Bathsheba’s Advent Love
Advent 2024 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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INTRODUCTION:
INTRODUCTION:
This is the final message in our Advent series on the Mother’s of Jesus and we’re closing out the last week of Advent with a message on Advent Love or Peace.
To celebrate Advent this year we’ve been looking at the “Mothers of Jesus” as they’re presented in Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1:1-6.
We celebrated hope using the story of Tamar to light the prophet’s candle.
We celebrated faith using the story of Ruth to light the Bethlehem candle.
We celebrated joy using the story of Mary to light the Shepherds candle.
Today we’re lighting the fourth and final candle of Advent, the Angel’s candle.
The angel’s candle refers to their announcement at the birth of Jesus. Luke 2:10-14
10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to people he favors!
Given this proclamation, some refer to the Angel’s candle as the candle of “peace.”
Other traditions focus on God’s love for ALL PEOPLE and refer to this candle as the candle of “love.”
The story of Uriah’s wife - our remaining mother of Jesus - illustrates both truths in the most compelling way.
Disordered & Divine Love
Disordered & Divine Love
The story of David and Bathsheba is a story of disordered love. Disordered love is at the root of all sin and unbelief.
Disordered love is a universal human predicament. The image of God in man has been distorted and the implications afflict every arena in our life: especially the heart and how it loves.
Disordered love is where we love things out of order. We take God, whom we should love the most, and we love something or someone else to a greater degree.
This concept was articulated well by the church Father Augustine. It was also addressed by other men like Pascal, G.K. Chesterton, and C.S. Lewis.
Sometimes disordered love involves loving what is wrong. Sometimes it’s loving something good beyond what we should.
All disordered love leads to personal and relational brokenness.
Personal because of what it does to our own soul. Relational because of what it does to those caught in the crosshairs.
We get hurt. They get hurt. The people committed to us get hurt and the people committed to them also experience the fall out.
All of those things are true in the story of David and Bathsheba.
Their story is our story because we all suffer from disordered loves.
The inclusion of Uriah’s Wife in Jesus’ genealogy is like the inclusion of every other woman who came before her.
Each of these women experienced brokenness in one form or another.
In most cases, their suffering wasn’t even their own fault, at least not their fault alone.
What makes their story so compelling isn’t the destructive power of disordered love.
It is the healing grace of God in redeeming them from that brokenness.
Disorder love can make us sick but the Love of God can heal our soul.
God’s love heals our heart making room for something better.
In the face of great injustice and personal helplessness the LORD chooses to intervene in the story.
It shows us God’s heart for hurting people and his commitment to work all things together for good, for those who love God and are called to his purpose.
DISORDERED LOVE
DISORDERED LOVE
We pick up Bathsheba’s story in 2 Samuel 11. We’re going to begin in verse one and read through chapter 12.
This event took place at a time when David was serving as King over Israel. He was at the height of his success economically and militarily.
1 In the spring when kings march out to war, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.
2 One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. 3 So David sent someone to inquire about her, and he said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hethite?”
4 David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. Now she had just been purifying herself from her uncleanness. Afterward, she returned home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to inform David, “I am pregnant.”
Since we’ve got kids in the room today I have a kid-friendly version as well:
Play Video
David’s story is a reminder that even great men and woman are prone to moral failure. Success and prosperity create a seedbed for spiritual compromise in your life.
That compromise, in this case, began with a decision to send the King’s army into battle while the King stayed behind.
In the winter it was wet and cold. Short days and long nights aren’t conducive for winning ground. That’s why kings and armies went out to wage war in the spring.
David was known as a great warrior. He was renown for his battle with Goliath and his great courage on the battle field. His absence was atypical and noticed by his men. (2 Sam 12:28)
Nevertheless, David’s power and success brought him to a place where he was comfortable abdicating his kingly responsibilities.
Irresponsible and Blind
Irresponsible and Blind
And that’s where disordered love always begins its damage. It tempts us to neglect responsibility.
Disordered love makes us irresponsible. Our eyes grow blind to our personal duty.
From David’s perspective I’m sure it seemed harmless. I’m sure he justified his decision.
He was king, after all. It’s not like he hadn’t already established himself as a brave and courageous warrior. Now was the time to enjoy the fruit of that labor!
