2 Samuel 11

Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin

2 Samuel 11

Wiersbe has an interesting introduction to this heavy chapter - The Bible honestly records the sins of God’s people, but never in such a way that sin is made acceptable. Unlike many so-called “true-to-life” books today, the Bible states the facts and draws out the lessons, but allows nothing for the imagination to dwell on. There are some things “it is a shame to speak of” (Eph. 5:12+), and the events in this chapter must be studied with a Spirit-directed mind and heart, “considering ourselves, lest we also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1+). (Borrow Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament) Then it happened in the spring (cf Joseph - Ge 39:11-13 "now it happened") - Literally = "at the return of the year." Young's Literal has "at the revolution of the year." There would soon be a "revolution" in David's heart! The spring was the usual the time for military activities because the rainy season had just passed (1Ki 20;22,26; 1 Chr. 20:1). And remember since God is sovereign and in control of everything, including the events in time, nothing "just happens" by accident. This was a providential happening, one that would change the trajectory of David's life (see diagram above). Prior to this "happening" David's life and been marked primarily by TRIUMPH, but hereafter it would be marked often by TROUBLE. Utley on then it happened in the spring - The Jewish Study Bible, p. 636, offers the suggestion that the phrase means "a year after the war of chapter 10 took place." At the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah - David's armies marched 40+ miles to the NE of Jerusalem, across the Jordan River, laid siege to Rabbah the capital city of the Ammonites. It was located at the same site as modern Amman in Jordan. Recall that in 2Sa 10:14+ "When the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans fled, they also fled before Abishai and entered the city." The Ammonites had fled to the walled city of Rabbah but Joab laid siege to the city. TECHNICAL NOTE on "kings" -

2 Samuel 11

Wiersbe - Chronologists calculate that David was about fifty years old at this time. (ED: AND HAD BEEN THE KING FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS - IS THIS A "MIDDLE AGED" CRISIS?). It’s true that David had been advised by his leaders not to engage actively in warfare (2 Sam. 21:15–17), but he could have been with his troops to help develop the strategy and give moral leadership. Whatever the cause, good or bad, that kept David in Jerusalem, this much is true: “Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do.”2 Idleness isn’t just the absence of activity, for all of us need regular rest; idleness is also activity to no purpose. When David was finished with his afternoon nap, he should have immediately moved into some kingdom duty that would have occupied his mind and body, or, if he wanted to take a walk, he should have invited someone to walk with him. “If you are idle, be not solitary,” wrote Samuel Johnson; “if you are solitary, be not idle.” When David laid aside his armor, he took the first step toward moral defeat, and the same principle applies to believers today (Eph. 6:10-18+). Without the helmet of salvation (Eph 6:17+), we don’t think like saved people; and without the breastplate of righteousness (Eph 6:14+), we have nothing to protect the heart. Lacking the girdle of truth (Eph 6:14+), we easily believe lies (“We can get away with this!”), and without the sword of the Word (Eph 6:17+) and the shield of faith (Eph 6:16+), we are helpless before the Enemy (ED: ALL THREE ENEMIES! the world, the flesh and the devil). Without prayer we have no power (Eph 6:18+). As for the shoes of peace, David walked in the midst of battles for the rest of his life. He was safer on the battlefield than on the battlement of his house! (Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament ) Gene Getz points out, “Though David was certainly subject to the same routine mistakes all human beings make, for 20 years (AS KING OF UNITED ISRAEL) he had lived a Godly life, relatively free from serious mistakes such as he had made in the past. As king of Israel he had brought security and safety to his people. At no time in history had Israel demonstrated so well, to the outside world, their commitment to God and to each other. This dynamic, in Israel, was definitely a reflection of David’s leadership. It was following this significant period of success in his brilliant career as king of Israel, demonstrating wisdom, justice, and righteousness, that David committed the most unwise, unjust and unrighteous act of his life.” (Borrow David: God's Man in Faith and Failure) Walton - Military campaigns, while seldom officially declared, came predictably in the ancient Near East with the end of the winter rains. A period of several months was then available during the spring season, prior to the harvest, when every able-bodied man was needed to work in the fields. Many of the Assyrian and Babylonian royal annals include the notation that a military campaign began in either the first month (Nisannu) or the second month (Aiaru) of the year (the period from March-May). (IVP Background Commentary) Warren Wiersbe - You start on the path to sin when you neglect duty. David was in more danger in Jerusalem than with his army on the battlefield. He laid aside his armor (Eph. 6:10ff.+), allowed his eyes to wander, and lust took over (James 1:14–15+).