0:00 Well, it's been, what, a couple weeks? Hasn't been a couple weeks since we met here on a Friday night. It feels like two years. Well, we're still in second Samuel. Nothing has changed.
0:10 We're still in that infamous chapter of second Samuel. So let's go there together in second Samuel in chapter eleven second Samuel 11. And, lord, we do ask that you would bless this time in your word and that there would be a sense of your nearness and our hearts would come alive afresh in you. Oh, lord, we are in continual need of your restorative mercies, and we pray that you would restore our passion for you and that you would take it to new heights. That, lord, you would open up our appetite again for righteousness, for wisdom, for the knowledge of our God.
1:01 And so Lord, may this be a time where we sense the leading of the Holy Spirit. Even now as we come to this word, we pray that you would speak so specifically into each of our lives. And so, lord, we just pray that you would shatter all distraction, all unbelief, anything that would be an obstacle to your word having its way in our very lives. We trust in you, lord. We thank you for a house on a Friday night that e is eager to be in your presence.
1:28 We bless you for that in Jesus' name. Amen. The final words of our last bible study, which was about three weeks ago, were the dramatic heart stopping words of a woman named Bathsheba who declared very simply, I am pregnant. Now usually that news is accompanied by joy and excitement, but not in this case. This woman who gave this report gave it to not her husband, but to another man.
2:05 And we know from our study in the beginning of second Samuel 11 that that man was king David, the nation's leader, the nation's psalmist, the man after God's heart. And why is David receiving the news of Uriah's wife's pregnancy? And the answer is very simple, because he is the father. Undeniably, he is the father of this child. And when you think about that alone, you realize that the evolvement of these events is really a picture of how sin evolves in our lives.
2:46 You see, this was just a a secret night of passion between two people, and now it is morphed into a scandal that could easily make national news and put so many people to shame. And sin, the DNA of our iniquity, when it is conceived, it does not stay in that embryo stage. It it will grow. It will continue to grow, and the direction of its growth is domination. It wants to dominate your life.
3:20 It does not just wanna stay in a nice little corner where you can visit it from time to time. It wants to own the house. And from there, it also wants to bring as much destruction as possible in your life. James tells us that when sin is conceived, it doesn't stay there, it wants to bring forth death. And if it's not dealt with early on, you would be amazed to know what one sin can do to a life.
3:48 What it can do to a marriage, what it can do to your finances, what it can do to your body, how it can prematurely bring death and untold measures. This is why God put this in our bible so that what we see in David's life at this point would burn in our memory so that we would never ever ever for a moment think that we are impervious to the power of sin. Scripture warns us, if anyone thinks he stands now pause. If you're in this place sitting excited because you realize you have a desire to be here on a Friday night, look how holy you are. Look how look how close you are to the Lord.
4:25 The Bible says, if you think you stand, let that person take heed lest he falls. In other words, when you're doing just right, that's when you should be the most cautious. And David, unfortunately, did not take heed, and we're gonna see what he's gonna do with this news because you and I heard a few bible studies ago that there are only, only, only two options when any of us are caught in any transgression. Do you remember those two options? Two.
4:57 They both start with the letter c, if that helps. Confess it. Confess it. Yes. What's the other one?
5:06 Conceal it. Very good. Those are really the only two options that you and I have when we are in a pit. We either confess and along confess, repent of that sin, or we conceal and oftentimes continue in that sin. David has those two choices when this report comes to his front step, and unfortunately he will choose the latter.
5:28 He will choose to conceal it. And because he will conceal it, the rest of this chapter is going to explain what will happen. And here's the thing, the reason why we are so tempted to be magnetized towards concealing our sin is because the path of concealment seems to promise the least pain. Right? The least pain of of shame, of hurting others, of hurting our ministries, of hurting our reputation.
5:59 That's why we conceal. There is a false promise of an easier way of escape when we choose to hide and put our sin in the dark instead of coming clean before the Lord and before people that need to know about that sin and say, I I need to I need to turn. I need the Lord to help me. Can you help me? David's not gonna do that.
6:23 And what we're gonna see is the outcome of his concealment. It's gonna really be a study of the devastation that comes when you and I choose to not do it God's way, when it comes even to our failures. And, again, let me say this. I I hope that the imagery that will be brought before you today will be something that you will hold on to so that you would never ever ever trust in human wisdom when it comes to your sanctification. I thought we were gonna finish this chapter.
6:50 There's just no way unless we just really do an injustice to this text. So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna read from verse six down to verse 13. You're gonna follow with me in your Bible, and then I'm gonna ask you what stands out to you in our part two of second Samuel 11, and let's see where the spirit leads us. Remember, the last three words that dropped the curtain on our last bible study was I am pregnant.
7:19 Now we come to verse six. So David sent word to Joab, send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, go down to your house and wash your feet.
7:44 And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. 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. 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?
8:09 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. Then David said to Uriah, remain here today also and tomorrow, and I'll send you back. So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.
8:39 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. Who's whoever says the bible is boring, shame on you. How can you say that? This is riveting.
