Tag Archives: Bathsheba

Goliath was Defeated by David, But What Giants Are YOU Facing?

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Goliath was one of a race of Giants who afflicted Israel. For years the Philistines had held their ground on the plains of Canaan. The tribe of Dan, assigned to the Philistine border cities, gave up their promised land and relocated completely. Powerful Philistine soldiers were said to be larger-than-life descendants of the Nephilim. They had state-of-the-art weaponry and embarrassed Israel on the battlefield more than once. Goliath, apparently, was notable even among the powerful Philistines. Day after day he would patrol the front lines, taunting the Hebrew soldiers to come out and fight him. From seemingly out of nowhere, and without armor or military prowess, the young shepherd David killed Goliath in the name of the Lord of Hosts and changed Israel’s history.

What giants are you afflicted with? Let’s define a giant as anything bigger than you are. We get plenty of those kinds of problems in life, and it seems they come in lots of different sizes. Giants can taunt us in front of everyone or come right out of nowhere to challenge us. People call them by different names, and they come at us from everywhere: disaster, tragedy, temptation, illness. Heck, they can even attack us from within: giants of our own devising who call us out and challenge us to battles we are bound to lose. As Oscar Wilde said, “I tell you there are great and terrible temptations which it takes strength–strength and courage–to yield to.” David may have beaten Goliath, but later he faced even bigger giants away from the battlefield, and he lost.

You know the story. David saw Bathsheba and wanted her. His personal giants called him to yield, and he did. When Bathsheba became pregnant, David’s giants got bigger, and they challenged him to fix things himself rather than going to God for help. His decisions led him to do despicable things you would not have thought possible from such a successful, godly man. The man who wrote Psalms and sang praises to God committed adultery and murder. The King exercised personal power and position to cover up his sin. Watch the true crime documentaries or read the headlines. It happens today. To varying degrees, it happens in your own house. We all face giants, and we all fall.

Everybody’s Giants

After failing greatly, and after being broken and utterly humbled, he prayed:
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” (Ps 51:1-2). If you ever want to pray scripture, this is a pretty good verse to pick. For me, this plea from David is at the heart of the Psalms, and it is also at the heart of our entire world.

David triumphed over Goliath, but Goliath wasn’t the giant who ultimately brought David down. Like many of us, David’s greatest giants attacked him from within. His prayer in this verse goes to the heart of how David had to deal with the other giants in his life.

David wasn’t a great example because he was righteous or close to perfect. He was great because he understood his need to be forgiven. His Psalms say things like, “Turn, O Lord, and deliver my soul. Save me because of your loving devotion.” (Psalm 6:4). David couldn’t function as king without God’s grace. He couldn’t function as a man without forgiveness. God–the Righteous Judge–is also the only source of forgiveness in our world. David knew that mercy comes from unfailing love, and that love only comes from God.

The Need for Mercy

God’s forgiveness manifests itself in grace, a transaction where someone gets forgiven, even when they don’t deserve it. As Paul said in Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved, and that not of yourselves…” It is grace that facilitates mercy, and it is mercy that we need. Think for a moment about how important forgiveness has been in your life, about how many times what seemed lost has been restored, and how many relationships, seemingly broken, were repaired by forgiveness.

What if there were NO grace? How would life be if we just removed all grace from the world? What if nobody forgave anybody? How would you then feel about those who had wronged you or slighted you? Take away grace and how would you treat them? What giants would be unleashed in every human endeavor? How would you feel about yourself, if all of your transgressions remained on your conscience like an open wound? Who would you be?

The human world would literally tear itself apart without the grace and mercy that are required to interact every day. Of all the animals, man alone needs and exercises forgiveness, in both the very personal way of dealing with our own iniquity, and in the public way we need to forgive others and need to be forgiven by them. David knew all about that, and the way he threw himself humbly on God’s mercy is more of an example to us than how he handled Goliath. We all have giants to slay. We all need God to slay them.