(Borrow With the Word) John Davis adds, “The greatest victories are sometimes annulled by foolish mistakes. David’s unparalleled success had made it possible for him to enjoy all the comforts of royal life. No longer did he need to be in the field of combat since capable leadership was provided by Joab, and there were no more immediate serious threats to the kingdom. It was in these circumstances that David’s greatest failure occurred. It was tragic in this manner. However, it is well known that Satan is most effective in his approaches when the believer is comfortable and successful.” Warren Wiersbe - It is easy to see how David got into this sin: (1) he was self-confident, after enjoying victories and prosperity; (2) he was disobedient, staying home when he should have been on the battlefield; (3) he was idle, lying in bed in the evening; (4) he was self-indulgent, giving freedom to his desires when he should have been disciplining himself; and (5) he was careless, allowing his eyes to wander and yielding to the “lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16). The Christian soldier must never lay aside the armor (Eph. 6:10ff). (Borrow Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament) EXCERPT FROM SCREWTAPE LETTERS In his classic book The Screwtape Letters (read), C S Lewis has a section that speaks to David's achilles heel (and to all of us, both men and women)...Screwtape writes the following to his disciple demons... The long, dull monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity (ED: DAVID'S DOWNFALL!) or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather. You see, it is so hard for these creatures to persevere. The routine of adversity, the gradual decay of youthful loves and youthful hopes, the quiet despair (hardly felt as pain) of ever overcoming the chronic temptations with which we have again and again defeated them, the drabness which we create in their lives and the inarticulate resentment with which we teach them to respond to it — all this provides admirable opportunities of wearing out a soul by attrition. If, on the other hand, the middle years prove prosperous, our position is even stronger. Prosperity knits a man to the World. He feels that he is “finding his place in it”, while really it is finding its place in him. His increasing reputation, his widening circle of acquaintances, his sense of importance, the growing pressure of absorbing and agreeable work, build up in him a sense of being really at home in earth which is just what we want. You will notice that the young are generally less unwilling to die than the middle-aged and the old. The truth is that the Enemy, having oddly destined these mere animals to life in His own eternal world, has guarded them pretty effectively from the danger of feeling at home anywhere else. That is why we must often wish long life to our patients; seventy years is not a day too much for the difficult task of unravelling their souls from Heaven and building up a firm attachment to the earth. While they are young we find them always shooting off at a tangent. Even if we contrive to keep them ignorant of explicit religion, the incalculable winds of fantasy and music and poetry — the mere face of a girl, the song of a bird, or the sight of a horizon — are always blowing our whole structure away. They will not apply themselves steadily to worldly advancement, prudent connections, and the policy of safety first. So inveterate is their appetite for Heaven that our best method, at this stage, of attaching them to earth is to make them believe that earth can be turned into Heaven at some future date by politics or eugenics or “science” or psychology, or what not. Real worldliness is a work of time — assisted, of course, by pride, for we teach them to describe the creeping death as good sense or Maturity or Experience. Experience, in the peculiar sense we teach them to give it, is, by the bye, a most useful word. A great human philosopher nearly let our secret out when he said that where Virtue is concerned “Experience is the mother of illusion”; but thanks to a change in Fashion, and also, of course, to the Historical Point of View, we have largely rendered his book innocuous. How valuable time is to us may be gauged by the fact that the Enemy allows us so little of it. The majority of the human race dies in infancy; of the survivors, a good many die in youth. It is obvious that to Him human birth is important chiefly as the qualification for human death, and death solely as the gate to that other kind of life. We are allowed to work only on a selected minority of the race, for what humans call a ‘normal life’ is the exception. Apparently He wants some — but only a very few — of the human animals with which He is peopling Heaven to have had the experience of resisting us through an earthly life of sixty or seventy years. Well, there is our opportunity. The smaller it is, the better we must use it. Whatever you do, keep your patient as safe as you possibly can, Your affectionate uncle Screwtape Alan Carr's pithy introduction to 2 Samuel 11 - When you think of the life of David, one of two events probably come to your mind. You either remember the time young David slew Goliath; or you remember when David committed adultery with Bathsheba. Both events were monumental moments in the life of David. In the first, David revealed the fact of his humility. In the second, David revealed the fact of his humanity. In the first, David proved that he was a man of faith. In the second, David proved that he was a man of flesh. When David met a giant named Goliath, we are privileged to witness his greatest victory. When David met Bathsheba, we are forced to watch his greatest defeat. Up until this moment, David had never lost a battle. Every time he stepped onto a field of combat, David won the battle and walked off the field a victor. However, when David entered the arena of combat within his own heart, he was soundly defeated by a giant far more powerful than Goliath could have ever hoped to have been. (The Giant that Slew David) Dave Roper has a devotional that relates to David's "comfortable" situation in these opening verses...Pressing On If I do not experience something far worse than I yet have done, I shall say the trouble is all in getting started. —Mrs. George (Tamsen E.) Donner, member of the ill-fated Donner party,197in a letter dated June 16, 1846 Every age has