September 13, 2023

Consider the cost—Sin is costly

2 Samuel 10-11

Brandon Pokley
Wednesday's Devo

September 13, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

September 13, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

September 13, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

September 13, 2023

Big Idea

No one is immune to sin.

Key Verse | 2 Samuel 11:26-27

When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

2 Samuel 10-11

David Defeats Ammon and Syria

1 After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. 2 And David said, “I will deal loyally 1 10:2 Or kindly; twice in this verse with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the Ammonites. 3 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away. 5 When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”

6 When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob, 12,000 men. 7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men. 8 And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.

9 When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. 10 The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. 11 And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12 Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him.” 13 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. 14 And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

15 But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates. 2 10:16 Hebrew the River They came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. 17 And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. 18 And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. 19 And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.

David and Bathsheba

1 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.”

6 So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” 12 Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” 16 And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died. 18 Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting. 19 And he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, 20 then, if the king's anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”

22 So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” 25 David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. 27 And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

Footnotes

[1] 10:2 Or kindly; twice in this verse
[2] 10:16 Hebrew the River

2 Samuel 11 - "Adultery" & 2 Samuel 12:14 - "God killed David’s child?"

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | 2 Samuel 10-11

I vividly remember when I landed my dream job. Because it was something I prayed and worked hard for, I interpreted the "success" as evidence of my spiritual health. This led to me being unmotivated to examine my thoughts and habits. In 2 Samuel 10, David is experiencing success. His power and influence are growing, and the Lord is granting him victory wherever he goes.

Throughout much of 1 and 2 Samuel, the authors have intentionally documented David's habit of inquiring of the Lord. However, this had not happened since 2 Samuel 5 when he first became king. In chapter 10, we are not told if David seeks God's guidance before the battle. We are also not given information about David's decision not to go with his army in 2 Samuel 11:1, a chilling observation as we move into the climax of today's passage.

The headline story includes adultery, attempted cover-up, and murder. Though shocking at face value, David's choices are not surprising when we examine the habits that he had already been practicing in both thought and action—such as taking many wives and concubines (2 Samuel 5:13) and his lack of regard for God's institution of marriage (2 Samuel 3:14-16). So when an opportunity arises that he sees and desires, he simply does what he has been training himself to do—he takes it without consulting God or His Word. This is a recurring sequence we see in mankind throughout the entire biblical narrative, starting with Adam and Eve.

Like David, my lack of introspection and apathy toward God's commands causes pain for myself and others (2 Samuel 11:26). But just as the promises God made to David in 2 Samuel 7 are not jeopardized by David's disobedience, the gospel's promises remain for us when we fall short (1 John 1:9). Though there are still consequences in this life for our actions, as David experienced, we can also rest and take joy in the accomplished work of Christ. His grace is sufficient for our past, present, and future sins (1 John 2:1-2).

This month's memory verse

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

– Matthew 5:16

Discussion Questions

1. When things in life are going the way you want them to, are you more or less likely to seek the Lord? Why?

2. Which desires do you have that, if achieved, may make you less likely to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind?

3. What thoughts and habits are currently training you to ignore God's instruction? Examples might include entertainment content, judging the motives of others, etc.

4. What habits can you put into practice that will help create opportunities to experience more intimacy with God? What habits can you practice that will help you recognize your dependence on God? What Scriptures inform your answers?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Thank you for a great devo, Brandon. Thanks for this great reminder- “Though there are still consequences in this life for our actions, as David experienced, we can also rest and take joy in the accomplished work of Christ. His grace is sufficient for our past, present, and future sins.” The entire idea that God measures out consequences and does so with 100% justice AND 100% mercy has been one of the most transforming truths of my journey. That was not the model my parents had nor is it the one they used with the four of us. Q1. & Q2. My theology crumbled under my prosperity. I guess it won’t for some but I don’t see how. A friend of mine puts it powerfully, “I do not think about God a lot when I’m in Cabo.” Q3. I am very prone to judge quickly and therefore wrongly. I’m taught to listen to God through the voice of James 1:19
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Hugh Stephenson

