Verses 1-5, “It happened in the spring of the year, 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 people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, 'Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?' Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, 'I am with child.' ”
Because David did not go out to battle, he had idleness in his life. This idleness gave David the opportunity to fulfill the lusts of his flesh with Bathsheba. Romans 13:12-14, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” If we are busy with God's business, we will have no time to entertain our flesh. As wives, we need to make sure our attention is on our calling as a helpmate and mother. If we do these things well, we will have little idle time and be too worn out for sinful activities.
If a woman ignores her calling, however, she will often put her faith aside and engage in sinful behavior. This is why widows were told to remarry in order to avoid the temptation. I Timothy 5:11-15, “But refuse the younger widows; for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith. And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some have already turned aside after Satan.” Now with social media, a woman doesn't even have to leave her home in order to cast off her faith and become a busybody.
Verses 6-13, “Then David sent to Joab, saying, 'Send me Uriah the Hittite.' And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered. And David said to Uriah, 'Go down to your house and wash your feet.' So Uriah departed from the king’s house, and a gift of food from the king followed him. 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. So when they told David, saying, 'Uriah did not go down to his house,' David said to Uriah, 'Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?' And Uriah said to David, 'The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my Lord Joab and the servants of my Lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.' Then David said to Uriah, 'Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart.' So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his Lord, but he did not go down to his house.”
Sin is not without consequences. Galatians 6:7-8, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Instead of repenting, David tries to hide his sin by bringing Uriah back from war to lie with his wife so he world think he had conceived a child with her. When that plan was blocked, David got him drunk, hoping he would then give in to sleeping with his wife, but he would not. Uriah actually showed greater character than David, which should have led to conviction and repentance on David's part. But instead he chose to go even deeper into his sin.
Verses 14-21, “In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, 'Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.' So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men. Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also. Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war, and charged the messenger, saying, 'When you have finished telling the matters of the war to the king, if it happens that the king’s wrath rises, and he says to you: “Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who cast a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?”—then you shall say, “Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” ' ”
Because David was unwilling to repent, his sin progressed to the point of murdering Uriah. This is the deceptive nature of sin in our lives. When we are confronted with the truth of our sin, we will either humble ourselves and repent, or harden our hearts and go further down the wrong path, giving strength to our flesh. Feeding our flesh through sin will starve our spirit, leading to spiritual death. It may not happen immediately, but each time you ignore the truth about your sin, you feed the wickedness inside. James 1:14-15, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
Verses 22-27, “So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent by him. And the messenger said to David, 'Surely the men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field; then we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate. The archers shot from the wall at your servants; and some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.' Then David said to the messenger, 'Thus you shall say to Joab: “Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city, and overthrow it.” So encourage him.' When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. And 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 that David had done displeased the Lord.”
Even though David probably convinced himself that he was doing a good thing by marrying Bathsheba who was now widowed, God was not pleased with him. He couldn't just take what he wanted and then ask God to bless it. There was only one way get back in right standing with God, and that was to repent. There are always consequences from the things we set into motion that may not be avoided, even after we are forgiven. Therefore it is better to not have sinned at all, then to do it, and repent later. Many Christians think it is okay to sin because they have God's grace to cover them. Although it is true we can be forgiven, it simply is not worth the cost in our lives (physically, but most importantly, spiritually). Make no mistake, this sin will cost David something. Plus, grace is not free...it cost Jesus everything. By willfully sinning, you insult the Spirit of grace. When you truly understand God's grace, you will desire to live righteously.
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