its perils, but the greatest peril may be in thinking that the trouble “is all in getting started.” Sometimes the greatest hazards lie ahead. Noah, Moses, Gideon, Samuel, David, Solomon, Uzziah, and a host of biblical people fell into failure near the end of their days. As the apostle Paul reminds us, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1Co 10:12+) “The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather for the devil,” C. S. Lewis wrote. (The Screwtape Letters) And the devil’s finest stratagem is sloth, “that great, sprawling, slug-a-bed sin,” as Dorothy Sayers termed it. Sloth is a spiritual indifference or apathy that has many causes, but may grow out of the belief that we’ve arrived and have no more ground to gain. Or, that we have little left to give. “Apathy causes one to fall into a deep sleep,” the Wise Man said, and then added, “that soul will go hungry.”200 Ah, there it is: a spiritual torpor that starves our souls. Slow down, we say to ourselves; you’ve given much. Isn’t it time to refrain from further sacrifice? Spare yourself. Why go on reading, studying, pursuing God. Stop this strenuous following after. No! I say. That is not true. We can never stop growing toward God. Holiness is a dynamic thing, a matter of motion. There is no static balance in the spiritual life. We’re either moving toward God or away from Him. St. Gregory put it simply: “When the soul does not direct its efforts to higher things . . . it stoops to concern itself with low desires.”201 When we fail to direct our passions toward heavenly things, we fall into ungodly desires. Bitter animosities demean us; irritability, petulance, impatience, and loss of temper degrade our souls. So we must never let up, for our adversary does not. He is working every moment to plague and blight our final years. We must pursue God and His righteousness with hearty energy to the end of our days. This was Paul’s driving compulsion: “To know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” (Php 3:10+) It must be ours as well. To know Jesus, to experience more of his life-giving power, to patiently bear our portion of His humiliation and suffering, to become like Him in self-sacrificing love—this is the work that must keep us busy to the end of our days. We’ll not “achieve” the righteousness we seek in this life—that awaits heaven—but you and I must “press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of [us].” (Php 3:12+) So, we must pursue the Lord and His righteousness (Mt 6:33+) with all our heart, soul, and mind (Mk 12:29-30+)—with a fierce, unyielding resolve for as many days as He may give us (Ps 90:12). We must spend time in His presence and choose to do His will. Thus He will fill us with His Spirit and deliver us from the perils that lie ahead. But he who would be born again indeed, Must wake his soul unnumbered times a day, And urge himself to life with holy greed. . . Submiss and ready to the making will, Athirst and empty, for God’s breath to fill. —George MacDonald 197 Kenneth L. Holmes, Covered wagon women : diaries & letters from the western trails, 1840-1890 (University of Nebraska Press, 1995). This letter was written when the party was 200 miles from Fort Laramie, on the way to California. 198 1 Corinthians 10:12 199 C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters 200 Proverbs 19:15 (my translation). The Hebrew noun ‘atzlah, usually translated “laziness” suggests apathy and inertia. 201 St. Gregory, Pastoral Care (Paulist Press), 134. 202 Philippians 3:10 203 Philippians 3:12, emphasis added. Paul’s verb, which is translated here “press on,” means “to run after, to chase after, to pursue with intensity”—the same word he used to describe his relentless, uncompromising pursuit of the church: “I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison” (Acts 22:4+, emphasis added). 204 George MacDonald, The Diary of an Old soul May 21. MacDonald is not suggesting that we must work to be saved, but that our salvation may become indeed new life and deliverance from sin (ED: See/memorize Php 2:12+ but be sure and read/memorize Php 2:13NLT+!). Beware of idleness. Satan sows most of his seed in fallow ground. -- Thomas Watson The great God never sealed any warrants for idleness. - Thomas Watson The devil tempts all men; but idle men tempt the devil - F.B.Meyer An idle man is the devil's tennis ball - John Trapp Some temptations come to the industrious, but all temptations attack the idle. - C. H. Spurgeon It is an abomination to let the grass grow up to your knees and do nothing towards making it into hay. God never sent a man into the world to be idle. - C. H. Spurgeon An idle man does none good, and himself most harm. - William Gurnall The man who does things makes many mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all—doing nothing. - Benjamin Franklin Idle Christians are not tempted of the devil so much as they tempt the devil to tempt them. - C. H. Spurgeon Salvation is a helmet, not a nightcap. - Vance Havner Idleness is the devil's workshop. - Vance Havner The field left idle returns to weeds and thorns. - Vance Havner Idleness tempts God instead of trusting him. - Matthew Henry To do nothing is nothing less than to do some harm. - Chrysostom It is better to wear out than to rust out. - Richard Cumberland Lose an hour in the morning and you will be looking for it the rest of the day. - Philip Chesterfield A lazy Christian will always lack four things: comfort, content, confidence and assurance. - Thomas Brooks A lazy spirit is always a losing spirit. - Thomas Brooks An idle life and a holy heart is a contradiction. - Thomas Brooks Idleness is the very source of sin. - Thomas Brooks We must not seek rest or ease in a world where he whom we love had none. - Horatius Bonar “A time to be careful is when one reaches his goals.” In other words, vulnerability accompanies achievement. - Chuck Swindoll “It’s not a wrong for a bird to fly over your head, just don’t let it build a nest in your hair” - Martin Luther F B

