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It is my prayer for you that you prosper, be in health, even as your soul prospers. Today, I want to share with you a sermon from 2 Samuel Chapter 11: 1-27, and it reads:
1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. 2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. 3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, The wife of Uriah the Hittite? 4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child. 6 And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered. 8 And David said to Uriah, Go Down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king’s house and there followed him a mess of meat from the king. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. 10 And when they had told David saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? Why then didst thou not go down unto thine house? 11 And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my Lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing. 12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow. 13 And when David had called him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house. 14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 And he wrote in the letter, saying Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. 16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were. 17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. 18 Then Joab: sent and told David all the things concerning the war; 19 And charged the messenger, saying when thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king, 20 And if so be that the king’s wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? Knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast a piece of millstone upon him from the wall? that he died in Thebez? Why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. 22 So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for. 23 And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate. 24 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king’s servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. 25 Then David Said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth on as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him. 26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. 27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. 2 Samuel 12: 1-14 1 And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: 3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. 4 And there came a traveler unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. 5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: 6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. 7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, of the children of Ammon. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. Within the scriptures, we see that David and Bathsheba have committed horrible sins. Both persons were known across the nation of Israel as righteous and holy people. David was the king, and Bath-sheba was the wife of one of the captains of war named Uriah. Also, this story is not one of David’s most heroic stories, but it showed his humility. David repented of his sins when the prophet opened David's eyes to the seen that he committed. However, David committed a sin, and he was led away by his own lust. The scripture explains how David was walking on the roof during the evening time, and he saw Bath-sheba washing herself. After that, the bible explains how he enquired of Bath-sheba, and someone told David that Bath-sheba was the wife of Uriah. Then he sent his messengers after her, and the scripture said that they took her. Oh how wrong David was! He looked upon a married woman, and he lusted. After inquiring who she was, He found out that she was married. David still pursued her. The bible said that she was taken by the messengers of David. She came in unto him, and he lay with her. After David lay with her, she became pregnant. Bath-sheba sent a message to King David saying, “I am with child.” Many people read the story, and they are immediately disgusted by Bath-sheba as if she’s the most terrible person in the world. But if you look throughout this story, you will notice that Bath-sheba was a vulnerable prey that got caught up in sin. After David began to lust after her while standing upon the rooftop, Bath-sheba was a target. Many people ask, “Well, why was Bathsheba bathing in the public?” She seems kind of promiscuous. I wondered the same thing, “why was she washing herself in public?” According to Hebrew customs, it is normal for the women to bathe during the evening time. Also, the bible never said that Bath-sheba was bathing in the public. The Bible only said, “from the roof he saw her washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.” Now we know that it was David that was led away by his own lust, and the bible said that he lay with her. Here is evidence that they both committed adultery. As soon as David found out that Bath-sheba was pregnant, he immediately started snatching for resources in order to cover up his sins. It seems as if David was panicking, because he knew that he committed a sin that would bring shame to the name of the Lord. He wanted to find a solution to his sin, because he knew that his actions would be frowned upon by the people of God. The first thing David tried to do was to send Uriah home. David wanted Uriah to go home, and sleep with his wife so that Uriah would believe that the coming child was his. However, Uriah did not go home, because he thought it cowardly to go to the comfort of his own home while the nation of Israel was at war. Uriah was a faithful man, and he wanted to stand his post during the war. Uriah’s name alone means the light of God. Uriah was trying to live right. So, David’s next move was to get Uriah drunk after he fed him hoping that Uriah would go home and lie with his wife, but Uriah went back where the other servants rested. He went back to his barracks, because he wanted to be faithful to Israel. Uriah was trying to do the right thing again by remaining faithful, but it was conflicting with David’s evil plan. David didn’t know what to do, but he knew he had to do something to cover up his sins. Lastly, David told Joab saying, “Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. Joab did exactly what David told