David Found Grace

David fought Goliath in the name of the Lord of Hosts;
He did not fear the bluster in the giant’s prideful boasts.
He fought Goliath as he fought the lion and the bear,
With faith that God would shield him as an answer to his prayer.
Of all the battles that he fought, the hardest one to face
Was when he sinned, and had to call upon the Lord for grace.
His battles weren’t the worst of all the danger he was in:
The greatest danger David faced attacked him from within.
He begged the Lord for mercy, and the Lord forgave his sin.

But what if grace did not exist, and mercy never came?
Do you believe our broken world would ever be the same?
If grace had never happened, could you ever heal your heart?
What bitterness and jealousy would tear our world apart?
How much would ugliness prevail? What knives would evil twist
To cause malignant hate to spread– if grace did not exist?
Remember David’s anguished, heartfelt plea to God above:
“Have mercy on me, Lord, and give me your unfailing love.”
Remember this, regardless of the giants you must face;
What makes this lifetime altogether bearable is Grace.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

Nathan Accused David in Front of Everyone; His Response Was SHOCKING

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In one of the more dramatic moments in Scripture, Nathan stood in David’s court and called him out in front of everybody for being a liar, an adulterer and a murderer. It had to be a shocking moment. Remember that David was described as “A Man After God’s Own Heart”, and that most of the onlookers knew about David’s poems and songs about God. People knew he usually inquired of God before taking action, even in battle. So, was he devout or depraved? Which one of those characteristics REALLY applied to the famous king?

Why do you think the Bible calls King David “a man after God’s own heart”? Certainly he was a great hero, a passionate, poetic lover of God, a courageous man, and a valiant leader. But, he was also a lustful, scheming adulterer and murderer.

A True Glimpse of the Heart

How do we best view God’s heart through the life of David? Was it written in his poems? Displayed in his desire to build the temple? Exemplified by his courage, or his material success? I think it’s in this passage: [Nathan told a heart-rending story about a poor man whose prized lamb was stolen by a rich neighbor. David became outraged at the injustice as Nathan spoke to him in front of his court] [Nathan said,] “The rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “YOU are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:4-7a). Nathan’s story of course represented exactly what David had done to Uriah by sleeping with his wife Bathsheba…

When Nathan confronted David about his sin with Bathsheba, he did so by telling David a story about a poor man whose one cherished lamb was taken from him by a rich, selfish man who had many, but chose to steal from the poor man rather than to be content with his own abundance.

Nathan Took a Chance

When David faced exposure in the midst of his court and under the public eye, he found himself at a crucial moment. He could have followed the normal instincts of an all-powerful king whose word was law. He could have used spin so that he didn’t look so bad. David had the choice to lie, distract and pontificate. As King, David could have denied Nathan’s accusation and just have him killed, right on the spot! Or… he could face truth and consequences.

You might ask yourself how a man who loved God could fall so far. Is it possible that someone who follows God could commit such sins? When I consider my OWN heart, I realize that loving God doesn’t keep me from making mistakes, having hateful thoughts, or harboring selfish sin. Perhaps ALL OF US to some degree can relate to David. We’ve put our own desires before God. We’ve hated or lusted in our hearts. We’ve coveted things more than God’s presence. When I read David’s story and see his sin exposed not just in his own court but in God’s Word for ALL TIME, I think about how God feels about sin, and I wonder…

I’ve always marveled that the great David, “a man after God’s own heart”, would still be known by that title after committing such evil (after all, he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah killed)—but I think it was his response here to Nathan that cemented his legacy. David didn’t posture in self-righteousness; he didn’t lie and cover up. He came to the pivotal transparent moment in his career and he told the truth: He ‘fessed up.

“Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (Verse 13) It was this response–not David’s victory over Goliath or his greatness as a King–that made David a man after God’s own heart. It was the fact that he knew who God was, he had the proper perspective, and even in his failure he came before the Lord in humility and repentance. We learn about God’s heart not from David’s greatness, but from his humility. When is the last time YOU said, “I have sinned against you, Lord”? When a Nathan speaks truth into your life, Be humble. Be great.