2 Samuel 11

Wiersbe - James 1:13–15 perfectly describes David’s case: (1) his desires were activated by the sight, and he failed to curb them; (2) desire conceived the sin in his imagination; (3) his will surrendered and this led to sin; (4) his actions led to death. He did not “watch and pray” as Matt. 26:41 commands; nor did he deal decisively with his “wandering eye” (Matt. 5:29 and 18:9).(Borrow Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament) Swindoll adds "Seeing the woman, he stops. He lingers. A glance becomes a gaze, a gaze stretches into a stare, a stare dissolves into a leer. He loses all awareness of who he is or the danger that lies ahead. As the dense cloud of his aroused passion closes in around him, all he knows is the present. Everything else is forgotten -- his family, his kingdom, even his God." Laziness breeds a love of amusement. -- Richard Baxter Some writers raise the question of whether Bathsheba was setting a snare for David based on the fact that there is no evidence she resisted his men taking her and her sleeping with David. She certainly could have resisted David's advances. We cannot know for sure the full story (until we get to heaven). THOUGHT - Idle time gave David's eyes time to wander. Men need to be especially careful to guard their hearts (Pr 4:23) by guarding their "eye gate" because if a man after God's own heart can fall with just one look, then we can all fall into this powerful snare! The devil tempts all, but the idle man tempts the devil. Our idle days are the devil's busy days. It costs the devil little trouble to catch the lazy man. It seems that David had not read Job's words "I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?" (Job 31:1) And since the king was supposed to write a copy of the Pentateuch and read it he would have read about how Joseph fought off this strong temptation, Moses recording "There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” (Ge 39:6) I personally believe Joseph made up his mind motivated by a fear of offending God, but the Holy Spirit enabled him to follow through and flee from Potiphar's wife snare! Swindoll writes "Raymond Brown , in his work on David’s life (Skillful Hands:Studies in the Life of David), suggests "When we read this terrible story we instinctively think of the offence as David’s sin, but this attractive woman cannot be entirely excused. Bathsheba was careless and foolish, lacking in the usual Hebrew modesty, or she certainly would not have washed in a place where she knew she could be overlooked. From her roof-top she would often have looked out to the royal palace and must have known that she could be seen. It is not enough merely to avoid sin ourselves. The New Testament insists that Christians must ensure that they do not become a stumbling block to others (Rom. 14:12–13). If David had gone to war he would not have seen Bathsheba that night. If she had thought seriously about her action she would not have put temptation in his path. Without desiring to cast blame, let me linger here and underscore a practical point. It is so very important today in our society where ANYTHING goes to remember that if you want to be part of the answer to the common battles with sensuality rather than part of the problem, you work in cooperation with righteousness. That means that you give thought to your actions, your dress, your “looks,” and your conduct. That means when you happen upon some alluring object, you turn away and refuse to linger. Not even David in all his godliness could handle it. It was too big for him. That also means you are modest, careful, and controlled, not leaving even a hint of allurement, lest another be tempted. I believe both David and Bathsheba were at fault on this occasion, but of the two, certainly David was the aggressor. He stopped. He stared. He lusted. He sought her. He lost control of his passion. He lay with her. (Borrow David : A Man of Passion & Destiny) Wiersbe - A man can’t be blamed if a beautiful woman comes into his line of vision, but if the man deliberately lingers for a second look in order to feed his lust, he’s asking for trouble. “You heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery,” said Jesus. “But as for myself, I am saying to you, Everyone who is looking at a woman in order to indulge his sexual passion for her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:27–28) When David paused and took that longer second look, his imagination went to work and started to conceive sin. That would have been a good time to turn away decisively and leave the roof of his palace for a much safer place. When Joseph faced a similar temptation, he fled from the scene (Gen. 39:11–13). “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41 NKJV). “Lead us not into temptation” was the prayer David should have prayed. By lingering and looking, David tempted himself. By sending the messengers, he tempted Bathsheba; and by yielding to the flesh, He tempted the Lord. (Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament )

2 Samuel 11