Truly, there’s nothing wrong with a little rest and relaxation. But this decision exposed a disordered love in David’s heart.
He was choosing to love himself more than honoring the commitments he had made to God as King.
When we choose comfort over obedience we are paving the way for moral compromise in our life.
The proactive and zealous David of the past had been replaced with a passive and apathetic David more concerned with safety and ease than the responsibilities of the throne.
What about you? Has disordered love ever caused you to neglect responsibility?
Neglected responsibility in the home for social media or TV screen?
Rejected responsibility to pray and read the Bible for an extra hour of sleep?
Rejected responsibility at work because it was too costly to do the right thing?
We all have temptations to neglect responsibility and it usually stems for a disordered love.
We either get turned in on ourselves or we allow good things to become more important to us than they should and displace the duty we have to those more deserving of our affection.
Irrational and Deaf
Irrational and Deaf
David’s decision put him in a context where something even more dangerous would happen.
And that’s illustrated in verse 2. 2 Sam 11:2
2 One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. 3 So David sent someone to inquire about her, and he said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hethite?”
When I heard the story of David and Bathsheba growing up I remember it as Bathsheba being up on the roof taking a bath. Almost like she was flaunting her goods for the world to see.
Almost as if David was minding his business strolling on the roof and BAM: Bathsheba overthrew him with her sensual prowess. (as per Lenard Cohen in Hallelujah)
“Your faith was strong but you needed proof. You saw her bathing on the roof. Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.”
But that’s not exactly what’s happening here. David is on the roof. Bathsheba more likely is in a public bathing place or bathing place in her home.
In either case there would’ve been big walls to conceal her but David’s vantage point enables him to be a peeping Tom.
He should’ve looked away but he didn’t. Instead, he sent a messenger to inquire about her. But before the messenger even leaves to do the job he caution’s David against such an act (for he knew what David intended to do.)
“Isn’t this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hethite.”
In other words, “of all the women you might invite to your bedroom are you sure you want to go that route?”
She’s the daughter of Eliam.
Eliam was one of the 12 spies sent to help take the promised land.
He was one of the David’s best military leaders and closest political confidants. (2 Sam 23:34)
Not only that, she’s the husband of Uriah the Hethite.
Uriah was also one of David’s 30 heroes or mightiest warriors in Israel. (2 Sam 23:39)
Surely, David, you don’t want to call Bathsheba. Not only is she a married woman she is married to one of your best and most loyal warriors and the daughter of one of your closest friends.
But disordered love makes us irrational. Our ears become deaf and we ignore sound judgment.
Immoral and Numb
Immoral and Numb
But David moves forward anyway. 2 Sam 11:4-5
4 David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. Now she had just been purifying herself from her uncleanness. Afterward, she returned home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to inform David, “I am pregnant.”
The comment about Bathsheba’s ritual purification is added here for two reasons I think.
One is to juxtapose Bathsheba’s commitment to the Law (Lev 15:19-21) with David’s utter disregard.
The other is to help the reader understand that Bathsheba’s pregnancy can’t be the result of any other act other than the act that was committed by David.
It was NO QUESTION that the baby belonged to David and his unjust actions against Bathsheba.
Again, I grew up understanding this story as two badly motivated characters doing a sinful act.
But upon a closer reading it seems as though David is the MORE guilty party and might’ve even committed this act against Bathsheba’s consent.
We never have any indication that she was unhappy in her marriage.
David sent not one but TWO messengers to bring her into his presence.
They weren’t forthright in their explanation and so she might’ve come on false pretenses.
Certainly it’s up to debate. The word rape is never used but it’s also not out of the question.
Which leads to the last thing disordered love creates in the heart.
Disordered makes us immoral. Our souls become numb and we justify bad behavior.
We neglect our personal responsibility.
We reject outside wisdom and warning.
We excuse immoral behavior.
Insecure and Anxious:
Insecure and Anxious:
When David realizes that Bathsheba is pregnant David goes into “cover up” mode to hide his sinful actions.
This too is natural human behavior.
6 David sent orders to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hethite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the troops were doing and how the war was going. 8 Then he said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king followed him. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the palace with all his master’s servants; he did not go down to his house.
It’s obvious what David is trying to do. He’s trying to cover his tracks and send Uriah home to Bathsheba so that when the baby is born he’ll be done the wiser.