him to do, and Uriah died. Bath-sheba’s husband died. Many people including myself believed that Bath-sheba was a terrible and cruel person. I thought in times past that Bath-sheba was a harlot that set her husband up to be killed. I had a great sense of hate and condemnation toward Bath-sheba and any woman or man that committed sins similar to the sins of David and Bath-sheba. However, my former pastor the Late Pastor Darrell Dixon Sr. taught us about Bath-sheba on a deeper level, and the Lord revealed to me the vulnerability of Bath-sheba. He revealed to me the helplessness of Bathsheba during her most vulnerable states. The bible says in 2 Samuel Chapter 11:26, “ And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.” She did not want her husband to die, and that’s why she mourned for his death. She desired to live right, but she fell into the temptation of sin. Bath-sheba’s name is a name of honor. The name Bath-sheba means the daughter of oath. She believed in the oath and the vows that she and Uriah made. She also believed in following the commandments of God. She did not want Uriah to die. She loved him, and she wanted to be righteous. But she was in a terrible situation. Paul said, “when I would do good, evil is always present with me. Evil was present with Bathsheba, and she submitted to the strong and powerful temptation of David’s lust. She and David committed a sin, and they both had to pay the price for their sins. They had to pay costly prices for their sins, but only by the hands of God. Bath-sheba had to suffer two losses. Her husband Uriah was killed, but God punished David by killing the newborn son that Bath-sheba had just given birth to. The son that was born of Bath-sheba died. Bath-sheba suffered another hard blow, because of sin that she and David committed. “Vengeance is mine, said the Lord.” Sin cannot go unpunished. David and Bath-sheba had to be punished. However, the punishment of God is enough, Christians often fail to realize that their negative judgments can cause a person to feel lower than the state that they have already reduced themselves to. Many people talk about Bath-sheba and others that are involved in similar situations with a tone of disgust and judgement. Today, the very sound of Bathsheba’s name results in the conversation of adultery, infidelity, and sin. She was Uriah’s wife, and she did sin against God and her husband. However, If she were to hear the terrible things that people have said about her, how do you think it would make her feel? She would probably feel too far from redemption, if she continuously heard people calling her the adulterous wife of Uriah. Wasn't the punishment of God enough? Wasn't the pain she felt for her lost child and Uriah enough? She would feel terrible, because her husband died. He died not knowing that he was being mistreated by her. She committed adultery against God and her husband. After that, her husband died in a war not knowing what she had done to him. Imagine the guilt and sadness that was in her heart. Just imagine. She would feel so much pain, because it would remind her of her sinful past. David took Bath-sheba as his wife after she was finished mourning the death of Uriah. Also, Bath-sheba became one of the most trusted advisors to King David, and she was also King Solomon’s most trusted advisors. However, she is not known for the good that she has done, because people have chosen to only remember the sins that she committed before marrying David. Imagine the feeling you would feel if people were constantly reminding you of the sins you committed in the past. For you were just as dirty and filthy in your past, because every sin is unrighteous. Even the righteousness of ourselves is considered to be as “filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6 6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away We must be devoted to teaching sinners to live a saved and holy life. If we commit unholy acts of judgment towards them, then we are committing sin ourselves. Condemnation of others is an action that should not be committed by followers of Christ. To be a Christian means to be a follower of Christ and His witness. Jesus Christ preached that He had drawn us with love and kindness. We must practice the same acts of kindness toward sinners in order to bring them into the fold of Christ. We should understand that every sinner is blemished and dirty spiritually. Also, we were once stained with the crimson color of sin. If we draw sinners with kindness and love, then Jesus will wash their sins just as he has washed the believers. The Apostle Paul expresses similar sentiments as shown in 1Corinthians 6:9-11. The scripture says: 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed , but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. JESUS SAVED US! HE TOOK THE PUNISHMENT FOR US!!!!! Isaiah 53:5 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 1 Peter 2:24 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we are healed. We as the body of Christ are guilty of condemning people when the bible clearly tells us to judge not lest we be judged. When you condemn people, you possibly add to the damage that has already been done in their lives. Sinners have already been punished and condemned enough. They come to the church for love, forgiveness, and guidance. So, it is wise for us to remove the javlin from our own hands, and give it to God. For, He is the rightful judge that knows the hearts of all men. I caution you to not judge the sinner man. You should comfort them recognizing that they are vulnerable sinners. For, Jesus recognized the vulnerability in you. Choose to love and comfort. For love covers a multitude of sins. James 2: 12-13 12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. This writing is not meant to excuse sin, because sin is understood to be an act of disobedience to God and his words. For, sin is transgression of the law. However, It is a commandment to the believers to be witnesses for Christ in Judaea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. It is equally important to guide the sinner towards repentance as it is to recognize the sin that was committed. We should love, guide, and rebuke with levels of love that can only draw the sinner man closer to Jesus Christ our Savior.
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