David’s Turning Point

David, lover of the Lord
Was home alone–distracted, bored–
Contemplating sensual sin,
And felt its depth, and fell right in.

Deep his capacity to transgress!
But deeper still, a longing to confess:
To bring his broken, contrite heart
Back to the Maker’s matchless art.

Honest now, with no pretense,
No vain attempt at self-defense!
Broken as a consequence…
Confessing. Teaching us that this
Is how to have a heart like His.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book,Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

Sin Happens, But It Takes Real Work to Fall Into It Deeply…

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Sin happens to everybody. We may think somebody is righteous or above the carnal deeds of men, but the Bible says it even happened to “a man after God’s own heart.” “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem…” (2 Samuel 11:1, NIV)

The Wrong Thing to be Famous For

Thus begins the account of perhaps the most famous fall from grace since the Garden of Eden. David, the King of Israel, sent his army out to battle while he stayed back at the palace enjoying all the comforts of home. It’s not like David was cowardly or soft—he was one of the most valiant warriors in Israel’s history—but for whatever reason, he decided to stay home for this campaign. It was the costliest decision he ever made.

“One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her.” (11:2-4) Apparently David, the man after God’s own heart, also had a heart of his own. He spotted Bathsheba, coveted her, sent for her and slept with her.

More Than Meets the Eye

Lest we feel too sorry for these victims of circumstance who just “fell into sin”, think about what each of them did. Sin happens for a reason. There was a reason why David liked to walk the palace roof. I would imagine he was able to spot more than one woman bathing outside hoping the king might notice, or perhaps he had seen this particular woman before, and it was a repeat performance. But was David forced to act on his voyeurism? Didn’t he send for Bathsheba and invite her up for a nightcap? He could have left well enough alone, but instead he took action to put take advantage of Bathsheba’s private show.

Bathsheba was apparently no shrinking violet. (Later on, she is ambitious and resourceful in promoting her son Solomon as heir to the throne). The fact that Bathsheba brazenly displayed herself in view of the King suggests an agenda. This was perhaps a calculated effort on her part to draw the King’s eye and favor. Did Bathsheba know the king was home for the weekend? Did she ALWAYS bathe outside in view of the King’s quarters? Was this merely coincidence?

But the story gets worse. She got pregnant. David called Uriah home so he could sleep with her to provide a logical reason why she would be with child when her husband was off to war; the honorable Uriah refused to go in to sleep with his wife while his own men were out in the field. David, feeling a little desperate, then secretly had Uriah isolated in battle so that he would be killed. An admiring look at a bathing beauty turned into lust, betrayal, adultery, and murder. Left alone with time on his hands, David turned his back on his troops, his responsibilities, and his walk with God.

What Does this Story Have to do With YOU?

We’ve all been there. Well, maybe you haven’t been exactly where David was, but you have definitely turned your back on God to chase a secret sin. I know I have. Sin happens along, beckoning us to play. Oscar Wilde said “I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires strength, strength and courage, to yield to.” We may not want to adhere to Mr. Wilde’s philosophy, but I’m pretty sure each of us has unfortunately found the strength to pursue sin, just like David. Here are a couple of observations taken from his story:

1) When you take yourself away from accountability, responsibility, and good companions, you are vulnerable to sin. My grandmother (and maybe everybody’s grandmother!) used to say, “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” If you are busy staying close to God and His people, you might be too busy to get into mischief.

Step by Step

2) One thing leads to another. You can start with merely “walking around on the roof of the palace” and end up as an adulterer and a murderer. Never forget that depravity is a progressive condition. Like in so many other things in life, even “baby steps” into sin will take us further into sin.

3) All your past victories over Goliath do not guarantee that you will always make the right choice. If you have been spiritually successful, if you are currently the reigning monarch over all you survey, you are still vulnerable to sin. Stay humble. If David, the man after God’s own heart, could fall into sin by following his own desires, remember: You have a heart of your own, too.

