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Satan is prowling around right now, between your flesh, his demons, and the ever-present world we are ALL under attack.
If you are not on guard–SATAN WILL DEVOUR YOU. This week we see what David did that led to his crushing defeat and a life-long series of consequences.
MISSION & STORM UPDATE–Aren’t these EXCITING days to serve? Thanks for praying, we made it through three classes today but had frozen water pipes so no water, power blinking on and off, but everything worked enough to stay warm and teach & upload three classes. The ice storm is coming back tonight so we can’t leave this virtual studio and apartment at the mission until that storm passes. We tried to get the 52 Greatest Chapter Study done for this week, but had some technical problems so the half screen that blanked out will always be a reminder of these storm days of February 16-17 on the road serving the Lord! We will upload that class soon, it is a BLESSING to be able to serve the King each day.
Transcript
John Barnett here and welcome to the eighth week of our journey through God’s word. We’re looking at the 52 greatest chapters, the key chapters that are serving the entire Bible. As we look at these chapters I think this week is one of the most timely of all the chapters we’ve covered.
I hope you’re doing okay. Bonnie and I are at another studio of another mission. This housing we’re staying in, which is a real blessing, the waterlines froze last night. Praise the Lord our heat still works, electricity still works, but we aren’t able to travel, there’s so much ice. They said they don’t want us driving anywhere in this area. I hope you’re doing well and of course praying that the Lord will use this amazing time of seeing weather, and the power of weather, and the effect on so many of us here in America just through a simple change in temperature. Which reminds me of what it’s going to be like in the tribulation when God turns the heat up and the whole world starts baking.
Let’s open our Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 11, and you can see on the slide, we are in the 52 greatest chapter study. We are on the eighth week. We have come to 2 Samuel chapter 11 and look at this timely title. If you’ve been reading at all in the news about one of the great Christian apologists of our generation. I have all of his books. I have been amazed at the gifted communication that God used him to give. And I’ve been deeply saddened with all of you at what we’re seeing here. Look at the title: When David, and you could put in that current personage, dropped his guard, and got devoured by the devil. Satan wants to devour you. Satan wants to devour me. Satan wants all of us to get pornified by our culture. I, like you, are surrounded by a world under the sway of the evil one, who is a roaring lion. Look at that, look at all these lines. It reminds me of Satan, who seeks to devour us. Don’t let him devour you.
My prayer is that the Lord will use this course, this class to maybe encourage one of you. Just one of you, maybe more, but just one. It could be, we’re sitting up here in this ice storm doing this class for just one of you. My prayer is that the Lord will use it. Let’s ask Him to bless His word.
Father in Heaven, I’m holding your precious living word of God and I pray that the powerful word that you have packaged into this 11th chapter of 2 Samuel will be used by your Spirit in someone’s life today. Just as you’ve been using it in my life, as I’ve worked through each of these verses all week long, I pray for your Spirit to be mightily unleashed through the preaching of your abiding, infinite, powerful word. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Thanks for being in this class. In the next slide you notice where we are, right down here. We’re in the eighth week, 2 Samuel 11. If you want to get any of the other weeks, remember, you can go to our Facebook page. On that page, the 52 greatest chapters of the Bible, you can find this actual sheet right here and print it off if you want to have it. I have mine right here in the front of my journal. You can see the 52 passages. You can also see the description of how we do the study. This is of course what I’ve been working on all week long, 2 Samuel 11. This is my marked up Bible.
The next slide is a reminder that on our YouTube channel, you can go to our channel DTBM and then within it, there’s a playlist that is the 52 key chapters of the Bible playlist. You can find all of these extra online resources to deepen your study of David’s life. Remember, you can take this course at any level. If you want to just stay with us for the 52 weeks, we’re on the eighth one. You’re going to go all the way through the Bible and in the process, you’re going to know those 52 passages and key chapters. For some of you, you just are hungry. I know because I’m getting your notes. I’m getting your comments. I’m getting emails from you. Some of you really want to deepen and make this like Bible School. For some of you that will never be able to go to formal Bible school, this is informal Bible School. The way you do that is, you add to your study these extra resources.
Let me show you what I mean. This is a tremendous one, this is within that playlist. This is a theology of the work of God through the atoning death and sacrificial, substitutionary atonement of Christ. How does God remove your sin that eternally invites His wrath? Sin is like a target and God’s wrath is forever going to be poured out against sin. The Bible says that either we die with our sin on us, or we die with our sin on Jesus Christ. That’s what this message is about, how God puts our sin on to Jesus Christ.