9:02 I've always said if I had the budget, I would totally make either a movie or a series on some kind of channel of the life of David. This is this is fascinating. Well, what sticks out to you from these verses that we read today? Anything? What a contrasting character this man, Uriah, has to David.
9:27 He will not budge. I'm committed to the mission that God has called me to. I'm committed to my God. And he he just can't move from that place. Absolutely.
9:38 Yes. David. Again, that's a great observation. The contrast between David and Uriah. David stayed home during the war.
10:01 Uriah would not go home because of that same war. Isn't that amazing? Interesting. Yes. Anything else?
10:13 Deception. Very good observation. There is deception. A lot of it, and it is unfortunate. Yes, John.
10:23 Got them drunk. It's a very nasty strategy, but it's a very common one. Yes. Anything else? He made him get comfortable as much as possible, and comfort did not make him waiver.
10:46 Yes. He brought him down. Exactly. So David's influence is to bring him to the same level of where he was at at this point in his life. Yes.
11:13 Yeah. That could be true. Or is David wanting Uriah to go home to cover his tracks? Oh, yeah. Interesting.
11:25 Yes. Very good. Reputation and status does not equal character. Absolutely. Very good.
11:39 Well, shall we continue? Let's look at verse six. So David sent word to Joab. Send me Uriah the Hittite. Strange request.
11:48 And Joab sent Uriah to David. Now right there in that verse, you and I have an idea of the great power and the great authority that David possessed. This man, by one word, can tell somebody to go, tell somebody to come. No questions asked and no reasons to give any answers to his commands. This is the jurisdiction.
12:10 This is the kind of position that David possessed, and it was granted by God. In fact, you're gonna realize very soon that David had such overwhelming authority that by the word of his mouth, he can determine whether a man lived or died. And again, this is an awesome thing that the Lord permitted. And you know the the well known saying, with with great power comes what? Great responsibility.
12:40 Let me add to that. With great power comes great temptation. Great temptation. The temptation of those who who hold any kind of position of influence is to abuse that power in order to satisfy selfish feats even at the expense of those who trust that you are operating in integrity. And and so David here, he's done much good as a king, but you're seeing something in him here that you don't really see on this level when he was a servant.
13:14 When he was a servant, he he was very cautious. He had a very soft conscience. Here now as a king, I believe a great part in what tempted him was his ability to remove or or escape or to get rid of things that might make him look bad. And And so I wanna just say this right off the gate. If you're a person who craves position, craves titles, craves status, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into.
13:41 I actually believe that the Lord, concerning his children, doesn't bless them. This might take a shot at the prosperity gospel, but good. Doesn't give the same amount even of of success in terms of monetary gain because he knows as a father that this will destroy this person. God gives grace to callings. Right?
14:04 And if you don't have that grace, then you can actually be destroyed. It's enough trouble even operating in what God's called you to do, even if he's giving you the grace. Never mind trying to explore something that doesn't belong to you or that you can't handle. And so we see here that David is operating with a power, and that's giving us a setup to what he's gonna do with that power. Now here's what's fascinating.
14:26 What I thought about when I came to this was Moses was told, when he was the only really judge of Israel to hire or to raise up more judges to be able to lead the nation of Israel, and his father-in-law comes on the scene and gives him gives him a list of qualities cons to consider for the future prospect of Israel's leaders. Does anybody remember one of the main features that Moses should look for concerning a man who would judge the nation? If you want a reference, it's Exodus eighteen twenty one. I'll read it to you and you can mark it if you want, But listen to these words when Moses was advised, here's the type of people that you want in different spheres of power who overlook the responsibility of shepherding people. Here's what I want you to find in people.
15:12 He says in Exodus eighteen twenty one, moreover, look for able men, so there's ability, from all the people, men who fear God. Men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, that's one sphere, of hundreds, that's another, of fifties and of tens. So whether it's 10 or a thousand, what you need to find, Moses, is men who fear God. Now listen, this is not a very exhaustive list for a resume, and I think that's by divine design. Here's why.
15:47 Because if you can find somebody who fears God, you don't need to really look for much else. If you can find a person who fears the Lord, you don't really have to look for anything else. Because a man who fears God is so preoccupied with their behavior, with their decisions, both public and secret, doing everything before the divine, much more much more of a concern than their reputation before mere mortals. A man who fears God has a sense that he is accountable and he is responsible before the almighty, before anything else. He realizes that God is the one who dictates his own life, and his motivation to please God is so strong.
16:31 Listen. He says those who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, I believe those are the byproducts of fearing God. When you fear God, you are trustworthy. When you're when you fear God, no amount of threat or no amount of invitation, no amount of temptation will sway you. You're rock solid because you live before God.
16:51 You don't live before a price tag. You don't live before the threats of men who are dependent upon every breath granted by the very God that you fear. And so we see here that men who fear God, women who fear God is a wonderful quality you have, and you don't need much else to ensure, listen to this, humility and justice in high ranks. Now if that is true, and I thought about that in my study, I asked this question. Well, isn't David a man who fears God?