Wiersbe - While David was sinning, Uriah and his fellow soldiers were risking their lives for him on the battlefield. (Borrow With the Word) THOUGHT - Swindoll makes a good (painful) point that "David's sin illustrates that godliness does not automatically protect us from temptation (ED: OR FALLING INTO TEMPTATION'S SNARE). In fact, temptations may increase the longer we walk with God!...David's sin also shows us that we are never too old to sin. As long as our flesh is alive within us, we have the potential to commit even the worst evil! And when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house Wiersbe - The sin that David’s lust had conceived was now about to be born, a sin that would bring with it sorrow and death. According to Proverbs 6, David was about to be robbed (Pr 6:26), burned (Pr 6:27–28), disgraced and destroyed (Pr 6:30–33), just for a few minutes of forbidden pleasure....David and Bathsheba sinned against God, for it is God who established marriage and wrote the rules that govern it. So serious was adultery in the nation of Israel that both the adulterer and the adulteress were taken out and stoned to death (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22–24; John 8:1–6). God takes seriously the marriage vows brides and grooms make, even if they don’t (Mal. 2:14; Heb. 13:4). (Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament ) Swindoll - It’s been my observation over the years that the devil never tips his hand in temptation. He shows you only the beauty, the ecstasy, the fun, the excitement, and the stimulating adventure of stolen desires. But he never tells the heavy drinker, “Tomorrow morning there’ll be a hangover. Ultimately, you’ll ruin your family.” He never tells the drug user early on, “This is the beginning of a long, sorrowful, dead-end road.” He never tells the thief, “You’re going to get caught, friend. You do this, and you’ll wind up behind bars.” He certainly doesn’t warn the adulterer, “You know, pregnancy is a real possibility.” Or, “You could get a life-threatening disease.” Are you kidding? Face it, when the sin is done and all the penalties of that sin come due, the devil is nowhere to be found. He smiles as you fall . . . but he leaves you with no encouragement when the consequences kick in. F B

2 Samuel 11

Wiersbe writes... BEFORE you yield to temptation (1) look back and recall God’s goodness to you (2) look ahead and remember “the wages of sin” (3) look around and think of all the people who may be affected by what you do (4) look up and ask God for the strength to say no (1 Cor. 10:13+, cf 1Ch 16:11+). (Borrow With the Word) Brian Bell has some additional thoughts to protect us from sin... 1. Establish boundaries that keep you out of compromising situations. 2. Don't wait until you’re tempted to weigh the consequences of your actions. Consider the consequences ahead of time 3. Invite someone you trust to hold you to your standards 4. Cultivate healthy pursuits that keep your thoughts on things that are honorable & pure & good. 5. Most importantly, cling to the Lord in daily dependence. 2 Samuel 11:7 When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the war. BGT 2 Samuel 11:7 καὶ παραγίνεται Ουριας καὶ εἰσῆλθεν πρὸς αὐτόν καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν Δαυιδ εἰς εἰρήνην Ιωαβ καὶ εἰς εἰρήνην τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ εἰς εἰρήνην τοῦ πολέμου LXE 2 Samuel 11:7 And Urias arrived and went in to him, and David asked him how Joab was, and how the people were, and how the war went on. KJV 2 Samuel 11:7 And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered. NET 2 Samuel 11:7 When Uriah came to him, David asked about how Joab and the army were doing and how the campaign was going. CSB 2 Samuel 11:7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the troops were doing and how the war was going. ESV 2 Samuel 11:7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. NIV 2 Samuel 11:7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. NLT 2 Samuel 11:7 When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and the army were getting along and how the war was progressing. NRS 2 Samuel 11:7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the people fared, and how the war was going. NJB 2 Samuel 11:7 When Uriah reached him, David asked how Joab was and how the army was and how the war was going. NAB 2 Samuel 11:7 When he came, David questioned him about Joab, the soldiers, and how the war was going, and Uriah answered that all was well. YLT 2 Samuel 11:7 and Uriah cometh unto him, and David asketh of the prosperity of Joab, and of the prosperity of the people, and of the prosperity of the war. GWN 2 Samuel 11:7 When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and the troops were and how the war was going. BBE 2 Samuel 11:7 And when Uriah came to him, David put questions to him about how Joab and the people were, and how the war was going. how Joab did: Heb. of the peace of Joab, Ge 29:6 37:14 1Sa 17:22 DAVID'S "SMALL TALK" TO BREAK THE ICE When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the war - David could have cared less about Joab and the war effort, for all his efforts now were focused on SELF! That's the nature of the flesh beloved (David's, mine and yours!) - it is very "SELF" protective! 2 Samuel 11:8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." And Uriah went out of the king's house, and a present from the king was sent out after him. BGT 2 Samuel 11:8 καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ τῷ Ουρια κατάβηθι εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου καὶ νίψαι τοὺς πόδας σου καὶ ἐξῆλθεν Ουριας ἐξ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἄρσις τοῦ βασιλέως LXE 2 Samuel 11:8 And David said to Urias, Go to thy house, and wash thy feet: and Urias departed from the house of the king, and a portion of meat from the king followed him. KJV 2 Samuel 11:8 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. NET 2 Samuel 11:8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your home and relax." When Uriah left the palace, the king sent a gift to him. CSB 2 Samuel 11:8 Then he said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king followed him. ESV 2 Samuel 11:8 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. NIV 2 Samuel 11:8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. NLT 2 Samuel 11:8 Then he told Uriah, "Go on home and relax. " David even sent a gift to Uriah after he had left the palace. NRS 2 Samuel 11:8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. NJB 2 Samuel 11:8 David then said to Uriah, 'Go down to your house and wash your feet.' Uriah left the palace and was followed by a present from the king's table. NAB 2 Samuel 11:8 David then said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and bathe your feet." Uriah left