Finding your way back to God. Can a famous servant of God survive epic, moral failure? Of course, the one in the Bible is David, but the answer is yes. God offers complete forgiveness and cleansing, but there are always consequences for sin. Never forget that.
How was David liberated from the crippling guilt over his sin? This is a study through the 32nd Psalm and I love sharing that.
Who is the richest man ever? This is a broader portrait of David’s life. Of course, before he passed on all his wealth to Solomon, David was the richest man ever. Solomon got most of his wealth as an inheritance from his father.
Here’s another great study, seeking God through every season of life. Acts 13:22 talks about David fulfilling God’s purpose in his generation. Verse 36 says he was the man after God’s own heart. Psalm 70 is a testimony of God’s faithfulness.
Basically, before we jump into 2 Samuel, I want to give the context using the Bible as a map of David’s life. We see David’s life is in four seasons. Season one, God had David write three Psalms. Psalm 19, about the heavens declare the glory of God. Psalm 23 may have been the beginning of David’s life when he was a shepherd boy, or you’ll see it could be at the end of his life when he’s looking back. I put it in both places, we’re really not sure where the 23rd song fits, but it looks very much like it could be here as David writes, possibly, three Psalms from the springtime of youth, his early life at home.
Remember, David is the most written about person in the Bible. There are 141 chapters of the bible about David. Now remember, there are 1,189 chapters in the Bible. You see that? 12% of the whole Bible is about David. Nobody else is that mentioned in the Bible other than God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. David was chosen by God to be a huge portrait for us, an example as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10, these were written as an example for us upon whom the ends of the world have come.
The second season in David’s life, I call it his Summertime. There are 18 Psalms from David moving out of his boyhood home and starting life on his own. It was a hard start. If you remember, he’s derided by his brothers, and ridiculed by them, and misunderstood. Then Saul misunderstands him, and Saul mistrusts him. Then Saul hates him, and Saul tries to kill him. All those. Losing his job, being far from home, being lonely, being paralyzed with fear, feeling abandoned by God. What a powerful time. That extra resource on all the seasons of his life shares those Psalms.
The third stage of David’s life is, David is in a time of writing six Psalms in the autumn of his life. He writes Psalm 3, 31-32, 38, 51 & 63. These are during the height of his career. We’ll see another slide in just a minute. David was on the top in every way. Yet, if you know what Psalm 38 is about, it’s about the horrors of his guilt when he was hiding a sin. Psalm 32, the same. Psalm 51, his confession. Then of course, some other Psalms. He’s running from Absalom in three.
Finally, the last season of David’s life, God had David write, possibly, four Psalms. 18, which is a summary of his life. 71, a summary of God’s faithfulness. 116, preparing for going to glory, dying. The 116th Psalm is a Psalm about getting ready to step from this life into life that’s eternal. It’s a very, very powerful psalm. Remember, you’re never really ready to live until you’re ready to die. Psalm 116 is how to get ready to die. It’s better to do that sooner than later, because death is horrible until Christ takes the sting out of death.
By the way, in every class I always say this, if you have never received the ingrafted word, that’s able to save your soul and if you’re watching this video, it just popped up in your feed. I have so many people that tell me, I was just on YouTube and your video popped into my feed. Google put it there, or YouTube did. I say no, God did. I know the Lord uses providential means, the algorithm of YouTube, but God is sovereignly superintending your exposure to the Bible, His truth. If you have never been born again, this is how you can come to know Christ. You first agree with God that you’re a sinner. He convicts you by His Spirit. He uses His word, other people talking to you, Billy Graham on the television reruns, but agree with God that you’re a sinner. We’re all born sinners. We’re sinners by nature, by choice. God has decreed us sinners, fallen in our sin, hopeless, helpless, convicts. Agree with God and then believe what God says in His word that Jesus is the only source of rescue, of help. Then call out to him. A. B. C. Agree. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Call on Him. How do you do that? The Bible says it’s childlike faith. A child just does the simple thing. If they’re hungry they say, I want food. If they’re afraid, they say help me or they sometimes just reach out. My children often would reach out their arms when they were afraid of a thunderstorm or something, a loud noise. Reach out in faith to Jesus Christ. Call on Him. Repent of your sin, of going your own way.
I, at a young age, agreed with God. I was caught in the act of lying to my parents and stealing something from the store as a little six year old child and gripped with conviction. I remember looking at my mom, she said, mom and dad are going to Heaven and you’re not Johnny. I said, what? She said, God doesn’t allow sinners into Heaven that have not had their sins taken off by Jesus Christ. Big thoughts for a six year old. She took me to the word of God and showed me how I could cry out to Him, and I did. If you’ve never called on the name of the Lord and asked Him to save you, you should today. From the wintertime of David’s life.