17:23 Wouldn't we all agree that David was a man who feared God? Absolutely. So if that is the case, if the great antidote is to fear the Lord, then how do we explain David's behavior at this point? How do we explain his conflicting convictions? And, oh, god is good.
17:39 A verse that I've read in the book of Proverbs shot into my mind, and I didn't remember the reference. So I had to pull out of my Bible and I had to look and do the pages, and I found it. Aren't you glad I found it? It'll really help if you have the ESV. If you don't, I'll explain.
17:52 But it's in Proverbs twenty eight fourteen, and that's a verse that I'm gonna invite you to turn to. In Proverbs twenty eight fourteen, we read something very insightful in light of the fear of God, the application of the fear of God. Proverbs 28 verse 14 reads, blessed is the one who fears the Lord, when? Always. But whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
18:26 Now the Hebrew does not include who fears the Lord. It just says who fears or who who who is always reverent. And I believe the translators of the ESV included the Lord because when you consider the the entire consensus of the Bible, there is no fear that the Bible encourages you and I to have unless it's a fear towards God and unless it's a fear towards the authority that God has appointed. And so I think that it's okay here to understand this verse as blessed is the man who fears the Lord always. And the key word in this verse is what?
19:01 Always. At all time, in all circumstances, in all context, fear God always, which tells me it's possible to fear God sometimes in some places before some people, wink wink, pastors, in some areas, wink wink, like in a place where we're at tonight. If you think that this verse is hard to understand, it's very, very simple. I'll prove it to you. How easy is it for us to switch on reverence for God when we walk into a sacred place like this, but when we switch it right off when we go into a place like our living room?
19:41 We know how to switch on and off the fear of the Lord. I've seen heathens do it. I've seen heathens cuss and do all these things, and once they come to an ancient church and some historical site, they realize we're going into a church building. Oh, let let's just be quiet. People know how to turn this thing on and off.
20:00 And the Bible says, no. Fear God always when you're alone, when with your friends, when you're with your spouse, when you're not with your spouse, when you're on the business trip, when you're on the family trip. Fear God all the time, and that will ensure you great protection and grace at all times. And David, unfortunately, did not take heed to this proverb, and he would reap the sorrows of it. So you and I have to make a conscious decision.
20:29 There has to be a discipline where we live in light of the presence of the all seeing, all knowing God everywhere. Everywhere. So when you go on vacation, right, in the summertime, when you go on vacation this winter, you're not taking a vacation from God. See what I'm saying? You're not not spiritual there, and then you come back and you get spiritual again.
20:52 That doesn't work. That's not gonna get you blessing. That's gonna get you in trouble. It's gonna get you in trouble. Wherever I go, God is with me.
21:00 Hey. You're gonna invite me over to your house? Guess who's coming? Jesus. I'm not gonna be somebody different from the pulpit and off the pulpit.
21:07 Jesus is coming with me. So if you want me to come, Jesus is coming along. I hope you have an extra seat. I hope every believer has that caliber of faith. That that's what's gonna make us holy and strong and bear consistency for the glory of Jesus Christ.
21:24 So we see that David didn't fear God here. He let it go. He brought it down, and it would cost him much. Now we read in verse seven. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing, how the people were doing, and how the war was going.
21:37 This verse infuriates me. It infuriates me. I don't know about you, because we heard it from our sister. Here's a man who summons a faithful servant into his presence, who organizes this meeting, this appointment, and he pretends to be concerned about this war. And he makes inquiries for clarification.
21:57 Listen, David, if you were so concerned about the war, why weren't you there? So here's a man who just coats his his words and his heart by pretending to make this about some kind of evaluation of a war when in reality, it was a scheme. It was a scheme to make Uriah unsuspicious of an allurement to bring him into his home after a journey being away from his wife and to hopefully see his wife and him come together and to enjoy their rights within the confines of marriage and cover the tracks of adultery. That's what this man is doing. And when I looked at this, how he asked Joab, how's Joab doing it?
22:43 How are the people doing it? This is deception. And here's the point that I wanna make in light of our theme tonight, that when you and I choose to conceal our sin, when we choose to hide it and not repent of it and not confess it to those who need to know about it, the adoption of deception is guaranteed. You will become a liar. You will.
23:06 You'll lie to yourself. You'll lie to your friends. You'll lie to your parents. You'll lie to your pastors. And here's what happens when a person conceals their sin, when there's something going on that people are not aware of, you learn to play pretend, and you pretend like everything is okay when in fact it's not.
23:27 And that's exactly what this man is doing, and it's a sad thing thing to see because it only adds to the pain when it will be exposed. Notice I said when, not if. It will be exposed. God loves his children too much to leave us in our sin and to think that we can succeed in concealing it. In love, God exposes so that we can receive the healing and the grace and the restoration that we need, and he will not be mocked.
23:55 Additionally, it's this is very painful to see because when we refuse to confess our sin, what we also do is rob ourselves of the grace and the guidance that we can receive from those who will are willing to embrace us in our sin and say, look. I admire your humility. Look. We gotta learn to be a people. God forbid that we would be caught in sin, but we need to be a people who learn how to confess before we're caught.
