One passage in the Bible that touches me so deeply every time I come to it is this story of David and Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. It feels as though it happened just yesterday. The sorrows of the episode can be that overwhelming.
Wrong-doing, which is another expression for sin, can be described as a situation in which a person dupes himself or herself. It was simply not worth it when the whole thing is viewed together. The purchase was absolutely not worth its cost. But this is always what sin is. It is not worth it. And the story is given as an example for the rest of us.
Can we read the price tag right away? David lost his son Amnon as a result. Let’s be clear about it, what Amnon did to Tamar his half-sister was a fulfilment of divine promise, that God would stir up evil in David’s home. So Amnon could very well have the latent ability to commit this heinous crime but it would never have come to the surface but for the grievous offence committed by David concerning Uriah’s wife. And thereby, he harmed his daughter Tamar irreparably!
David also lost Absalom. And what happened in Amnon’s case also applies here: Absalom could very well carry the seeds of truancy without playing out as it did. The Lord did also tell David through Prophet Nathan that the sword would not depart from his house! If we fastforward to Adonijah the son of Haggith who also almost usurped the throne, this was exactly the case too. Now, nothing could be more crushing than for someone to recognize as each chapter unfolded that his or her actions were the cause of the misfortunes of his loved ones. I have not mentioned the concubines who were humiliated and abused by Absalom.
Now, all of these for what? For a woman who was already another man’s wife! Bathsheba could not even win the kind of beauty contest that Abishag won, if David’s problem had truly been to get an extra wife. And there lies our big lesson, temptation is orchestrated from somewhere else! Moreover, sin is unreasonable!! Which is why a husband can abandon a charming and loving wife and follow an escort who is far beneath her! Sin is committed when reason has taken flight.
David paid a terrible price for a purchase that was not worth anything even remotely close. But even knowing or seeing this long in advance is not very helpful as a defense except we allow the mighty hands of God to rest on us and remain on us. This is termed walking in the spirit by the Bible. Salvation alone is no immunity from the cruel force that drives us to displease God. Not a few good Christian people have been snared by the devil through excessive self-confidence, not in God, but in their natural capabilities. Satan has exceeding expertise in bringing about the downfall of godly individuals. And he has no need to tempt those he already has under his full control.
So we come to the crucial question: Why did David fall so abjectly? Was it an issue of not knowing the Lord? Obviously, he did. Was he not zealous for God. Without any question, he was. A zealous person hates wickedness and loves righteousness! You will find this in Psalm 45 and Hebrews chapter 1. The oil of gladness from heaven flows upon those who love righteousness and hate wickedness. A zealous person will not stand wickedness or injustice, which was why David got so incensed by the action of the hypothetical rich sheepholder who stole his poor neighbour’s lone sheep. David pronounced judgement on himself because it is easier to see the speck in our neighbour’s eye rather than the log hanging out of our own!
The devil was able to have David where he wanted him because he became slack about the business of the Kingdom of God. While the zealous faced up to the battle against the unrighteous Ammonites, David relaxed at home! Compare David’s disposition to that of Uriah who returned from battle but refused to head home to be cared for, or care for himself. David imagined that Uriah would be like himself, who prioritised comfort over the pressing needs of kingdom. Uriah died honourably. He did not have to live like a fool.
Are you a professing child of God, and yet you are on a neutral gear about the business of God? Be sure that you are on dangerous ground. To get a bold picture of a zealous Christian, take a good look at Uriah! I am not talking about soulical bonds to a denomination, which resembles zeal but only presents a clever counterfeit.
Being well-intensioned, or a good person is insignificant. It is like thinking a good lamb will not be preyed upon by his predator. This is not about human goodness but about godliness. If you must know, David had no intention whatsoever of hurting Uriah until he found himself in a dark spot where he needed to extract or extricate himself.