” The messenger set out, and when he arrived, he told David
everything Joab had sent him to say. The messenger said to David,
“The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them
back to the entrance of the city gate. Then the archers shot arrows at
your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your
servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.” David told the messenger, “Say this to
Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another.
Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”
When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for
him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to
his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had
done displeased the Lord.
2 Samuel 11:14-27
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to
Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where
the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and
die.” 16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where
he knew the strongest defenders were. 17 When the men of the city came out and
fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the
Hittite died. 18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19 He instructed
the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the
battle, 20 the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get
so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the
wall? 21 Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper
millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so
close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your
servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’” 22 The messenger set out, and when he
arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger
said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but
we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot
arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died.
Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.” 25 David told the messenger,
“Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as
another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to
encourage Joab.” 26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she
mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought
to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David
had done displeased the Lord.
The story of David’s fall is not just a historical warning — it’s a personal invitation to examine our own lives. David didn’t fall in a day; he drifted slowly through idleness, temptation, compromise, and cover-up. And the same pattern lies at our doorstep. If we’re honest, most of us aren’t in danger of waking up tomorrow and committing headline-level sins — but we are in danger of slowly drifting from intimacy with God, lowering our guard, and excusing behaviors that once grieved us. The call is to stay alert, stay humble, and stay in step with the Spirit. Grace is available, but so is the danger of drift.
So, here’s a final question: Where in your life are you
lingering when you should be running?