One of my mother’s most frequent warnings was “Nothing good happens after midnight”. I’d rephrase as “when you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. However true that is in an absolute sense I did the same thing David did. I ignored it. At age 15 my first job was as assistant dishwasher at a restaurant in the strip center near my house. Each night the kitchen crew would save left over goodies from the customers plates. Prime rib, mashed potatoes and especially many carafes of wine. At midnight the kitchen closed. We would scrub it down and then feast on the free leftovers. And then…the real fun began. We would tear around north Atlanta in a friend’s sports car having immense fun and committing all manner of misdemeanors. I would sneak into the back door of my house in the wee hours. When Amy and I got married we moved into Midtown, (Atlanta). The rough equivalent of Uptown in Dallas. We had a few large parks in our neighborhood. In one of them, Jake, a young homeless man, had set up camp. He would do work for almost all the families in the neighborhood. One day he walked up with a huge bandage and boot on his foot. When I asked him what happened he said, “I got shot in the foot”. Queried further, he said, “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Channeling my mother’s admonition I said, “Jake, there is never a right time to be in the wrong place.” David and Jake and me have a similar operating model. I’m taught that one of the reasons God gave us sex was because of the deep intimacy it creates in the relationship. So, of course, that gives Satan a big fat target and that’s where he directs much of his efforts. It also seems that’s one of the reasons God defines marriage as between one man and one woman. As many theologians have pointed out, trouble follows polygamy as sure as a bad harvest follows rotten seeds, (Hosea 8:7, Galatians 6:7). Chapter 8 is about as big a pinnacle as David could reach. And now we see in chapter 9,10 and following the downside of all that success and all that power. For me, the slide that has begins to steepen significantly with this one partial verse- “…and David stayed in Jerusalem.” Jerusalem was the wrong place to be in the midst of the wars with so many other armies. And this was DEFINITELY the wrong time to be there. For me, the admirable figure in this passage is Joab, an enigmatic figure at best. Note this is in verse 12- “Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.”
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Hugh Stephenson

From the notes- “Joab expresses both faith in God and a resolve to fight with all his strength. Faith and human effort are not incompatible with each other. Joab is a complicated figure: as here, he can express sturdy piety (e.g., 24:3), and he can also display a chilling ruthlessness in preserving David’s and his own position (e.g., 18:14–15; 20:9–10, 20–22). It is not surprising that David does not trust him to treat Solomon well after Joab supported Adonijah (1 Kings 1:7, 19; 2:5–6). “Note Joab's commendable spirituality in verse 12 (cf. Josh. 1:6-7).” "Having done his best to prepare for the battle, Joab took confidence in the sovereignty of God." David first had Joab lead his army against the enemy (v. 7), but later David himself went into battle and led his soldiers (v. 17). Later David would stay behind in Jerusalem and let Joab lead again (11:1). Saul also got into trouble when he stayed behind, rather than leading his people against their enemy (1 Sam. 14). Similarly, Jesus Christ is allowing His followers to engage in spiritual warfare now. However, the time is coming when He will personally return to the scene of opposition and subdue other Gentile enemies who have rejected His grace (cf. Rev. 19:11-16).”
GJ

