Bethlehem Baptist Church
Sunday Evening 04/06/2025
  • Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)
  • At The Cross (Alas and did my Savior Bleed)
  • In The Garden
  • Beautiful Scandalous Night
  • Introduction:
    2 Samuel 11:1–5 ESV
    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.”
    Pray
    This is the turning point in the story of David. God still used David for many more years and God forgave Him of this sin, but David was never the same and the consequences of his sin with Bathsheba would live on in his future sons.
    Tonight, while the main focus of the passage regards sexual sin and lust, be aware that everything we say tonight about David’s sin can be applied to any sin we might be tempted to commit.
    I want to share with you three things about what led to the downfall of David tonight.

    1. David Looked (v.1-2)

    2 Samuel 11:1–2 ESV
    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.
    Already we have the setting for David’s failure and the Bible tells us something is off.
    The Setting
    The Moabite conflict
    In the Spring when kings go off to war
    Kings fought their battles at certain times of the year
    This wasn’t a thing where Kings woke up and said to themselves, “I think today is a perfect day for a battle!”
    There were rainy seasons and fighting during those seasons could cause harm to men and equipment.
    The terrain was more difficult to navigate during these times as well.
    Illustration: Tell about trip to Israel in the winter and the storms that came in to Galilee
    David is not with the army like the rest of the kings.
    When the kings go off to war, David is resting comfortably in the palace God has given to him.
    Not only this, but David goes out onto the roof of his palace in the cool of the day that overlooks the city and he happens to see down into the courtyard of the roof of Uriah’s house
    He notices Bathsheba doing what her name says so well in English, and taking a Bath
    Why was she on the roof bathing where she could be seen? We don’t really know and maybe she is at fault as well, but the Bible puts the blame squarely on David.
    David acknowledge his fault as well
    Psalm 51:3 ESV
    3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
    David might be forgiven for walking on the roof and spotting a woman bathing. After all, it was common to take a walk on the roof in the cool of the evening. However the Bible tells us the story in a way very similar to what will happen later with another king that will fall. This story was in Babylon where King Nebuchadnezzar was on the roof of his house looking out over the city and pride swelled up within his heart. God would humble him.
    David looks and sees Bathsheba bathing and that should have been the end of the matter, but we see next that:

    2. David Lingered (v.2-3)

    2 Samuel 11:2–3 ESV
    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?”
    Because David was not at war and was in his home, he was not on guard. He didn’t need to worry about a foreign enemy invading his home, but he needed to be on guard against a familiar one within.
    That enemy was the enemy of lust.
    We have already seen that David has taken a couple of wives by this point.
    2 Samuel 5:13 ESV
    13 And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David.
    Now this is a summary statement, but still we see that David is violating God’s commandment in Genesis that there should be one man and one woman in a marriage for life.
    David was marrying to consolidate his power instead of simply trusting God who had given him the kingdom, but we also see that David may have had a lust problem as well.
    He sees Bathsheba and notice what the text says of her.
    2 Samuel 11:2 ESV
    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.
    Not only does David notice that Bathsheba is bathing, he lingers long enough to observe that she was very beautiful. He took in the scenery rather than practicing Joseph’s approach and fleeing temptation.
    When sin presents itself, it is always first in the form of lust. Lust then plants a seed and creates a decision we have to make. Will we linger or will we leave.
    It is always best to flee. Don’t linger and try to justify things. Don’t try to figure out a way around things.
    David inquires further
    2 Samuel 11:3 ESV
    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?”
    David shouldn’t have even asked for the woman’s name. He should have left immediately, but he lingers and questions further. What’s her name? Who does she belong to?
    Again, David should have left things alone when he found out she was married, but he doesn’t.
    The next thing that happens is:

    3. David Languished (vv.4-5)

    2 Samuel 11:4–5 ESV
    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.”
    That word “languish” is not one that is super common, but it means to fall. I needed a word that rhymed with looked and lingered, but meant to fall, so I had to get out my handy thesaurus.
    It almost sounds like someone wallowing in misery, doesn’t it?
    David goes and sends for the woman. He is petting sin.
    Charles Spurgeon said,
    {Pet sin quote]
    He also said this:
    You say, “If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.” You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.
    Charles Spurgeon
    He makes a good point. David had several wives already. Nathan is going to point out this fact in the next chapter when he says David had a whole flock of sheep.
    Uriah had one little lamb. She was named Bathsheba.
    She may have been afraid or she may have been a co-conspirator, but either way, Uriah is fighting for King and country and David is robbing him of his wife.
    How low sin brings us down, and this story is only going to get worse as we continue to look at in in the weeks ahead.
    For now, we need to see that when we look and when we linger, we will fall.
    James describes the life cycle of sin this way:
    James 1:13–15 ESV
    13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
    David would sleep with Bathsheba and it turns out that she had been purifying herself.
    Now, here’s an interesting fact you might want to know. She was 14 days from her last cycle making her in a fertile window by the time she was done purifying herself.
    The irony is that she was anything but pure in what she was doing with David.
    David is at fault here and is the focus of our message tonight, but it would behoove us to mention that it takes two to tango.
    Women, what you wear is just as important. If you lure or entice people to lust after you, you are just as guilty of adultery as the man who lusts with his eyes.
    Illustration:
    Meeting a spouse at the club or a bar.
    Application:
    What has been the moment of your greatest weakness?
    What are your triggers?
    Jesus said it is better
    Conclusion
    Proverbs describes the wisdom that Solomon gives his son. This son would have been David’s great-grandson.
    It was advice that neither David, nor Solomon followed, but it was advice learned from bad experiences.
    Proverbs 5:1–6 ESV
    1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, 2 that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, 4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; 6 she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.
    Proverbs 5:15–16 ESV
    15 Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. 16 Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets?
    Solomon had seen this scene played out before.
    Proverbs 6:23–29 ESV
    23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, 24 to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. 25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; 26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life. 27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? 28 Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? 29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished.
    It’s amazing how many of the Proverbs warn against lust and adultery.
    I mentioned before that these lessons apply to any sin.
    We must not look intentionally at anything unworthy.
    We must be like Job
    Job 31:1 ESV
    1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?
    We must not gaze at sin.
    If our eyes light on it, we must bounce the eyes and flee, or we might linger.
    If we linger, we need someone to come to our aid and hold us accountable.
    We need someone to drag us out of Sodom and Gomorrah lest we perish in the destruction, like Lot was dragged out of the city by the angels.
    If we fail at the first two we will languish. We will fall.
    However, there is good news.
    David said this in his prayer of confession to God over this sin.
    Psalm 51:16–17 ESV
    16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
    God desires that we come humbly before Him to receive forgiveness.
    He doesn’t want your penance. He doesn’t need you to perform good works for Him. He has already done what His justice requires by sending Jesus to do it for you.
    Jesus became the sacrifice for your sins and mine and it is enough.
    We can come broken and be mended.
    We can come wounded to be healed.
    Why? Because the chastisement that brought us peace was upon Him. By His wounds we are healed.
  • Just As I Am (Broken)
Bethlehem Baptist Church
info@bbced.org
478-272-7827
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