24:26 Don't wait till it's exposed and then you you confess. Again, God forbid, I I wanna echo the words of John. If anyone is in any transgression, if, not when, if, just deal with it immediately. Deal with it as soon as possible. Come to the light as quickly as you can because it's gonna happen.
24:49 You're gonna see that no matter how clever you and I are, God knows how to pull the sheets. And there we are. Right? And we only add to the problem. We only add to the issues when we do things like lie.
25:04 And sadly, the deception only continues in verse eight because now he encourages Uriah. He says, hey. Why don't you go down to your house and wash your feet? In other while in other words, stay a while. Wash your feet, relax, kick back, hang out.
25:17 I'm giving you a leave of absence. I'm letting you be removed from the war so that you can spend time at your house. And then you know what he does? He gives him a gift. The king sends Uriah with a gift so that when Uriah comes with this great honor from the king, it would put him and his wife in good spirits.
25:37 Right? It would make them just feel honored and excited, and it would just only add to the possibility of them embracing embracing one another. And that's that's quite insightful because when those who are in sin, when those who are concealing sin in their lives, they don't just, they don't just apply the facade that all is well. They do more than that sometimes. They add to that a layer of a presentation of charity and goodness and kindness to try to fool others.
26:13 Right? And so what happens is, you put on another level of a show, especially to those who you really don't want to know about what is going on. And it's a false sense of fruitfulness. And so, we do what we're told, and and we serve in our ministries, and we we even sometimes go the extra mile and be and be extra nice. And what we're trying to do is the same thing we've been trying to do in the beginning, just fig leaves covering our shame, and think that we can mislead God and mislead others so that they don't see our nakedness.
26:50 They just see what we are able to produce when in fact we're trying to bury ourselves under some kind of form of distraction, even if that distraction is some kind of public display of righteousness. So people do that. Did you see how I love the Bible. I love the Bible. Because I can't think of any other book in the world that has surgical precision in determining and explaining human behavior.
27:16 It's incredible. No other book can expose the depths of the evil of the human heart. I mean, this is an ancient story from hundreds and thousands of years ago, and yet we still see the same patterns being repeated in 2023 because we're all infected with Adam's sin, curse, and fall. So he does that. He says, go.
27:38 Here's a gift. Enjoy yourself. And the sad verse that we just read is now juxtaposed with an inspiring one. We just saw it when we read it together. Verse nine.
27:49 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. You've been away from home for so long. You've even been given a green light from your boss that you can now go home, and you can see your wife, and you can go into your comfortable room, and this man refuses. You're gonna see why in a couple of verses, but right from here, we realize that he upheld righteous conviction even, listen, above comfort and gratification. That's what makes a real soldier.
28:28 And you and I are called to be soldiers in the faith according to second Timothy. The sense of duty and mission taking primary place above what can satisfy you, that's what makes Christians effective. And here we see this man who exemplifies that. And you would think that this level of character, this level of character from Uriah, one of David's boys, one of the guys that he's raised up and used and worked with, You would think that would move the heart of the man after god's heart, but it doesn't. Not only does it not move him you ready for this?
29:03 It bothers him. It bothers him to the point of verbal criticism. So he hears, Uriah didn't go home. So he brings Uriah in again, and then he says something to him in verse 10. He says, have you not come from a journey?
29:22 Why did you not go down to your house? He was disturbed by this. Why? Here's why. Are you ready for this?
29:32 Because those who choose to walk in the flesh cannot tolerate those who walk in the spirit. It can't. Those who choose to walk in the flesh cannot tolerate those who walk in the spirit. And this is a reminder and an example that the presence of men and women who have principle, who really have principle, who really walk with this level of devotion to god irritate people who wanna sin comfortably. They do.
30:08 And the reason is because their very presence and their habits and their convictions expose those who, like David, wanna play both roles. And they do it unintentionally. Like, Uriah is not trying to expose David. Uriah is just Uriah. And here's David just agitated by the fact that Uriah will not succumb to the the very same level of compromise that he gave himself to.
30:36 And so he's disturbed. You know what he he's gonna do then? We're gonna see in a very real way, he's gonna push Uriah away and want nothing to do with him instead of praising somebody for for displaying such an example of righteousness. You You know, that's why some people don't go don't go to a bible preaching church. You understand that?
30:56 That's why some people will not come to a bible preaching church because the words that are being spoken, even though that person doesn't know what's going on in that person's life or people in that church don't know what's going on in that person's life, they have a tendency, not just their words, but their life to make that person uncomfortable because they wanna be comfortable in their sin. And so they avoid it. They avoid it. And I'm sure the the news of Uriah sleeping outside instead of going into his home, into his own bed, struck David's soul. Because as you heard, here is a king you ready for this?
31:40 A king who refused to go to war so that he can stay at home, and now here is an inferior who refuses to go home because of that war. This man is just shook. And this is not just speaking about unbeliever to the believer. I'm talking about those who profess godliness, but they wanna embrace worldliness at the same time. They can't stand people who live for the glory of God, who are they can't do it.