Beware of the prowling lion. This whole lesson, this whole eighth week is, beware of the prowling lion. It says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion,” prowling about, “seeking whom he may devour.” Satan can devour you. He wants to. He will if you’re not careful. I would say this lesson may be the most important for this generation we live in, where every digital device is connected to a galaxy of very potentially enslaving things. Whether it be enslavement in amusements, or enslavement in the lusts of the flesh, and the pornification of the internet, or it can be just wasting your time, or gambling, or whatever, but watch out. Satan doesn’t use the same thing to devour people, but he wants to devour you. He wants to devour me, but I know that I can resist. This lesson is how you can know that too. 2 Samuel 11 is what we’re going to cover.
David, his devouring was, he had remorse and contrition, but it didn’t obliterate the consequences in his family. Look what happens in David’s family. Our sin doesn’t just affect us alone, it affects everyone connected to us. Incest, fratricide, intrigues, rebellion, civil war, all those things, the Bible records are a consequence from David’s sin. And personally, David was not allowed to build the temple. There are ministry limitations for sin, that God imposed on David’s life. He also, in the scriptures, imposes on those who want to lead Christ’s Church. There are disqualifications, of doing what David did.
David was at his zenith, remember I told you that. He’s a victorious warrior. This time with Bathsheba would be what we would call a midlife crisis. That’s what we’re going to read about in chapter 11. He was a clever General, he subdues the Philistines on the west. A little geography, the Assyrians and Hadadezer in the north, the Ammonites and Moabites in the east, the Edomites and Amalekites. North, south, east, and west he’d subdued, all of his enemies. David was never defeated. You understand that? Never defeated in any battlefield situation, never wounded. As far as we know, David never sustained a wound, even though the arrows were whizzing by, and the slingshots, and the spears, and all the sword fights. He was an amazing administrator. He organized the priesthood into 24 courses. He was an unmatched poet and songwriter; we know that from the Psalms.
This chapter is the turning point, his great sin. Why this chapter is so important is the honesty of the scriptures. God honestly portrays what happened as a lesson for all of us. He committed adultery. Committed murder. Basically, he broke all 10 of the commandments. That’s one of the added resources, how David broke called 10 of the commandments. This was a culmination of a process. David was prosperous, he was at ease, became self-indulgent. He accumulated wives, which was forbidden in the scriptures. The good news is, he had remorse and repentance. He writes three Psalms about it. 32, 38 and 51. God, who analyzed him, said his response was right. It was the right response. He’s a man after My own heart. That’s what I want to be, and I hope that’s what you want to be.
David had troubles. Look what David was told by the Lord through Nathan the prophet. “The sword shall never depart from your house.” That was the consequence. The first son that David conceived through Bathsheba died. David’s son, Amnon raped his daughter Tamer. Absalom killed Amnon for doing that. Absalom led a rebellion against David counseled by Ahithophel. Do you know who Ahithophel was? Bathsheba’s grandfather. Also, David’s closest, wisest counselor. You see, my sin and your sin can turn those closest to us away from us and against us. That’s what happens, the troubles that David went through. Adonijah finally seizes the kingship, tried to seize the kingship from Solomon. Of course, Solomon had him executed. David had great troubles in his family.
Here are the lessons that we’re going to see.
Unguarded moments lead to sin.
There are inevitable consequences that lead to pain,
Humble obedience always leads to joy.
That’s what God wants us to get from this, don’t ever drop your guard. Always remember the consequence engine is at work. What does God say? Be not deceived. Galatians chapter 6, verses 6-8, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Consequences lead to pain, even for believers, in my life and in your life. There are direct consequences for our sins. One consequence for sin, the sin of neglecting God and His word is boredom, this emptiness, this feeling restless. All of those are consequences of sin. There are many worse consequences, but many believers go through boredom, emptiness, restlessness, a lack of joy, a lack of peace, feeling God is far away. Those are all consequences that you, and that I, want to avoid. I hope you want to avoid also.