The problem is, Uriah didn’t want to go home. When David asks him about it his answer tells you everything you need to know about the kind of man Uriah was.
10 When it was reported to David, “Uriah didn’t go home,” David questioned Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a journey? Why didn’t you go home?”
11 Uriah answered David, “The ark, Israel, and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his soldiers are camping in the open field. How can I enter my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live and by your life, I will not do this!”
12 “Stay here today also,” David said to Uriah, “and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.
The integrity and resolve of this man is incredible. He’s a real man’s man. The juxtaposition of his greatness compared to David’s scheming and evil plotting is so striking.
David knows that Uriah isn’t going to go home so his next attempt is to keep Uriah around for a few days and after he had let down his defenses try and get him inebriated so he would be tempted to go back home to his wife.
13 Then David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and David got him drunk. He went out in the evening to lie down on his cot with his master’s servants, but he did not go home.
If you put yourself in the shoes of David the one thing he must be feel with increasing intensity is insecurity.
He’s the king of Israel but he can’t hide from the sin he commited against Uriah and his wife.
Disordered love always leaves us feeling insecure. Our heart becomes anxious to conceal our sin.
It’s such an irony because people pursue disordered loves in order to treat insecurity.
Maybe David was insecure about his looks or his power or the allegiance of his servants. So he commits this unspeakable act to treat that insecurity.
But instead of making him more secure he becomes LESS secure. Why? Because he can’t control Uriah’s Behavior.
Insane and Deformed
Insane and Deformed
Knowing there was nothing he could do THROUGH Uriah to cover his sin. David decides to do something WITH Uriah to cover his tracks.
He sends a letter back to Joab, his general, with instructions to put Uriah at the very front of the war line. 2 Sam 11:14-15
14 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote:
Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest fighting, then withdraw from him so that he is struck down and dies.
David’s heart had to have been extremely calloused to get to this point.
He’s so afraid of being exposed in his sin that he’s willing to commit an even greater sin (forcing a general to ensure the death of his soldier) and he doesn’t even blink in the process.
After receiving the letter Joab does what he’s told.
He puts Uriah at the front of the fiercest fighting and not only does he get killed but a lot of other good soldier get killed as well. (2 Sam 11:16-17)
Anticipating David’s displeasure, he sent word that Uriah had died in the careless military act. I think this was Joab’s way of saying, “I know what you’re trying to do.” (2 Sam 11:18-24)
Again, showing the calloused nature of his heart and his desperation to cover his crime he sends a letter back to Joab saying “Don’t let this matter upset you because the sword devours all alike.” (2 Sam 11:25)
Bathsheba gets news of her husband’s death she mourns his loss. Amazingly, “When the time of mourning ended, David had her brought to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. However the LORD considered what David had done to be evil.” (2 Sam 11:26-27)
This is what disordered love does to the human heart.
Disordered love makes us irresponsible, irrational, immoral and insecure.
This culminates in a fifth and final soul sickness. Disordered love makes us insane. We become desperate to save ourselves.
It makes you so blind, deaf, numb and insecure that you start acting insane in an effort to save yourself from the hell of your own making.
Personal Application
Personal Application
The reason I can speak so descriptively of disordered love is because I also know for 1st hand experience.
There’s a natural desire in every human heart to love and be loved because we’re made in the image of God.
But because of sin we exchange God’s design for the counterfeit and start to love lesser things with the intensity that we ought to reserve for God alone.
When we make those good things an ultimate thing that’s essentially idolatry. Idolatry leaves us a mere shell of who were were. It hollows us out and leaves us wanting more and more.
And the disordered love that drives our life doesn’t just bring about brokenness in our life. It also brings about brokenness in the ones caught up in the crossfire.
Even innocent bystanders like the warriors who died or Joab the general. Love makes us stupid. And stupid loves make us even more stupid.
That’s why God was gracious and kind in not leaving us to our disordered loves but showing us an even greater and better love through his own actions in the world.
DIVINE LOVE
DIVINE LOVE
Disordered loves are not the end of our story. The disordered love that destroyed Uriah and his Wife was met with an even greater love from the Lord God in heaven.
This Divine love is revealed in 2 Samuel 12 with God sending Nathan the prophet to David and confronting him in his sin.
Since we’ve got little kids in the service I’ll show you Nathan’s confrontation using this video.