the palace, and a portion was sent out after him from the king's table. YLT 2 Samuel 11:8 And David saith to Uriah, 'Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet;' and Uriah goeth out of the king's house, and there goeth out after him a gift from the king, GWN 2 Samuel 11:8 "Go home," David said to Uriah, "and wash your feet." Uriah left the royal palace, and the king sent a present to him. BBE 2 Samuel 11:8 And David said to Uriah, Go down to your house and let your feet be washed. And Uriah went away from the king's house, and an offering from the king was sent after him. go down: Ps 44:21 Isa 29:15 Lu 12:2 Heb 4:13 wash: Ge 18:4 19:2 went out Ps 12:2 55:21 DAVID TRIES TO COERCE URIAH TO GO TO BATHSHEBA Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." - Wash your feet is an idiomatic way of saying spend some time at home. And Uriah went out of the king's house, and a present from the king was sent out after him - David even gives him a gift to sweeten the deal. David is hoping Uriah sleeps with his wife and then when she shows her pregnancy, no one would know. There was no DNA testing available to determine the parentage! But God does not need DNA testing! 2 Samuel 11:9 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. BGT 2 Samuel 11:9 καὶ ἐκοιμήθη Ουριας παρὰ τῇ θύρᾳ τοῦ βασιλέως μετὰ τῶν δούλων τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐ κατέβη εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ LXE 2 Samuel 11:9 And Urias slept at the door of the king with the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. KJV 2 Samuel 11:9 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. NET 2 Samuel 11:9 But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house. CSB 2 Samuel 11:9 But Uriah slept at the door of the palace with all his master's servants; he did not go down to his house. ESV 2 Samuel 11:9 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. NIV 2 Samuel 11:9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house. NLT 2 Samuel 11:9 But Uriah didn't go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance with the king's palace guard. NRS 2 Samuel 11:9 But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. NJB 2 Samuel 11:9 Uriah, however, slept at the palace gate with all his master's bodyguard and did not go down to his house. NAB 2 Samuel 11:9 But Uriah slept at the entrance of the royal palace with the other officers of his lord, and did not go down to his own house. YLT 2 Samuel 11:9 and Uriah lieth down at the opening of the king's house, with all the servants of his lord, and hath not gone down unto his house. GWN 2 Samuel 11:9 But Uriah slept at the entrance of the royal palace among his superior's mercenaries. He didn't go home. BBE 2 Samuel 11:9 But Uriah took his rest at the door of the king's house, with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. Job 5:12-14 Pr 21:30 URIAH'S LOYALTY FOILS DAVID'S RUSE A ruse is an action intended to deceive someone; a trick. But - This is another strategic term of contrast in David's life! It usually marks a change of direction in the text or story. In this case David had charged Uriah to spend time at home, but Uriah "changed the desired direction" of David's deceptive plan and failed to cooperate. 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 - Uriah is loyal to David who is sinned against him! 2 Samuel 11:10 Now when they told David, saying, "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?" BGT 2 Samuel 11:10 καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν τῷ Δαυιδ λέγοντες ὅτι οὐ κατέβη Ουριας εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ πρὸς Ουριαν οὐχὶ ἐξ ὁδοῦ σὺ ἔρχῃ τί ὅτι οὐ κατέβης εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου LXE 2 Samuel 11:10 And they brought David word, saying, Urias has not gone down to his house. And David said to Urias, Art thou not come from a journey? why hast thou not gone down to thy house? KJV 2 Samuel 11:10 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? NET 2 Samuel 11:10 So they informed David, "Uriah has not gone down to his house." So David said to Uriah, "Haven't you just arrived from a journey? Why haven't you gone down to your house?" CSB 2 Samuel 11:10 When it was reported to David, "Uriah didn't go home," David questioned Uriah, "Haven't you just come from a journey? Why didn't you go home?" ESV 2 Samuel 11:10 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?" NIV 2 Samuel 11:10 When David was told, "Uriah did not go home," he asked him, "Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?" NLT 2 Samuel 11:10 When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him and asked, "What's the matter? Why didn't you go home last night after being away for so long?" NRS 2 Samuel 11:10 When they told David, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "You have just come from a journey. Why did you not go down to your house?" NJB 2 Samuel 11:10 This was reported to David; 'Uriah', they said 'has not gone down to his house.' So David asked Uriah, 'Haven't you just arrived from the journey? Why didn't you go down to your house?' NAB 2 Samuel 11:10 David was told that Uriah had not gone home. So he said to Uriah, "Have you not come from a journey? Why, then, did you not go down to your house?" YLT 2 Samuel 11:10 And they declare to David, saying, 'Uriah hath not gone down unto his house;' and David saith unto Uriah, 'Hast thou not come from a journey? wherefore hast thou not gone down unto thy house?' GWN 2 Samuel 11:10 When they told David, "Uriah didn't go home," David asked Uriah, "Didn't you just come from a journey? Why didn't you go home?" BBE 2 Samuel 11:10 And when word was given to David that Uriah had not gone down to his house, David said to Uriah, Have you not come from a journey? why did you not go down to your house? DAVID DISCOVERS COVER-UP IS UNSUCCESSFUL Now when they told David, saying, "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?" - David is surely a bit puzzled at why a war weary soldier would not seek some rest time with his beautiful wife. As stated above, David has underestimated the character of Uriah. 