What were David’s dreadful steps downward? We only are assigned 2 Samuel 11, but I tell you every week, I just can’t just stick in the key chapter. I read on both sides to always get the context If you look at 2 Samuel 11 and 12 you notice this, before 2 Samuel 11and 12 David is desensitize by incomplete obedience. I go through an entire message on this, but what the scripture says in the book of Deuteronomy, David as the king was supposed to copy for himself, his own personal copy of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. He was supposed to hand write it for himself and keep that copy on the throne with him. In other words, take as long as it takes to hand copy the first five books of the Bible. Wow. He had to go to the tabernacle, get the priest to unroll the scroll and put it on a table. He had to get a light, and parchment, and a pen of some kind, and write it down. It would have been arduous. It probably would have taken 600 hours. That’s like a third of a year of full-time activity, for him to write that out. In there the scripture said, no king is supposed to multiply horses, gold and silver, or wives. David multiplied wives and was desensitized to completely obeying God. David relaxed his grip on personal purity. We’ll see that in verse 1. David fixated his heart on his physical desires as he, the Hebrew word is he stared down over the high rooftop vantage point he had into the house below the courtyard.
Right near David’s house was where his bodyguard lived. Uriah the Hittite was the personal secret service officer that protected David. He was one of his mighty men. Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba lived closely, to protect David. Her grandfather was David’s adviser. David had grown up seeing his advisor’s grandchild grow up. This young lady married one of his best soldiers and David fixated, look at that slide, his physical desires on that woman that he looked over the roof at. He caught her bathing unclothed, where he shouldn’t have looked. You can’t keep yourself from ever seeing anything you shouldn’t see. You can’t even go on the internet without the sidebar or go on a Google search and everything is blinking, but you can turn away. You can say what the scriptures say. I will set what David said in Psalm 101, “I will set no wicked thing before my eyes.” You can choose what you stare at. David chose to stare at Bathsheba.
David rationalized in his mind about the wrong decision, in verse 3. He plunged his life into lustful sin, Verse 4. He destroyed his testimony by the sin of a moment of stolen pleasure. Do you know what it says in verse 27? Let me read it to you. “And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife.” That’s Bathsheba, after she had this child conceived, after David had her husband killed, then it says that she became his wife, “…bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.” Verse 27 of chapter 11. David destroyed his testimony.
Do you know what the worst thing in the world is? To have God displeased at what I do. Do you know, I have a little ministry motto for 40 years, all the churches that I’ve pastored I always had the same kind of purpose or mission statement. Pleasing God and making disciples of Jesus Christ. I always would tell each group, the staff, and the elders, and the congregation. I’d say, if you want to know what we’re all about, we’re here to please God and to make disciples of Jesus Christ. I want to be a disciple. I want to please God. I want this church and all of you to please God. I want all of us to be making disciples. Displeasing God is the worst thing, that’s what David did.
First, David desensitized his conscience by incomplete obedience. If you wanted to be aware, look at the little things in your life. Are you slowly slipping away from getting into the Bible first thing to start your day? If you start your day with God, it’s less likely to unravel, fall apart, and be wasted. Start your day in the word and obey the Lord.
Secondly, David relaxed his grip on personal purity. We’re going to walk through this.
He fixated his heart on physical desires.
He rationalized, look at verse 3, it says “David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, ‘Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’ “ Do you know what that verse says? David says, go get that woman for me and one of the servants was brave enough to say, what? David! David, isn’t that someone else’s wife? Isn’t that the granddaughter of Ahithophel, your closest adviser? David, what are you doing?
Do you see, God sent an obstacle? He’ll do that for all of us. The scripture, say in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man.” We all have common temptations, “but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape.” Verse 3 was God making a way of escape for David and David blew right past it.
What were the consequences of his sin? 1 Corinthians chapter 10 it says, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” The consequences of sin are, we fall away from God into sin. We start this inexorable guilt, emptiness, God seems far away, we’re restless, and if we keep hiding our sin, like David found in Psalm 38 and Psalm 32, it zaps the life out of us. No matter how many steps you take away from God, it’s always only one step back.
Here it is, all right on the slide, repentance is the one step back to God. If this is me, I can go step after step away from God and be right here. I don’t have to retrace my route and do penance to get back to God. Watch, boom. One step back. I repent. What is repentance? A change of mind that leads to a change of behavior. Repentance is not me starting to be perfect. Repentance is me agreeing with God about my sin and saying, God, I chose to sin, I disregarded your exit, your way of escape. I sinned because I wanted that, I didn’t trust you, I didn’t believe that you were able to provide for me, and I’m sorry I was wrong. Please forgive me. One step back, that’s what God says.
Unguarded moments always lead to sin. 2 Timothy 2:22 says “Flee also youthful lusts.” Flee. Run. Run like David didn’t and like Joseph did. Remember Joseph? Potiphar’s wife attacks him with salacious desires, and he says, No! God’s watching and I won’t sin against God who’s here with me.