SHOW VEGGIE TALES VIDEO
2 Samuel 12:7a; 9(CSB)
7 Nathan replied to David, “You are the man!… You struck down Uriah the Hethite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife- you murdered him with the Ammonite’s sword.”
That’s a little more serious than a rubber ducky.
Between the Lord’s very direct and detailed description of David’s sin he also reminds him of all of his previous works of grace in David’s life.
“I anointed you king of Israel.”
“I rescued you from Saul.”
“I gave you plenty of wives.”
“I gave you the entire kingdom of Israel and Judah”
“And I would have given you even more.”
2 Samuel 12:9 (CSB)
9 Why then have you despised the Lord’s command by doing what I consider evil?
Pursues Unworthy Sinners
Pursues Unworthy Sinners
One of the things that Nathan’s accusation shows us about God’s love is that it’s a proactive and pursuing love.
Divine Love Pursues Unworthy Sinners
The Lord wasn’t waiting for David to come around and find repentance in his own strength. He thought he had gotten away with it and when you can avoid the pain of shame you do!
But God is so gracious and so kind that he brings us to a place of repentance even when we’re too stubborn to go there ourselves. This is the kind initiating grace of God in our life.
As we sometimes sing in the song “Glorious Day”
“I was buried beneath my shame. Who could carry that kind of weight?”
“It was my tomb. Till I met you.”
“I was breathing but not alive. All my failures I tried to hide.”
“It was my tomb. Til I met you.”
“You called my name THEN I ran out of that grave.
Out of the darkness into your glorious day.”
Oh the Love of God that pursues us in our sin. Our Father doesn’t wait for us to come to our senses. He comes out every day and looks and invites us to come back home.
In Luke 15 it was the shepherd who left the 99 to find the one. It was the woman who lost the choice and looked everywhere, cleaning the house until she found the coin that was lost.
That’s the love of God for unworthy sinners. He pursues us in our sin!
Punishes Unjust Actions
Punishes Unjust Actions
But God’s love doesn’t just pursue is in our sin. It also punishes unjust actions. After confront David in his sin the Lord reveals the punishment his actions would unleash.
10 Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hethite to be your own wife.’
11 “This is what the Lord says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you from your own family: I will take your wives and give them to another before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them in broad daylight. 12 You acted in secret, but I will do this before all Israel and in broad daylight.’ ”
We don’t have time to go into the details but each of these prophetic words end up coming true in David’s life.
His family from this point forward is marked by strife within and without. (For a man with 8 wives and numerous concubines this was a disaster waiting to happen)
David oldest son, Amnon, raped his step sister Tamar (2 Sam 13:1-20)
Avenging his sister, Absolom (David’s son with Maacah) killed Amnon. (2 Sam 13:21-29)
Taking it a step further Absalom revolts against David through a civil war. (2 Sam 15-18)
Even after all that commotion in his old age one of his younger sons (Adonijah) tried to usurp the throne. (1 Kings 1-2)
As for the dishonoring of David he gets mocked by Shimel while his son Absalom slept with his father’s concubines on the roof in front of all of Israel. (2 Sam 16:22)
Each of these consequences were a result of David’s sin and it’s a reminder that God’s love for sinners doesn’t invalidate his justice for those who have been sinned against.
Divine Love Will Punish Unjust Actions
It’s important that God be a just judge lest his love and mercy towards David become insult to injury in the eyes of Bathsheba.
God is not mocked. Whatever a person sows is what he’s going to reap. (Gal 6:7)
Beside this one act, David was righteous before the Lord. (1 Kings 15:5). Even so, the fallout of his sin with Bathsheba unlocked a whirlwind of brokenness and chaos.
Each were acts of divine wrath and discipline on the sin that was committed.
Provides Undeserved Forgiveness
Provides Undeserved Forgiveness
But even though all of those things were true. The Lord also shows David great mercy and grace.
Even though the consequences of his sin could not be avoided. His relationship with God would remain intact.
13 David responded to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Then Nathan replied to David, “And the Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die. 14 However, because you treated the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die.” 15 Then Nathan went home.
The Lord struck the baby that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became deathly ill.
Not only does the baby born to David and Bathsheba become really sick. He ultimately dies and goes to heaven. (2 Sam 12:16-23)
On the surface these three verses feel like a contradiction.