Watch Where You Walk

David walked upon the roof, where much to his surprise,
He saw a naked woman bathing, right before his eyes.
The king took steps: he sent for her. He called her, and she came;
For them, and for their nation, things would never be the same.
David saw a woman. It’s a story old but true–
Temptation beckons folks to sin in what they say or do–
So tell me: What temptation beckons secretly to YOU?
Beware when something calls you to immerse yourself in sin:
David walked upon the roof. And looked. And he fell in.
If porn or Pinterest beckons you with something you can covet,
Beware of what can happen if your heart decides to love it.

If you think you are not so bad, and need a little proof,
Just look where David ended up by walking on the roof…

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

Merit Doesn’t Save You and Mistakes Don’t Condemn You: Christmas News Worth Reading

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This genealogy we’ve been following proves that the salvation brought by Jesus as the Messiah is not a Merit System…

Checkered Past

The fourth woman named in Matthew’s genealogy isn’t really ever named outright, but we know who she is. He says, “David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife.” (Matt 1:6) Out of all the royal wives in Israel’s history, Bathsheba was always connected to Israel’s greatest king, and to the king’s greatest sin—and yet it was she who was chosen to carry the line of the Messiah. Based on her reputation, she doesn’t seem to merit inclusion into Christ’s genealogy. (After all, she motivated David to commit adultery and murder, didn’t she?)

Perhaps her name was so tarnished that Matthew couldn’t bring himself to say it. Perhaps, unlike a Ruth or a Rahab, she was unworthy somehow. (This is another one of those accurate details that a more polished narrative would have glossed over somehow. Unlike in today’s politics, the Bible keeps telling the truth when a lie would work so much better…) David had other sons by other wives, and yet Bathsheba’s son Solomon bore the royal lineage. Why did God choose her and him?

More Than a Mere Victim

Two things: first, Bathsheba was more than just a pretty face. She was apparently a pretty shrewd player in palace politics. When Adonijah (not her son) proclaimed himself to be king, she risked her own life to present her case to the aged and infirm King David: “Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king. “What is it you want?” the king asked. She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’ But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it.” (1 Kings 1:16-18 NIV)

Bathsheba brought in the powerful prophet Nathan as an ally, and David confirmed his oath to make Solomon King. Without her brazen resolve, who knows if Solomon would have gained the throne? Or lived another day? In the midst of dangerous and volatile circumstances, she asked the king to keep his promises. Perhaps that is something all of us should do… Next time you are in difficult circumstance, prostrate yourself before the King and ask for His promises! If you ask the right kind of king, I bet you get the right kind of response…

Is Salvation Based on Merit?

Second, I am kinda glad that someone who was connected to such terrible and far-reaching mistakes (David and Bathsheba aren’t the only ones in the genealogy who qualify, by the way) still made this list. It’s not a merit system. The Messiah does not judge you by your mistakes or even your merit. Smack in the middle of a legalistic and self-righteous world of religious intolerance, God brought a Messiah who saved people from sin, rather than merely condemning them for it.

If you have been less than perfect, if you have committed egregious errors, and even if your mistakes have had gut-wrenching and far-reaching consequences, take heart. Jesus understands that stuff because it’s all over the place in his family tree. And he said this: “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13 NIV) Good Christmas news for Bathsheba and David. Good news for Solomon. And very good news for us.

The Good News: God Can Use Sinners

A man of passion, power and might,
The jaded king would find the sight
Of a naked beauty he did not know
An utterly enticing show…
So David called Bathsheba in;
Temptation led to secret sin:
Clandestine meetings, broken trust
And finally, to murderous lust!
And yet these sins, and this disgrace
Did not prevent unfailing Grace,
Or let this evil undermine
The course of the Messiah’s line…
If you look through it, you can see
In Matthew’s genealogy
Imperfect folks like you and me.
From sinners, God made history!
From folks who knew of sin and shame,
The heavenly Messiah came!
Perfection, this Bathsheba missed:
But by God’s Grace, she made this list.
Though Matthew doesn’t say her name,
The world through her would never be the same.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread