Week of July 17. 2016: David Sinned and Was Restored

Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 11:1–12:14; Psalm 51

Big Picture Question: What should we do when we sin? We should repent and ask God to forgive us.

Key Passage: Psalm 51:10

Unit Christ Connection: God provided the first kings to rule His people Israel; Christ, the final King, rules over all people as Savior. Through David’s family, God sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

The Ammonites were no strangers to the Israelites. They often fought over the region of Gilead, which stretched east of the Jordan River. David had tried showing kindness to the Ammonites, but they humiliated the Israelite ambassadors. Thus began a war between the Israelites and Ammonites. 

One evening, David looked from his rooftop and saw Bathsheba bathing. He inquired about her and found out that she was the wife of Uriah, one of David’s elite soldiers. Her married status alone made her off-limits to David, but he nevertheless called for her and slept with her.

David probably assumed his sin would go unnoticed, until Bathsheba told him she was pregnant with his child. With Uriah gone to war, it was obvious the baby was not his. But David had a plan. He called Uriah home from the battle and encouraged him to be with his wife. But Uriah refused. Uriah didn’t think it was fair for him to be with his wife while other men were at war.

He instructed the commander of the army to position Uriah in the most violent part of the battle so he would be killed. This time, David’s plan worked. Uriah was killed, and David took Bathsheba as his wife.

God knew David’s sin and sent Nathan the prophet to confront David. David realized he had sinned against God. God issued a punishment: David’s son died.

David’s confession is recorded in Psalm 51. David knew making sacrifices would not be enough to please God and pay for his sin. God wanted David’s heart to change so he would not want to sin again. Like David, we need more than a changed lifestyle to be made right with God; we need new hearts. Jesus died to satisfy God’s wrath against sin so that we could be made alive in Him.

*Note: In regards to Bathsheba, we tell children:

David sent his messengers to get Bathsheba, and she came to David’s house. Later, Bathsheba told David that she was going to have a baby; the baby would be David’s son.