32:13 In fact, sometimes they will go to the extent of joining the disapproval of the world and criticize those who are truly holy. David, David, David. So what happens? Unlike the king who gave into temptation, Uriah doesn't. And that's quite remarkable.
32:34 You know why? Because David was not just a leader, David was an Israelite. How are we introduced to Uriah in verse three of this chapter? Go back and see it. Just right there.
32:44 Uriah the Hittite, and then in verse six, the Holy Spirit repeats it. Uriah the Hittite. Were Hittites Jews? They were not native born Jews. They were a part of that collective group who occupied the promised land before Joshua's con conquest.
32:59 You know what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell us about Uriah? He was once a pagan worshiper, and now he converted, and now he's worshiping the true and living God. Think about that now. That just adds to the sting of this whole thing. Here is a man who worshiped false gods, who became a proselyte, who who changed and repented and joined himself to the true and living God, and he is towering in comparison to David in terms of his ambition to glorify the Lord.
33:33 Despite his background, we see that this man is, in comparison, outshining to a person who was an Israelite. And we see here that Uriah gives his explanation to why he would not go home. You read it, but let's see it again in verse 11. Uriah said to David, the ark in Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Here's the translation.
34:01 How is it that the ark of God, which dwells in a tent, and my people, my fellow warriors who are out in the fields dwelling in their tents in war, how is it that these things and these people exposed to danger and threats while I would entertain comfort and gratification? May it never be. May it never be. And what I love is, you're right. The first thing that comes to his mouth is what?
34:29 They are God. God. That's the first thing in the forefront of his mind. His explanation is the Lord. This man had God in his mind first, God in his explanation first, God.
34:39 It's centered around the Lord. And second to that was the mission that he was called to. This is a mission that I'm called to, and there's something deeper here. Right? Do you remember what David said to Ahimelech, the priest, when he was initially running from Saul and he was asking for some food?
34:57 What did Ahimelech ask if him and his men were what? Were you guys are you guys holy? Are you guys consecrated? And do you remember David's response? Go to first Samuel quickly.
35:07 I want you to see this. In verse five of chapter 21, look at David's explanation. I believe it helps us explain Uriah's decision. In first Samuel 21 verse five, First Samuel twenty one five. And David answered the priest, truly, women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition.
35:37 The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today whether vessels are holy? Here's what I see from this. Apparently, in David's squad, when it came to his military, there was a code of conduct. And one of the code of conducts was that when they were on a military expedition, that they were to keep themselves from engaging in relations with women.
36:03 What's wrong with engaging with women? Well, I think what helps is, and you don't have to turn there, when you go to Leviticus, right, you see in chapter 15 that there are instructions given to those who give themselves to sexual relations, and it and it it provides ceremonial obstacles that can bring a hindrance to the effectiveness of their expeditions as they are serving in war. Does that make sense? There are all these things that you have to observe and do if if you do engage in relations in such a way. So it's just a it's just better not sinful, just more helpful to refrain from such things so that you can be more focused and alert and give in to the task at hand.
36:41 All Uriah is doing is practicing the protocol that I believe he was discipled into having David as a leader. And perhaps that's the reason why Uriah comes so strong with his answer. Maybe he was shocked by the fact that David even questioned him not going home. Like, this is your thing. This is what we do.
37:05 And what I love here is that Uriah, in some sense, gives us another illustration of a Christian principle, one that Paul, the apostle, taught to the church and teaches us today. It's in first Corinthians, and you don't have to turn there. In first Corinthians in a very well known passage in chapter six verse 12, he says, all things are lawful for me, but what? Not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.
37:32 That's the standard of Christianity that Paul wants to bring us to by the spirit. It's not just to look at something and say, is this inherently illegitimate? Is this evil? Is this out of bounds? Is this wrong?
37:44 Paul wants you to ask another question. Is it helpful? Is it helpful? Is it helpful to the season of life that I'm in? Is it helpful in me becoming more fervent and passionate for the Lord?
37:56 Is it helpful? When you begin to ask those questions, I I assure you, you will put a stress on the muscles of the spirit in a way where you will see growth like you've never seen before. Is it helpful? Not just is it sinful. Does it help me run faster, longer, or does it create weight in my life that hinders me from being all that I can be in Jesus Christ?
38:19 I wanna tell you something personally. In the seasons and I hope that God would keep me asking these questions, but in the seasons where I've been most intentional about is it helpful, I've seen the most. I've experienced the most in God. And and and here's the thing, that's the reward of answering that question, is that there is more in him. There's more in him.
38:43 And you see Uriah doing that. There's nothing wrong with being with his wife. There's nothing wrong. The king even gave you permission, and yet he's so focused on the assignment that he's been called to. He's so caught up in fulfilling the call that he's been called to that he goes, yeah.
38:57 It's fine. But at at this time, I'm not gonna engage in that. What a soldier. What a soldier. So much of our devotion is determined by whether it's comfortable, whether it's nice, whether go beyond that and watch what God can do through your life.