In unguarded moments, look what it says back in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 12. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful.” God is always there. Towering over that verse in 1 Corinthians 10 is God. God is there. He never leaves us alone. We turn and disregard Him, but he is always there. If you don’t remember anything else from this eighth week of looking at 2 Samuel, remember this; God is always there, He’ll not leave you alone. He’ll always make a way of escape. You and I have to choose to take that.
I have in the back of my Bible right here, a little sheet, you can see it there. It’s what I call my personalized list of anticipated consequences of immorality. I actually taped that in my Bible after I was married and really realized that marriage doesn’t solve all of our struggles. A lot of people, they talk about youth and youthful behavior. Actually, what they’re saying is excusing sinful behavior of young people. A lot of people think, if you just get married you won’t have any of those problems with lust. You know what the scriptures tell us? Solomon said the eyes of a man are never satisfied. I might add women too. A lot of people think it’s just men that struggle with lust. Men and women, boys and girls struggle with lust. Our eyes are unsatisfied apart from divine intervention. To help me, this list.
I always have a copy of John Piper’s ANTHEM taped to my Bible.
My personalized list is where I wrote down all the anticipated consequences of immorality. My personalized list of anticipated consequences of immorality, this is what I wrote after I got married. Grieving my Lord. Displeasing the one whose opinion matters most. Dragging Christ’s sacred reputation into the mud. Losing my reward and commendation from God. Dreading the day that I’ll have to look at Jesus in the face at His judgment seat and give an account. Forcing God to chasten me. Prompting the laughter, rejoicing, and blasphemous smugness of those who disrespect God and the church. Bringing pleasure to Satan the enemy of God. That’s what my ever going into immorality, adultery would do toward God.
This is what it would do toward my family. I wrote heaping untold hurt on Bonnie, my best friend and loyal wife. For Bonnie’s respect and trust. Giving up my credibility with my beloved sons and daughters. Realizing if my blindness continued or my family were unable to forgive, I could lose my wife and children all through this life. Bringing years of shame on my family, why isn’t your daddy in the ministry anymore, plus all the cruel comments that people make. Plaguing memories and flashbacks that would taint future intimacy with my wife.
Then toward the ministry, bringing years of shame to my church families I’ve served all these years. Bringing years of shame on fellow pastors and on my friends, and on those I’ve led to Christ. Realizing guilt is awfully hard to shake, though God forgave me, would I feel forgiven and following in the same footsteps of men whose immorality caused them to forfeit their ministries. We all know people like that. Some of them are scandals that are big and known all over the country, but why would I want to join that?
Toward myself, I would be disqualified after preaching to others. Remember, Paul said he didn’t want to be disqualified. I would give up what I’m called to do. I would be haunted by my sin. I would undermine the hard work and prayer of others. I would catch possible diseases. That’s one of the least, but it’s a horrible part. A loss of self-respect. Discrediting myself.
These are my anticipated consequences of immorality. You ought to do something similar and think about how quickly you can slide from being a useful to someone who has marred their life but are forgiven if you confess and forsake. But why would you ever want to do that?
Here’s something else. I always have a copy of John Piper’s ANTHEM. That’s the title of his article. You can just go to Google and type John Piper, ANTHEM. This is what you get, ANTHEM strategies for fighting lust. I put this in my Bible, November 5th, 2001. So almost 20 years ago.
A is avoid as much as possible. The sites and situations that arouse unfitting desires. Isn’t Piper great, how he can say things.
N is say no to every lustful thought.
T is turn your mind forcefully toward Christ. Now a lot of people just turn away from sin. Don’t just neutrally turn away from sin, turn away toward Christ. It says, Piper says, turn your mind forcefully toward Christ as a superior satisfaction.
H is hold the promise and pleasure of Christ firmly in your mind. By the way, look up this article, tape it in your Bible like I have.
E is enjoy and
M is move into useful activity. I’ll leave that with you.
It’s a powerful, powerful piece. John Piper is a gift to the church and I’m so thankful for what he does. Even its signed right there, Pastor John. He is a real pastor to all of us who read his works, but I use this when I’m discipling young men and women who struggle with the lust of the flesh. We all do. Lust is reptilian. What I mean by that is, like reptiles it gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger every year. If you’re not mortifying your lusts and letting the Spirit of God trim them back, they’re getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger. I use this to help the next generation, who maybe didn’t get saved until they were well into sexual pornification of their life. They’ve got to learn how to mortify. Put this, tape it in the back of your Bible, put it on your digital device. Every time you’re struggling go back to that and avoid, say no, turn forcefully to Christ, hold on to His promises, enjoy His superior satisfaction and move like Joseph out of that area into what Piper calls more useful activity.