Greg Jones

Brandon, great dive. I kinda nerd out on apologetic related stuff too. The point you make concerning the intentionality of the author really resonated with me. “Throughout much of 1 and 2 Samuel, the authors have intentionally documented David's habit of inquiring of the Lord. However, this had not happened since 2 Samuel 5 when he first became king.” Most Bible scholars who compare scriptures to other time period Hebrew and near eastern writings and then assign literary genres to the biblical text classify the David narrative as apologetic meaning a case is being made for why David should be recognized as king. A need to do that makes really good sense. You have factions, Saul factions and David factions. If Saul is king and rightly or wrongly he believes David is trying to take the crown from him people outside his inner circle are going to know. As king he has the ability to spread accusations about David throughout the land. And why would he not? So when the king dies those accusations don’t die with him. And if that is the case with Saul and David those accusations probably gain credibility after the kings death. Consider when the king dies fighting the Philistines and it’s known that David has been working with the Philistines, that needs to be addressed by David and his people. Talk about a “I told you David was…” confirmation. So part of the apology becomes David didn’t really want the crown he could have killed Saul a couple of times when he had a chance. And when the crown finds its way from the battlefield to David’s lap he kills the delivery boy for bringing him the good news. In that sense some of the David narrative, that sometimes rambles all over the place, makes sense as apologetic. But then there is this story of Bathsheba and David couldn’t look any worse in it. To me, it’s counter apologetic. I see the Samuel books in two parts. (Two parts other than 1st and 2nd.) One part is purely apologetic towards endorsing David’s kingship. In that part the message is God willed the kingship to David and means surrounding that justified ends. The other part doesn’t question God’s providence in David’s kingship but it does question any means are ok as long as God’s will is done in the end. The I see the second part as blended into a preexisting first part giving us the whole book as we know it. No way to know for sure if that’s the case but it helps to explain maybe why David has two introductions back in 1 Samuel. There’s 1 Samuel 16-23 where David becomes well known by Saul and those around him. Then there’s 1 Samuel 17:55-58 where David is reintroduced if you will and people want to know who he is. The differences are so stark that a reason they are not resolved would seem to be an intentional leave out on the authors part. Two narratives of Saul meeting David in one text. Two stories merged into one.
SB

Sue Bohlin

Absolutely OUTSTANDING devo, Brandon! Especially your point that our thoughts and habits constitute TRAINING. We can train ourselves for good or evil, for wisdom or foolishness. Which is why God's word calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2), which is accomplished by training our thought patterns. We are blessed to be hearing the voices of more women theologians and teachers, who are able to provide missing perspective when it comes to interpreting the Bible. Recently, these voices have been suggesting that Bathsheba was not the evil vixen who lured David into adulterous sin through exhibitionism--she was actually an innocent and righteous woman the king violated because, as the one with all the power. he simply *could*. Repeating the pattern of Eve's sin in Genesis 3, the text records that David SAW, then he TOOK. Bathsheba was powerless to say no. She was the innocent lamb of the prophet Nathan's story in the next chapter. The NET Bible study notes, like other commentaries for centuries, say that the words "she came to him" probably indicate that the act was consensual. Yeah, maybe not. Maybe "she came to him" because the king had sent armed soldiers to get her?! This lady will later become the mother of Solomon, and most probably the rock-star inspiration for his powerful ode to godly femininity in Proverbs 31. She's quite a woman.
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Michael Scaman

Pride goes before a fall says proverbs (and James) and applies to David. Tragically, Bathsheba's name means “daughter of the oath.” The account run counter to this except by God who was faithful to his mercy and loyal lovingkinness. Not mentioned much but David gets a gold crown areound this time. Is a parrallel passage from 1Chron 20 David wins a gold crown a heavy one and puts it on his own head. Sometimes the high points and low points of one's life are the same time. Both passages have ; in the spiring when kings go out to war and David staying in Jerusalem. "1In the spring, at the time when kings march out to war, Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the Ammonites. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. And Joab attacked Rabbah and demolished it. 2Then David took the crown from the head of their king. It was found to weigh a talent of gold and was set with precious stones, and it was placed on David’s head. And David took a great amount of plunder from the city." 1Chron 20 Did it go to his head? Was the high point in Daviid's eyes also a low point in God's eyes? Did he really need a mostly for show 75 pound crown? How long can you even wear it before you get tired?
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Amy Lowther

1. I have done this. Everything was good. I had everything in good standing and “under control.” Then everything went wrong. So I asked the Lord for forgiveness and changed how I handled life. It is important to realize the Lord likes everything we do good or bad. When we praise Him, things get better because giving praise where it is due takes consideration of what has gone on and what is ahead. 2. I am working on improving my budget. It takes a VERY conscious effort every moment of the day to not ignore God’s instructions. 3. I think demands in companies to achieve specific sales goals and profits can steer people off of God’s instructions. 4. I can attend church on Sundays. I can pray to God before reading the Bible so I consider His ideas as I read. I can study the words of God so I value Him. Using God’s values in anything I do helps me know my dependence on God. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”