Sins of the King

But the LORD was displeased with what David had done. 2 Samuel 11:27 (NLT)

The Old Testament books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles record many sins and failures on the part of God’s leaders, including Eli, Samuel, Saul and David and the painful consequence of their sins and disobedience towards God (e.g. see 1 Samuel 15:22-23). Eli and Samuel’s sins involved their failures to properly manage their household (e.g., see 1 Samuel 2:12-36; 1 Samuel 8:1-3). Saul failures included continual rebellion and disobedience towards God’s instructions (e.g., see 1 Samuel 13:13-14; 1 Samuel 15:10-11, 17-19, 23). As king of Israel, Saul became prideful and impatient towards God. Eventually, God replaced Saul with David and made David king, “a man after [God’s] own heart” (Acts 13:22, NLT; see also 1 Samuel 13:14). David’s heart was fully devoted to the Lord God (e.g., see 1 Kings 9:4; 1 Kings 11:4, 6) and he never worshiped any other gods except the true and living God of heaven and earth (see Exodus 20:3-7; Exodus 34:14).

However, even David sinned against God. David’s most famous sins were his adultery and lusts of Bathsheba and the murder of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 11-12). While Israelites’ fighting men went off to war (1 Samuel 11:1), David stay home and had a secret adulterous relationship with Bathsheba (see 2 Samuel 11:2-4; 2 Samuel 12:12; see also Exodus 20:14, 17; Deuteronomy 5:18, 21; Matthew 5:27-28). Bathsheba eventually conceived a child from the relationship (2 Samuel 11:5) and David tried to hide his adulterous relationship by calling Bathsheba’s husband Uriah back home from war (2 Samuel 11:6-8). However, Uriah refused to engage in sexual relations with his wife, Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:9-13) and David eventually ordered that Uriah be killed (2 Samuel 11:14-17; see also Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17; Matthew 5:21-22). After Uriah’s death, David stole Uriah’s wife and married Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:26-27; see also Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19; Matthew 19:18-19). Bathsheba gave birth to a son from the relationship (2 Samuel 11:27). David’s sinful acts of adultery, theft, covetousness, and murder displeased God (2 Samuel 11:27; 2 Samuel 11:9).

Prophet Nathan to David:  ⁹ “Why, then, have you despised the word (commandment) of the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. ¹⁰ From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised Me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. ¹¹ This is what the LORD says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. ¹² You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.” 2 Samuel 12:9-12 (NLT)

David’s sins against Bathsheba and Uriah displeased God (see 2 Samul 11:27; 2 Samuel 12:9), and he paid the consequences of his sins against God’s commandment (2 Samuel 12:9-11). God through the Prophet Nathan confronted David’s secret sins toward Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 12:1; see also Psalm 51). The all-knowing and all-seeing God saw David’s supposedly secret sins of adultery, theft, covetousness, and murder displeased God (Proverbs 15:3; Hebrews 4:13). When confronted with his sins by the Prophet Nathan, David immediately confessed his sins against God (2 Samuel 12:13; see also 1 John 1:9). The Prophet Nathan told David that God had taken away his sin, and God graciously forgave David’s sins (2 Samuel 12:13, 24-25; see also Psalm 32:5; Psalm 51:2; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9). However, David had to face the consequences of his many sins (2 Samuel 12:14; see also Hebrews 12:4-11) and the remainder of Second Samuel reveals David’s consequences of his sins and disobedience towards God and His commandments (see 2 Samuel chapters 13 – 20). The consequences of David’s sins not only affect himself but also his family.

David’s moral failures with Bathsheba and Uriah resulted in devastating consequences within his family. First, the son born to David and Bathsheba died (2 Samuel 12:14-15, 18). Next, David’s son Amnon raped his half-sister, Tamar, who was a virgin (2 Samuel 13:1-14, 18) and his half-brother Absalom avenged Tamar’s rape by killing his half-brother Amnon (2 Samuel 13:23-33). Then, David’s son Absalom conspired and stole his father kingdom (2 Samuel 15), and eventually David’s soldiers killed Absalom in battle rebellion (2 Samuel 18:9-15). David’s son and successor Solomon matched some of David’s sinful practices by marrying many wives and these many wives lead Solomon away from wholeheartedly serving and loving God (1 Kings 11:1-6). After Solomon’s death, Solomon’s sons continued to disobey God and caused the nation of Israel to split into two kingdoms – northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah) (1 Kings 11:31-40).

One lesson is obvious as one reads First and Second Samuel: obedience to God brings blessings while disobedience brings God’s judgment. God is gracious, kind, and merciful but God is also holy and just (e.g., see Exodus 34:6-7; Numbers 14:18-23; Psalm 86:15; Nahum 1:3). God will not tolerate sin and wickedness, even from His servant David, a man after God’s own heart (e.g., see Hebrews 10:26-27). The life of David demonstrated the sobering truth that God judges sin and disobedience (see also Romans 7:12; Hebrews 12:10-17). Our sins grieve our gracious God. While God is patient and merciful and answers the prayers of His people, He is also holy and just and will not tolerate continual sin and disobedience (Leviticus 11:44; Habakkuk 1:13; Hebrews 12:1-2, 14; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 John 1:5-7). God’s faithfulness and unselfish love should inspire us all to dedicate our whole hearts and lives in faithful obedience to God (e.g., see 1 Samuel 15:22; Micah 6:6-8; Mark 12:33; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11, 22).

References

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008).

J.I. Packer. Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1993).

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary – Old Testament (Victor Books, 1989).