Real quickly, this chapter was in Jerusalem.
This is Jerusalem. This was David’s palace. This is David’s Jerusalem in 1000 BC. This is all there was to Jerusalem back then. Mount Moriah is where the temple mount was built. Solomon built all that, that was outside the city. On top of, this is David’s palace, and all around his palace is where the secret service was. Above them towered David’s roof top and down below were his 30 mighty men, and their families, and wives. David was looking over the courtyard. People didn’t have enough room in their house to have their bathtub in there, to heat the water, and everything else, it had to be outside. David took advantage by being able to look down over the walls, he looked at Bathsheba.
Remember when this is in biblical history? Biblical geography, everything happened somewhere. Biblical history or sacred history, everything happened some time. This is the time of David.
We’ve already, over the last eight weeks, looked at creation, the fall, the flood, Abraham, the Exodus, and Moses. We’re right here with David in this timeline. We’re headed up course. When we get to Revelation, we’re going to be looking at the ending. Each day of the week and this is the devotional method that we use. I’m on minute 41 and I’m sorry can you tell this chapter really impacted me and really gave me a burden for you. Especially when I see how many of the next generation that we’re training really have become addicted to their cell phones, their digital devices, their online gaming, and online movies, and online filth. My heart goes out and I hope that this week is a challenge to you as you read this chapter with them.
Every day I read the passage, every day. I work on this all week long. I’m working on 2 Samuel 11. I’ll read 12, I’ll read 5, I even go over there to Deuteronomy 17. I’m just immersing myself in this and not only reading it. In my Bible, I’m checking the background materials using the MacArthur Study Bible, that I’ve recommended to you.
This is my marked-up Bible. Now really quickly. I want to give you a handheld and what I’m going to do is, I’m going to take my other phone right here and I’m going to get it on the text. We’re going to go through this text.
Here we go, this is my Bible. David relaxed his discipline, and focused his desires, and rationalized his decisions. We’re on 2 Samuel chapter 11. “It happened.” Notice it says, “it happened…” “It happened.” I love that repeated, that’s why I circled them. You see what I wrote? Temptations are often striking when we are alone. Then I wrote, unscheduled. Right there, “it happened.” Undisciplined. “He saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.” He was unashamed to stare at her.
One of my professors, used to say, you can’t keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop it from building a nest. Now that was an old fashioned way of saying, Watch Out! You can get these passing thoughts or images, but don’t give in to them.
“David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, ‘Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’ “ He was unheeding of that, I wrote. He was uncaring. He tried to cover his sin. Up here, remember when Nathan came to him in chapter 12? He said, you stole your neighbor’s sheep. David paid four-fold for his sin. I found that in chapter 12:6, that was a warning, that God was going to require that. What that means is, number one Bathsheba’s child died, that’s verse 18. Amnon was killed, chapter 13. Absalom was killed, chapter 18. Adonijah was killed, 1 Kings 2. All week long I’m working on all the cross-references, using the MacArthur Study Bible.
Then, “When her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.” All that really matters is what God thinks. By the way, I wrote over here. A year had passed, and he had hidden his sin. That’s the backdrop for this event.
Oh, I also write in my Bible, Psalm 60 happened right around this time, of chapter 10, verse 19.
Then the penitential psalms. See that at the bottom? These are the Psalms that are written about being sorry for our sins. 32, 38, and 51 are the ones David wrote, about this event in his life.
I wrote this up here at the top, David had three choices. Deny the charges. Execute the prophet, remember Nathan was pointing his finger at him. Or confess and forsake. That’s all in chapter 12.
You notice that it says, “Why have you despised,” see in verse 9 right here? “Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight?” Remember, God watches us all the time. I wrote over here; sin is despising God’s commands. In other words, thinking my way is right and I don’t care what God said. Sin invites, calamity. David gave no excuses and Saul was exactly the opposite, Saul blamed it on everybody.
But look at this, every time we sin, “However, because by this deed,” Nathan said, “you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme.” Now, right here, Nathan departed and David wrote Psalm 51.