2 Samuel 11:11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, 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? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing." BGT 2 Samuel 11:11 καὶ εἶπεν Ουριας πρὸς Δαυιδ ἡ κιβωτὸς καὶ Ισραηλ καὶ Ιουδας κατοικοῦσιν ἐν σκηναῖς καὶ ὁ κύριός μου Ιωαβ καὶ οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ κυρίου μου ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἀγροῦ παρεμβάλλουσιν καὶ ἐγὼ εἰσελεύσομαι εἰς τὸν οἶκόν μου φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν καὶ κοιμηθῆναι μετὰ τῆς γυναικός μου πῶς ζῇ ἡ ψυχή σου εἰ ποιήσω τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο LXE 2 Samuel 11:11 And Urias said to David, The ark, and Israel, and Juda dwell in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; and shall I go into my house to eat and drink, and lie with my wife? how should I do this? as thy soul lives, I will not do this thing. KJV 2 Samuel 11:11 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. NET 2 Samuel 11:11 Uriah replied to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah reside in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and my lord's soldiers are camping in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and have marital relations with my wife? As surely as you are alive, I will not do this thing!" CSB 2 Samuel 11:11 Uriah answered David, "The ark, Israel, and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his soldiers are camping in the open field. How can I enter my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live and by your life, I will not do this!" ESV 2 Samuel 11:11 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." NIV 2 Samuel 11:11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!" NLT 2 Samuel 11:11 Uriah replied, "The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master's men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing." NRS 2 Samuel 11:11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah remain 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 such a thing." NJB 2 Samuel 11:11 To which Uriah replied, 'The ark, Israel and Judah are lodged in huts; my master Joab and my lord's guards are camping in the open. Am I to go to my house, then, and eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As Yahweh lives, and as you yourself live, I shall do no such thing!' NAB 2 Samuel 11:11 Uriah answered David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are lodged in tents, and my lord Joab and your majesty's servants are encamped in the open field. Can I go home to eat and to drink and to sleep with my wife? As the LORD lives and as you live, I will do no such thing." YLT 2 Samuel 11:11 And Uriah saith unto David, 'The ark, and Israel, and Judah, are abiding in booths, and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, on the face of the field are encamping; and I -- I go in unto my house to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife! -- thy life, and the life of thy soul -- if I do this thing.' GWN 2 Samuel 11:11 Uriah answered David, "The ark and the army of Israel and Judah are in temporary shelters, and my commander Joab and Your Majesty's mercenaries are living in the field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? I solemnly swear, as sure as you're living, I won't do this!" BBE 2 Samuel 11:11 And Uriah said to David, Israel and Judah with the ark are living in tents, and my lord Joab and the other servants of my lord are sleeping in the open field; and am I to go to my house and take food and drink, and go to bed with my wife? By the living Lord, and by the life of your soul, I will not do such a thing. The ark: 2Sa 7:2,6 1Sa 4:4 14:18 my lord: 2Sa 20:6 Mt 10:24,25 Joh 13:14 1Co 9:25-27 2Ti 2:3,4,12 Heb 12:1,2 shall I then: Isa 22:12-14 as thou livest: 2Sa 14:19 1Sa 1:26 17:55 20:3 25:26 URIAH'S INTEGRITY REBUKES DAVID'S LACK OF! Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. - Note that Uriah's description could imply that the ark went into battle against the Ammonites and was in a temporary shelter. However since it was in a "temporary shelter" in Jerusalem, that may have been Uriah's intent. In any event Uriah is showing David that he commiserates with those on the frontline. One can only imagine the sense of shame that must have come over David at the explanation of Uriah! Or perhaps he was not ashamed, because by this time in the progression of his sin and cover-up his conscience was too insensitive to even feel remorse! Woe! "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!" --Sir Walter Scott (1808) Swindoll comments that "David, the commander in chief, is rebuked by the integrity of a soldier-- a man who is completely committed to the nation, to his king, and to the Lord." (Ibid) Walton - The presence of the ark of the covenant (v. 11) with the army suggests that they were engaged in a form of “holy war” and therefore special restrictions may have been imposed on the military (see the mass circumcision of the men prior to the beginning of the conquest in Josh 5:4-8 and the purity rites required of encamped soldiers in Deut 23:9-11 and 1 Sam 21:5)....Uriah’s insistence on maintaining his ritual purity by sleeping in the guard barracks forced David to take more drastic measures. (IVP Background Commentary) Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing - Uriah now utters what is essentially an oath of allegiance to David. The irony is amazing (and sad)! Related Resources: SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT 2 Samuel 11:12 Then David said to Uriah, "Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. BGT 2 Samuel 11:12 καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ πρὸς Ουριαν κάθισον ἐνταῦθα καί γε σήμερον καὶ αὔριον ἐξαποστελῶ σε καὶ ἐκάθισεν Ουριας ἐν Ιερουσαλημ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ καὶ τῇ ἐπαύριον LXE 2 Samuel 11:12 And David said to Urias, Remain here to-day also, and to-morrow I will let thee go. So Urias remained in Jerusalem that day and the day following. KJV 2 Samuel 11:12 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. NET 2 Samuel 11:12 So David said to Uriah, "Stay here another day. Tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem both that day and the following one. CSB 2 Samuel 11:12 "Stay here today also," David said to Uriah, "and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. ESV 2 Samuel 11:12 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. NIV 2 Samuel 11:12 Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. NLT 2 Samuel 11:12 "Well, stay here today," David told him, "and tomorrow you may return to the army." