2Sa 11:12 | KingComments | STEP | If the evil deed is not judged, another evil emerges from the evil. David realizes that he has to take measures before it comes to light that he has committed adultery and he has to be killed. Now he becomes a murderer to avoid this fate. He comes up with a cunning plan. Now that David has chosen the path of sin, he can do two things. He can acknowledge that he has been wrong and beg God for mercy. He also can continue on the way of sin and try to erase the consequences. He chooses the latter. David has not yet set out to kill Uriah. First he tries to get Uriah with his wife surreptitiously. He lets him come to him. Hypocritically he asks after Joab, the men, and how the war is going. He pretends to have concern for his men and the battle they are engaged in. Uriah reports of it. After the report David gives Uriah leave to go home and be with his wife. He manipulates him to achieve that goal. Uriah will undoubtedly then also lie with her. This will make it look as if the child being born is Uriah’s child. The king’s adultery would then have remained hidden. How he abuses his royal power here! However, he did not consider the loyalty of Uriah. When David lets Uriah come to him and asks why he did not go home, Uriah speaks the language of faith, the language of a faithful and dedicated believer. He cannot take his ease, as David did, by which he came to his sin. The words of Uriah ( ) remind David of his own duty. God lets Uriah say those things to speak to David’s conscience. It is an impressive plea of dedication, which at the same time exposes razor sharp David’s unfaithfulness. We see in this discourse the love of God who speaks in a penetrating way to the conscience of David. But he is deaf to it, for he has silenced his conscience. As David cannot be brought to leave the way of sin, so Uriah cannot be brought to leave the way of dedication. Even the present David has sent out after him does not detract Uriah from the way of faithfulness to his duty. David makes another attempt to get Uriah with his wife ( ). He tries it with a new trick. He invites Uriah to come and eat and drink with him. What is a proof of grace with Mephibosheth ( ) is a trick with Uriah. David only uses his invitation to make Uriah drunk, hoping that he would then go to his wife and lie with her (cf. ). David, however, fails to get Uriah go to his wife Bathsheba to cover his terrible sin. Uriah is in no way to be moved to forsake his duty. Uriah’s dedication to his duty causes David is getting more and more nervous and he is also getting meaner and meaner. He is unstoppable and runs on the way of sin to a next sin.

‏ 2 Samuel 11:12

David and Uriah

If the evil deed is not judged, another evil emerges from the evil. David realizes that he has to take measures before it comes to light that he has committed adultery and he has to be killed. Now he becomes a murderer to avoid this fate. He comes up with a cunning plan.

Now that David has chosen the path of sin, he can do two things. He can acknowledge that he has been wrong and beg God for mercy. He also can continue on the way of sin and try to erase the consequences. He chooses the latter.

David has not yet set out to kill Uriah. First he tries to get Uriah with his wife surreptitiously. He lets him come to him. Hypocritically he asks after Joab, the men, and how the war is going. He pretends to have concern for his men and the battle they are engaged in. Uriah reports of it.

After the report David gives Uriah leave to go home and be with his wife. He manipulates him to achieve that goal. Uriah will undoubtedly then also lie with her. This will make it look as if the child being born is Uriah’s child. The king’s adultery would then have remained hidden. How he abuses his royal power here! However, he did not consider the loyalty of Uriah.

When David lets Uriah come to him and asks why he did not go home, Uriah speaks the language of faith, the language of a faithful and dedicated believer. He cannot take his ease, as David did, by which he came to his sin. The words of Uriah (2Sam 11:11) remind David of his own duty. God lets Uriah say those things to speak to David’s conscience. It is an impressive plea of dedication, which at the same time exposes razor sharp David’s unfaithfulness. We see in this discourse the love of God who speaks in a penetrating way to the conscience of David. But he is deaf to it, for he has silenced his conscience.

As David cannot be brought to leave the way of sin, so Uriah cannot be brought to leave the way of dedication. Even the present David has sent out after him does not detract Uriah from the way of faithfulness to his duty. David makes another attempt to get Uriah with his wife (2Sam 11:12). He tries it with a new trick. He invites Uriah to come and eat and drink with him. What is a proof of grace with Mephibosheth (2Sam 9:13) is a trick with Uriah. David only uses his invitation to make Uriah drunk, hoping that he would then go to his wife and lie with her (cf. Hab 2:15-16).

David, however, fails to get Uriah go to his wife Bathsheba to cover his terrible sin. Uriah is in no way to be moved to forsake his duty. Uriah’s dedication to his duty causes David is getting more and more nervous and he is also getting meaner and meaner. He is unstoppable and runs on the way of sin to a next sin.