What I do next is, I record everything right here in my journal. I’m just using that to log everything I’m finding, it’s so important, I don’t want to lose it. I hope that you realize this three-step process should become a habit. My goal is to do this for all 1,189 chapters. I basically have done that already, in my hundred times reading through, but now what I’m doing is I’m typing in what I’ve found in my journal. I’m typing in all that scribbling in my Bible and I’m making that a part of how to do Bible devotions course. This is a way you can study the whole Bible, just like I have for my whole lifetime. I would encourage you, if you do this and if you look for lessons, and find as many lessons, and truths, and doctrines as you can find, write them in your own words.
Here again is the best part, right? A prayer in which you ask the Lord to unleash those truths into your life. That’s the most transforming.
Here’s my journal. Basically, in my journal at the top I have, 52 greatest chapters week eight, 2 Samuel 11. You notice, the longer I work on this, I get more titles.
- David and Bathsheba, and Our Holy, Ever-present, Watching God.
- How to Avoid Ruining your Life and Testimony with Sexual Sin. That’s what the chapter is about.
- The Secret of David’s Moral Failure. How a world famous man fell so far, so fast, so hard.
- Here’s a great title, Ignoring God’s Warnings… remember verse 3? The servant has said, oh, that’s somebody else’s wife… Always Leads to Disaster.
Then, I summarized. This event is an illustration of Galatians 6:7-8. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked.” Whatever you sow, you’ll reap.
Here are the lessons I found.
Number one, temptation often strikes from were alone. Proverbs 18:1 reminds us that people that like to be alone, often want to do their own things. We’re like sheep going astray. The gravity around us, the fallen world in our flesh and the devil, pulls us down. It’s not good to be alone. Surround yourself with others that are seeking the Lord and help each other to seek after the Lord. That’s accountability. I just taught a class on that this week, the benefits of accountability.
Number two through four, temptation strikes when we’re unscheduled, when we’re under disciplined, when we stop looking away from things God calls wicked. Instead, we stare at them. David focused his heart on physical desires. Remember what James 1 says and 2 Timothy? All of these things I’m writing, and finding, and cross-referencing.
Number five, David didn’t heed the warning that God sent him a roadblock. He just blew right past it. That was the worst thing David did. God said stop, there’s a way out. David said no, and he plowed into sin.
David took her. He didn’t care about the cost. Remember my list of anticipated consequences? I would encourage you, especially any of you that are preparing to serve the Lord the rest of your life. You can be disqualified if you’re not careful. Every time you say, well, I’m going to just do this one more time. I’m going to look at that site one more time, I’m going to watch that movie, I’m going to be with that person one more time, then I’m going to quit. No! You’ll never be in the future what you’re not becoming right now. Become a young man, a young woman that flees sin today. Start fleeing today.
David tried to cover his sin. That’s just how we are. Remember Adam and Eve in week two? Uriah was a noble man of principle. David wrote a death warrant. You can read that right there. You will this week as you’re studying.
Then David’s heart gets hardened.
Remember verse 27, all that really matters is what God thinks, and God was displeased.
Now… this is me going over into chapter 12. God described David’s lust as a traveler and wayfaring person that came unexpectedly. If you’re not with your guard up, Satan can bring this wandering desire that just bursts into flame and horribly destroys our relationship with the Lord and those around us.
David knew the law and the fourfold restitution. He paid that price, his firstborn of Bathsheba. Then Ammon, Absalom, and Adonijah. I covered that with you all.
Sin, I already showed you this, despises God’s command. Sin invites calamity.
Look at this, my 16th observation. David confessed, offered no excuses, and was forgiven. Remember the nine greatest words of any relationship, including our relationship with the Lord? I was wrong. I am sorry. Please forgive me. That’s what David did with God.
Sin makes God’s enemies to rejoice. Then here’s the whole section on desensitization.
Here’s my prayer. Lord, David was a man after your own heart. That’s what Acts 13 says. Yet, he fell so far. Help me guard against temptation and heed your warnings. I want to please you not displease you. I want to hate sin. I want to respond to the obstacles you place in my way to protect me from sin. I don’t want to try and manage my sin, but rather kill, mortify, them by your grace. I never want to displease you my Lord, and cause your enemies to rejoice. In Jesus name, Amen.
That’s the prayer I wrote after spending all week long in this chapter. Remember our theme of this whole study, as we get close to winding down? Jeremiah 15:16. In the playlist is a whole session just on this verse. “Your words were found.” That’s my searching, writing, reading, marking, underlining. “I ate them.” That’s me meditating and praying this application back to God. “Your word.” God’s word unleashed in my life gives me “joy and rejoicing of my heart.” I am transformed. Did you know I’ve been transformed today by being in the word of God?