39:13 Uriah here is really, really putting David to shame. And what is David gonna do once he hears this? I believe in this moment, you know what's happening? Providence is happening. I believe that this is a very providential moment for David because you know what happens?
39:27 The initial plan didn't work. It didn't come to fruition. He wanted to bring Uriah into that house. Uriah wouldn't. And on top of that, look at Uriah's words.
39:37 He's so clear in his explanation to to why he won't go in. The second part of verse 11. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? You would think you would think that after saying to lie with my well, he didn't have to say that, but he does. Unknowingly.
40:00 Now you have some people that believe you ready for this? That Uriah was suspicious. I'm not in that camp, but you have some people who believe that Uriah actually is figuring things out. He's look you know when somebody's acting very weird and you're putting the pieces together? I'm away.
40:14 Why does he want me to go home so badly? Some believe that Uriah is sniffing something. Now if you believe that, that's fine. I don't hold to that. I just believe that this man is just brimming with conviction and is just shooting out of him like arrows.
40:28 And here's David. He hears it. Right? To lie with my wife. And you would think that the alarm would go off.
40:34 You would think in light of the failure of his attempt and the reminder the reminder that here is a man you ready for this? Here is a man who would not engage in his rights as a husband, as someone who entertained something that was not my right. You would think that would stop him in his tracks. You would think that he would put the charade down and come clean. This is God's providence.
41:02 This is God, I believe, getting David to stop and confess before he sends a prophet to say you are the man. And I believe when we are in sin, when any man of God, woman of God is in sin, God will do so much before he exposes them. He he'll he'll send warnings in different ways. And, you know, some of these big name guys that if they're that they they fall and it becomes a scandal, you think that just God does that right away? I believe there's so many warnings beforehand, and then he exposes them.
41:32 And here's this man. He he has an opportunity, but the the example of his stubbornness is really a commentary on our own. Because how many of us rarely are able to detect when God is inviting us or warning us when we are in sin? How many of us are able to detect that God is able to communicate more than just a supernatural revelation being given to somebody to say, you're in sin. Get out.
42:02 You don't you have to see beyond that. He gives gentle nudges. He pulls on you in different ways, and here it is. And here's the scary part. Some fail to detect it.
42:13 Others who are able to see, you know, this is something for me. God is trying to get my attention, and they brush it off. They brush it off as just coincidental. They ignore it, and they dig their heels in the ground, and they make a greater bolt towards their rebellion. It's scary.
42:33 Scary. God will give you a sermon before he exposes. God will have somebody call you. God will have somebody text you saying, brother, I don't know what's going on in your life, but I'm I'm just praying for you. I listen.
42:45 This is not just I'm pulling this out of there. I've seen it. I've seen it. It's scary. God is real.
42:52 God is very, very real. And if there is there is a list of evidences of the realness of God in my own life as I observed throughout ministry, it's how God is able to get someone's attention while they're in sin. It's incredible. It's incredible. That's how much love he has for his children.
43:13 David doesn't take heed. He doesn't listen to the shepherd who's trying to rescue him and pull him out of this pit. So what does he do? Verse 12. Then David said to Uriah, remain here today also and tomorrow, and I'll send you back.
43:31 It's sad for me to say this, but what David is doing here is just an example of what the tempter does to us. What's happening here? Stay in the premises. He just finished saying, I wanna be there. I wanna be at the war where I'm supposed to be.
43:51 And you know what David says? Just stay a little bit longer. Stay a little bit longer. And here's the strategy. Perhaps if you stay long enough, you'll change your mind.
44:03 Perhaps if you stay in close proximity to your house, which isn't far from the palace, how do we know that? Because you're right. Because David was on the roof, and he saw Bathsheba bathing. So, I mean, he doesn't have binocular vision. Must be very close.
44:19 Uriah obviously knows that, just a few steps away from that palace. So David tells Uriah, just stay a little bit longer, and here's the plan. Maybe you'll crack, and maybe you'll give in, and maybe you'll change your mind, and maybe you can cover the tracks. So just stay. You know, the the tempter of our souls does not give up easily to entice us.
44:50 He has many tricks in his bag. He'll try one thing, and when it doesn't work, he'll try another. He'll he'll come at one angle, and when that doesn't succeed, he'll come at another angle, and then he'll revisit that initial angle that didn't work. He's very, very tricky. We see it with the master in the wilderness.
45:06 First thing that Satan does is point to some rocks and bring attention to Jesus' hunger. That didn't work. So he takes a verse out of context, and he and he tries to tempt it to do something silly and try to get to tempt God. And that doesn't work, so he then he shows him the world and he tries to get him to worship him. And then when that didn't work, it says that he left for another opportune time until another opportune time.
45:30 Here, David, in a very human way, is exemplifying how Satan operates in our own lives. The thing that you said no to a few weeks ago, he'll reintroduce into your life today. Even years ago even years ago, that thing hasn't been in your life for years. You haven't watched it in years. You haven't tasted it in so long.