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. NRS 2 Samuel 11:12 Then David said to Uriah, "Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day. On the next day, NJB 2 Samuel 11:12 David then said to Uriah, 'Stay on here today; tomorrow I shall send you off.' So Uriah stayed that day in Jerusalem. NAB 2 Samuel 11:12 Then David said to Uriah, "Stay here today also, I shall dismiss you tomorrow." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day. On the day following, YLT 2 Samuel 11:12 And David saith unto Uriah, 'Abide in this place also to-day, and to-morrow I send thee away;' and Uriah abideth in Jerusalem, on that day, and on the morrow, GWN 2 Samuel 11:12 David said to Uriah, "Then stay here today, and tomorrow I'll send you back." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. BBE 2 Samuel 11:12 And David said to Uriah, Be here today, and after that I will let you go. So Uriah was in Jerusalem that day and the day after. Jer 2:22,23,37 DAVID DELAYS URIAH'S RETURN TO TRY A SECOND COVERUP Then David said to Uriah, "Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next - David's cover-up is failing and David is becoming desperate and surely beginning to panic! Desperate times call for desperate measures, so now David moves to "Plan B" in the next verse. Solomon's warning words had not yet been written but the principle would still prove true in David's life, Solomon writing "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion." (Pr 28:13+) It would be several months before Nathan would teach David the truth in the second part of the verse! 2 Samuel 11:13 Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord's servants, but he did not go down to his house. BGT 2 Samuel 11:13 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν Δαυιδ καὶ ἔφαγεν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔπιεν καὶ ἐμέθυσεν αὐτόν καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἑσπέρας τοῦ κοιμηθῆναι ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν δούλων τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ οὐ κατέβη LXE 2 Samuel 11:13 And David called him, and he ate before him and drank, and he made him drunk: and he went out in the evening to lie upon his bed with the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. KJV 2 Samuel 11:13 And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before 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. NET 2 Samuel 11:13 Then David summoned him. He ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out to sleep on his bed with the servants of his lord; he did not go down to his own house. CSB 2 Samuel 11:13 Then David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and David got him drunk. He went out in the evening to lie down on his cot with his master's servants, but he did not go home. ESV 2 Samuel 11:13 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. NIV 2 Samuel 11:13 At David's invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home. NLT 2 Samuel 11:13 Then David invited him to dinner and got him drunk. But even then he couldn't get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with the king's palace guard. NRS 2 Samuel 11:13 David invited him to eat and drink in his presence and 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. NJB 2 Samuel 11:13 The next day, David invited him to eat and drink in his presence and made him drunk. In the evening, Uriah went out and bedded down with his master's bodyguard, but did not go down to his house. NAB 2 Samuel 11:13 David summoned him, and he ate and drank with David, who made him drunk. But in the evening he went out to sleep on his bed among his lord's servants, and did not go down to his home. YLT 2 Samuel 11:13 and David calleth for him, and he eateth before him, and drinketh, and he causeth him to drink, and he goeth out in the evening to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, and unto his house he hath not gone down. GWN 2 Samuel 11:13 David summoned him, ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But that evening Uriah went to lie down on his bed among his superior's mercenaries. He didn't go home. BBE 2 Samuel 11:13 And when David sent for him, he took meat and drink with him, and David made him the worse for drink: and when evening came, he went to rest on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. he made him drunk: Ge 19:32-35 Ex 32:21 Hab 2:15 with his lord's servants: 2Sa 11:9 DAVID ATTEMPTS INEBRIATION TO COVER HIS SIN Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord's servants, but he did not go down to his house - David's second malicious attempt to get Uriah to sleep with his wife fails miserably! Uriah may be drunk but still remains loyal to David and to his duty as a soldier.

2 Samuel 11

Wiersbe - The good things that we receive in life, we pay for in advance, for God prepares us for what He has prepared for us. But the evil things we do are paid for on the installment plan; and bitter is the sorrow brought by the consequences of forgiven sin. (Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament ) F B