Bonnie and I, we’re in this fifth studio doing virtual classes. We’re in the midst of the storm. The sun’s out right now, but it’s an ice storm. We can’t drive. The pipes are frozen. Thankfully, the electricity and heat are on but outdoor, the water pipes coming in here and they’re working on all that, are frozen. But you know what? I have joy and rejoicing. I’ve been transformed by the word of God today. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Get in the word. Don’t let life drag you down, and your finances, and your job. Get in the word. What’s the promise? “I’m called by your name.” I’m identified with the Lord God of hosts.
Real quickly. I always end with these two challenges. Number one, find someone you can share your findings and application prayer with. You can find someone different every week. You can just say, hey, I’m in this course, I need to do this, can I do it with you? People at work, fellow students, your roommates, your family. But you know what the best thing is? To find someone that you say, hey, why don’t you go through this study with me? We’re on week eight. You can start with me start next week, with Elijah. Have you ever heard of Elijah? We could do that study together. Find someone. Do you know what we’re called to do? Go in the world and make disciples. You know what that means? Find someone that you’re a little further down the road with, that you can show them the pathway. You can show them how you’re learning to read the Bible, and memorize, and pray, and apply the word. We all need someone. I put it this way, here’s me, I need someone that I’m impacting and showing the way, this way. And I need someone that’s a mentor, that I’m saying I want to follow the Lord like you are. To this one, I want to follow the Lord like they are, and to this one I’m saying, follow the Lord like I am. You say, is that bad to say? No. Paul said, be followers together of me like I am of the Lord. For Paul, the Lord was his mentor. For all of us, we find someone in life. I just showed you John Piper, he’s a great mentor, read his books. Your pastor. Your youth leader. Your campus leader. A godly older person in your church. You need someone to speak into your life, and point out areas you could refine, and sharpen, and discipline yourself. All of us are supposed to be pouring our life into someone else. So, find someone.
Number two, start memorizing. And I always show you every week, that’s the back of my phone. Several months old, I’m on a new passage now, but that’s a picture I use to remind you. Start memorizing verses.
Here are the 52 that I would suggest. If you’re doing this for 52 weeks with us, you start learning these verses. You work on them and don’t give up. Don’t discourage yourself. Just pick one, here’s just one. This is week 10 of the MacArthur 52 verses. It’s Psalm 19. The law of the Lord is perfect. Converting the soul. Only the scriptures can come inside and change the nonmaterial part of me; my emotions, my mind, my will, my conscience. Only God can convert the soul, and make us rejoice, and enlighten us. That’s what God’s word can do.
Bonnie and I are missionaries. That’s my wonderful wife who is helping me. She does the switcher studio, and puts all those different banners across, and does all the behind the scenes work. Bonnie and I are missionaries. That means we’re fully supported, we used to be fully supported by local churches and that’s what we did for 35 years. Then the last church we were in, Calvary Bible of Kalamazoo, Michigan, commissioned us and sent us out as missionaries. We work in Sub-Sahara Africa, the Middle East, Central Europe, and all over Asia. Southeast Asia, South Asia, East Asia, everywhere, training in Bible Institutes, and in Bible Colleges, and Seminaries. We’re training the next generation, but we’re also coming alongside the frontline missionaries. I encourage you, if you don’t have a missionary you pray for, then come find me on Facebook, or on YouTube, or somewhere and I’ll send you a prayer card. You can ask for it, just send me a note and say, I need that prayer card. I’d love for you to pray for us. Some of you, the Lord might stir your heart to help us financially. We are faith missionaries. We trust the Lord. We have no backing of some big corporation or anything, no company. We’re just a mission where people give voluntary gifts and every month we get enough money to pay for our travel, staying in this mission housing, all this equipment that’s used, all of that and our living expenses, which costs about $6,000 a month people donate. I just got a note from Queensland Australia with $13 in it. Every little gift helps us to equip, as it says in the prayer card, and mobilized partners reaching the least reached peoples of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Week 8, we discovered 2 Samuel 11 in the 52 chapter study, when David dropped his guard and got devoured by our adversary, the Devil. Let’s pray.
Father, I pray this lesson, that’s so touched my heart, will touch someone’s heart right now, that’s watching this and they will say, I am going to repent. I am going to turn away from that which displeases you. I want you, oh God to make a way of escape for me. I want to start walking your way. I pray that you’d start them, and establish them, and use your word in their life like you’re using it in mine. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Thanks for joining us. God bless you. Work hard on week 8.