45:52 And then all for a sudden, here he comes, especially when you're at your weakest. Do you remember this? Remember what this felt like? Remember how this made you escape your troubles and your pain? Here it is.
46:07 And even the fact that David was was willing to have Uriah wait shows even the relentless patience of the enemy. The relentless patience. He he has no problem waiting. You know what's so amazing about the world? The world has no problem being persistent in inviting you to sin.
46:28 Some of you have friends like that. They once it comes to Friday afternoon, you can almost prophesy, here comes a text message. What are you doing tonight? And they're just evangelists for worldliness. So don't be ashamed if you're consistent with people to bring them to church.
46:44 The world has no problem inviting you into their scum. So here's David saying, why don't you just wait a little longer and Uriah doesn't budge? Again, Uriah doesn't budge. And and so two attempts and they failed. When are you gonna get it?
47:04 He's not. His heart has become so hardened because remember that verse. Right? That if you don't feel the Lord always, you you make yourself available to a hardening of the heart. And David here is just hardening it more and more, and so he comes to another strategy.
47:20 He takes it up a notch. He has some kind of a feast, and you read it. He sees Uriah as like this great oak tree deeply planted in the convictions of God. He can't move it, so he says, let's get him intoxicated. Let's weaken his ability to reason and to make clear judgments.
47:43 And so he brings this man and somehow just keeps feeding him, keeps feeding him, keeps feeding him. And this man, maybe trying to be polite, just indulges, indulges, indulges, and to the point where he loses sobriety. He loses sobriety. And, unfortunately, David continues to illustrate how Satan works in in people's lives to get him into deeper sin, the enemy knows the absolute value and strength that comes from being sober minded, being sober minded. You know why the Bible absolutely discourages and commands against any substance or behavior that would that would tamper with clear headedness?
48:30 Because god champions self control. He champions self control, and he wants you and I to be at control at all times over our behavior, our actions, our reactions, everything, because we are his ambassadors. We represent him. And there's an interesting verse in Hosea four eleven. I've quoted this many times to explain some particular behaviors in the old testament.
48:55 And here I come again to Hosea four eleven. Here's what the prophet says. You guys doing alright? That's not what the prophet said. That's what I'm asking.
49:05 Hosea four eleven. You ready for this? Whoredom, wine, and new wine, which does what? Taketh away understanding. Whoredom wine, new wine.
49:18 Here's what Hosea is saying. Alcohol, among other things, robs you. One of the things it robs you of is judgment, your ability to make precise and clear actions. And that is a that is an indictment. That is a woe for us to be controlled by anything apart from the Holy Spirit of God.
49:43 He's the alternative. That's why Paul makes that command in Ephesians five. Right? But you know what I find so interesting? The spirit of God partners wine with what?
49:56 Whoredom. Whoredom, promiscuity, sensuality. Isn't that interesting? I mean, out of all the things that you could put together, you include whoredom with wine, and there's a reason for that. The reason for that is because lust itself has an intoxicating factor that also, like wine, is able to cloud our judgment and make us make stupid decisions.
50:25 Lust. And you know what's so amazing? Here's a man who's trying to intoxicate his friend to make him do something, whereas he was intoxicated by lust just a few verses earlier and did what he was not supposed to do. And so we talk about, yeah, be sober with, alcohol. Be don't don't do that.
50:47 Don't smoke that. Don't take those pills. Fine. That's wonderful. But how often do we talk about being drunk with lust?
50:56 And what's what's one of the dangers of unbridled passions, one of the dangers is that you don't think clearly. You don't think clearly. And so the proverb there in Proverbs six thirty two makes sense. In Proverbs six thirty two, we are told, he who commits adultery lacks sense. Lacks sense.
51:21 In other words, they do not calculate or consider the effects of this decision. They don't consider the damage that can be done, and that's really what follows Proverbs six thirty two, the consequences of such actions. And so, you and I have to be able to learn not to be mastered by these impulses that come and visit us no matter how strong they are. You know what the world's parrots? Well, it's an instinct.
51:55 It's human nature. When you feel it, you should do it to relieve yourself, and they equate that passion, that desire on the same level as food and drink. You can survive without sex. You can't survive without food long term or water. And so we have to understand here that there is a clear call to be warned about how when we allow our imaginations to run rampant, you can actually come to such a place.
52:26 You can cross a line just like having one extra glass that takes you over where you now begin lose your reasoning, and you begin to make plans and schemes and decisions and rendezvous that are absolutely dangerous just like a car wreck. It's like a DUI. Be careful. Be careful and allow the Holy Spirit to bring control in your life. And here's a man who tries to get another man to come under a very similar influence that he was under.
52:55 Guess what? It doesn't work. I to see David's face as Uriah stumbles, and he's like, there it is. There it is. Yeah.
53:06 Yeah. Go go go go there go there and just makes a u-turn and goes right back to where he slept a couple nights before. What does it say about a man that even when you're intoxicated, not that saying try it, God forbid, That your convictions are so solid, so like an just like an iron anchor that even when substances are pumped into your subconscious tells you to stay committed. Fascinating to me. And so this man doesn't move.