David, your sins are horrific and will bring death upon your house.
David, your sins are forgiven because the Lord has taken then away.
It reminds me of the famous passage in Exodus 34 when the LORD revealed his name and covenant love to Moses in the burning bush.
6 The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed:
The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.
What a contrast between two unchanging realities about the Lord. He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love but he WILL NOT leave the guilty unpunished.
So Divine Love Punishes Unjust Actions. But it also Pursues Unworthy Sinners and Provides Undeserved Mercy.
He both punishes the guilty and forgives the sinner. How can both of these things be true?
Resolving The Tension
Resolving The Tension
This tension in Exodus, revealed again in 2nd Samuel is only resolved in the cross of Jesus Christ.
The reason God was able to be both JUST and JUSTIFIER of David in this immoral act is because of the redemption price that one one day be paid through the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is what Paul talks about in Romans 3.
“All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23)
But God has revealed a righteousness apart from the Law in the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, everything in the OT was paving the way for his arrival. (Rom 3:21-22)
25 God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. 26 God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
Just as the innocent son of David and Bathsheba suffered death for the crimes of David, God’s Beloved Son Jesus suffered death for the every sin of every person.
It was only through Jesus that God could demonstrate the fullness of his divine love.
A love that pursues sinners who are unworthy.
A love that punishes the guilty who are unjust.
A love that provides forgiveness though undeserved.
This is the love of God for us in Jesus Christ.
Paves the Way the Peace
Paves the Way the Peace
And the reason you know that this passage is about Jesus is because the second son born to David and Bathsheba becomes the seed through who the promised Messiah comes.
6 and Jesse fathered King David.
David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife,
After the LORD struck David’s firstborn with Bathsheba they have another child named Solomon. 2 Sam 12:24-25
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba; he went to her and slept with her. She gave birth to a son and named him Solomon. The Lord loved him, 25 and he sent a message through the prophet Nathan, who named him Jedidiah, because of the Lord.
Guess what Solomon’s name means? Shelomoh is derived from the popular Hebrew word “shalom.” It means peace, wholeness or completeness.
Interestingly enough, when Nathan hears about Solomon’s birth he doesn’t name him Solomon he names him Jedidiah.
Why? Because of the LORD.
The name Jedidiah means beloved of the LORD.
And Solomon was uniquely loved by God and was used instrumentally to advance God’s redemptive plan.
It’s so fascinating. The Lord STRUCK one son of David and the LOVES the second son.
Each of these things were true of God’s one and only son Jesus on the cross.
He was struck for our sins even though he had lived a sinless live of love and obedience to the Father.
It was only through this act that we could experience God’s advent peace.
God’s divine love paves the way for ultimate peace.
Without God’s peace God’s love would destroy us.
That’s why so many are afraid of drawing near to God because the light of his love exposes the darkness and sin in our live. Love doesn’t rejoice at wrongdoing. It rejoices in the truth.
The only way we can survive that kind of love is if someone intervenes and establishes peace in place of that relational hostility.
This peace from God enables us to draw near and receive his love. A love that no longer has to destroy us. Rather, it’s a love that forgives and heals us.
A love that is displayed through God’s Beloved on the cross.
Solomon - the beloved son of peace ultimately points to the ultimate beloved son The Lord Jesus Christ, our eternal prince of peace.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
If you’ve not yet received the peace of God through Christ, then you’re missing out on the greatest gift of Christmas.
Jesus is our prince of peace and because of Jesus we too can become beloved of God.
In fact, God has already demonstrated that Love. All that’s required of you is to receive it.
How do you receive God’s peace and love into your life? The same way that David did it.
You acknowledge you sins have separated you from God.
You confess your sin before the Lord, repent of it and turn away from that life.
In confessing your sin before God you also confess Jesus as Lord.
You turn away from your sin and turn your eyes towards Jesus, the author and source of salvation.
You receive God’s love for you not because of what you do or don’t do but because of what God did FOR YOU through Jesus on the cross.
That doesn’t mean you won’t still experience the consequences of bad actions. It does mean that God’s love for you will never end.
And, no matter how bad things may get on this side of heaven - the reality is this hell is the closest to hell you’re ever going to be.
Jesus suffered hell on the cross for you so that one day this brokenness will be swallowed up by glory.