53:38 Strike three, David. What are you gonna do? Providence is knocking on your door. Your cleverness is not working. Do you think David slept that night?
53:53 That's what I wondered when I was thinking about this passage. Do you think he do you think he just went to bed and just closed his eyes? I don't think he slept a wink. I think he tossed and turned. I think he tossed and turned because you read something here in verse 14.
54:12 In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. Whether he slept or not, we're not told, but what we do know is that he woke up early in the morning, wrote a letter, meaning some kind of plan was conjured up as he was laying in that bed in those midnight hours. And he did not hesitate to make his move. Time was against him. And so he writes a letter, and in that letter was Uriah's death warrant.
54:51 Do you think David thought about murder when he was scaling and walking on that rooftop earlier in this chapter? Do you think murder came to mind? Think you know what? I'm gonna sleep with Bathsheba, and if it goes wrong, I'm gonna kill her husband. No.
55:13 Piece by piece, That's how it works. One morsel, another morsel, and another morsel. And that's exactly what is happening here, and it happened so fast. There was so much included in his his thinking that he didn't even consider where he was going. And you read here in verse 15 what the letter said.
55:41 In the letter he wrote, set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and draw back from him that he may be struck down and die. I looked at this and said, is this the same guy who when a man was hunting him down like an animal, felt a prick in his heart when he cut a piece of his robe. Is this the same guy? Now he that same guy is taking one of his most faithful men and is signing a death sentence, puts it in his hand. You ready for this?
56:27 And so trust in the integrity of Uriah that he would not open that letter between then and his destination, only for him to be killed. Such is the potential of sin when it is not dealt with early on. It has the ability to warp that which was created in the image of God and to make it into a hideous beast that is worthy of great scorn. Sin can flip your world upside down. Can.
57:11 Jesus can for the good, but sin for the worst. And David sunk at the such depths that he even took advantage of Uriah's sensitive conscience and commitment. Again, if I had the budget I think if I had the budget and I could direct it, the scene would be for a long time, Uriah there walking back to the ranks with a smile on his face holding his very death warrant. And David scaling back to that scene of David just his feet on some desk, unmoved, twiddling his thumbs, hoping that Joab would say yes to that. Unbelievable.
57:59 But it's real. And here's what rushed through my mind when I thought about Uriah walking back to his post. Integrity, integrity, it might get you killed. But it's better to die with integrity than to live without it. Integrity, it might get you killed.
58:23 It might get you fired. You might lose that promotion. You might not, be invited to the biggest and best conferences because you have conviction to the word of God. You might not be liked or loved by people. You might not be invited to the events.
58:40 Integrity might kill you, but it's better to die with it than to live without it. I pray that we would be men like Uriah. And here's the thing, God can do such a work in you no matter your background, like Uriah, a Hittite of all people, to be a man of God, a woman of God. Ah, I guess we're gonna have to wait till next week to see what happens next. You see, there's so much content left, but we have enough meat to chew on tonight and to digest by the grace of God.
59:17 Shall we pray before we conclude tonight? And as the worship team positions themselves, I don't wanna pray while they're walking up there, but just in your own hearts, whatever it was that touched your heart. Maybe maybe maybe maybe maybe tonight was even a providential push from the Lord to get your attention. In love, I say this. Maybe you are concealing sin or you're trying to continue in sin, and and the Lord is trying to get your attention before you head towards decisions and situations that are unfathomable.
1:00:09 Just hear the voice of the Lord through this bible study, and and trust the wisdom of God to end it now, to come before him and people that you trust that you know won't judge you to say, here I am. I'm broken. Here I am. I've I've been foolish. Can you help me?
1:00:26 And trust that the Lord will help you. Trust that God's people will help you. And if you are in this place and you examine your heart, you're saying, by the grace of God, I can rejoice in the season that I'm in. Oh, praise God for that and ask God to keep you and to not let you be puffed up with pride and to be low and dependent, even more dependent than if you were failing or if you felt yourself slipping. Lord, we come before you tonight at this time rejoicing in the richness of your word.
1:00:54 We thank you that it is surely alive, and it makes us come alive. And we do ask, oh, god, that you would help us in whatever season that we may be in. For those who are feeling the pull because they're on a rooftop somewhere, and they're not supposed to be where they are. And they sense the strength of an invitation to go somewhere where they never thought they would go. Lord, let your voice be louder than my voice on this microphone.
1:01:19 And for those who are strong and steady, we pray that you would only reinforce that strength and that we would be all the more serious about making sure that we do not fall. Lord, help us also believe. Help us also believe that you've given us everything we need according to Peter's words to never fall. You can keep us from scandal and betrayal and pain. Lord, you have given us what we need to be in victory, and we praise you for that.
1:01:47 And, Lord, we just praise you through song now as we rejoice over your word, giving you glory and thanks that you are the God who cares for us. And you give us stories like this to help us avoid crisis. We bless your name now on this Friday evening. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
1:02:06 Shall we stand? Let's stand together. Worship God.
