Q2. Adultery and Murder

[wifee]

2a)We all even christians can allow our human lustful thoughts&feelings to dictate our actions&make us sin,if we don’t take action,to avert our eyes from provative images,or avoid other situations of great temptation.Sin of any sort,makes us more vulnerable to other sin,as our spiritual defences are lowered,devil tempts us to seek to try &cover up first sin

b)Our human condition is born into sin,weakened by satan’s grip on us as flesh rules.We are in a spiritual battle &need heavens to keep us from falling to human sinful temptations.Jesus has won the victory over death&we need his help to keep us on right track.Without Christ we are unrighteous

.c)We are sinful,often not think we know how to acr,but that independent thinking means we dont rely on The Lord to lead us.

d)David never fully recovered,though he repented,&asked for God’s forgiveness,memory of actions stayed with him.He enquired of the LORD for his future actions re war &survival as king to

keep in the will of God.God had a plan of rescue.

[WinstonY]

Q2. (2 Samuel 11) How can a “man after God’s own heart” do something so ugly, so despicable as this – first adultery and then murder by proxy to cover it up? What does this teach us about our human condition? What is our problem as humans? How can David ever recover his integrity after this?

It is amazing how sinful man can be when **** fills his heart! When lustful sin takes over then a man can do almost anything.

A problem is that it is hard to admit to sin.

To recover his integrity and David must acknowledge his sins before God and receive forgiveness.

[Zibuyile]

1. David commit adultery and murder, What does this teach us about our human condition? As human we found ourselves following  the **** of the the flesh , which cause us problems in long run. David after realising what he has done ended up committing  murder to cover up his tracks.

2.What is our problem as humans?

We do not allow Holy Spirit to lead us at all times   and when temptation comes we yield to it without thinking about consequences. 

3.How can David recover his integrity after this? Through repentance and asking God for forgiveness

[crissy464]

David is still a man and can still sin

We will all pay for our sins

He will have to live with his sin, it may come back to bite him
 

[Irmela]

Q2. (2 Samuel 11) How can a "man after God's own heart" do something so ugly, so despicable as this -- first adultery and then murder by proxy to cover it up?

What does this teach us about our human condition?

What is our problem as humans?

How can David ever recover his integrity after this?

We are unpredictable and untrustworthy.  Without God we are lost.  We are warned to WATCH and PRAY .  The devil knows our weaknesses and when we are most vulnerable he will work on them and before we know it, we will fall, if we do not call out to God to help us STAND.  We are to RESIST the devil and then he will flee from us. But if we give in to him by just savouring a thought in the wrong direction, he pounces on us and leads us to where we don't want to be.  Before we know it we are in sin.  The way out is to confess and repent  from whatever we did and allow Christ to restore as only He can.  When David was approached by Nathan and his eyes were opened to what he had done, he did just that.  He acknowledged his sin before God and repented of what he had done.  

[Krissi]

Perhaps David’s adultery is a consequende of having the power to forcefully demand any woman to have sex with him – poor Bathsheba was just the latest. What happened to Bathsheba's family wasn't "just" adultery and murder, but also rape. We just finished learning how David forcibly “retrieved” Michel from her husband. Though David had legitimate claim on this woman as she had been given to David by her father, note that David took her without caring about her husband’s sobbing and broken heart. He had that same callous attitude  toward Uriah, an innocent, loyal and good man.

Both Bathsheba and Michel grew to resent and dislike David. Note this.

It is important to control our circumstances ... when possible. If our circumstances encourage a particular sin, sinning in this way is more likely. If circumstances do NOT treat a particular sin as socially/spiritually reprehensible, and if Christians are trained to think of those who do NOT sin in this way as "socially backward" or “judgmental,” it’s even easier to sin. This may be a strong argument for “legislating morality." If morality is not legislated, our tendencies toward sin may be great enough to push us over the edge. Our circumstances, then,  either afford us with the opportunity to sin or shield us from the opportunity to sin. To the degree to which we choose our circumstances, we also choose how badly we are tempted.

David let his circumstances control him rather than controlling his circumstances.

Truly godly and good people slip up. Pastors who have had affairs, for example, are usually sincere and mature Christians.with clay feet. It wasn't only important that David control his own circumstances, but allow others to help him control his circumstances. A pastor’s circumstances should be hedged by men/women who vigilantly watch for avenues of sin … and block them.

This is necessary because those whom God has put in positions of power and authority have the furthest to fall. Most of us don’t have the power that David possessed to enable us to actualize our sinful tendencies, praise God. Our circumstances restrict us. 

David’s sin was horrible, no doubt, and negatively impacted the rest of his life. As a younger man, David had God’s constant favor – he won battles, evaded his own murder and eventually became king … by the grace of God. But as David’s life progressed, he became lax. Rather than fighting on the battlefield, for example, David was home pushing paper. Running a kingdom, of course, must be done but not necessarily by David who isn’t remembered as an able administrator but as a powerful warrior. He could have delegated this job, but didn’t. We don’t know why. A good kings/leaders puts the best people below him and know when and how to delegate.

We know that David willingly sent his men into battle led by his general Joab but did not join them. We surmise, then, that for whatever reason, David didn’t want to fight. Maybe God had told him to go fight and he disobeyed. Maybe he was tired. Maybe he was lazy. The bible can be so frustratingly laconic.

 We also know that David was home and (maybe) doing tasks for which he was ill-suited, bored and frustrated, like administration. Because he was in these circumstances, he sinned. Had he been on the front lines, he may have been  protected from sinning by the proximity and constant interaction with the thirty top soldiers, including Uriah. David may have missed his calling. Who knows. We do know he didn't remove himself from circumstances that enabled him to sin. David could have, and perhaps should have, been fighting. Instead, he was at home wallowing in circumstances that didn’t reign in his sexual appetite. Did he know himself … did he know his own weaknesses? 

As a Christian, I am responsible for controlling my circumstances. I sin not merely at the moment of sinning, but from not keeping myself in circumstances that hinder sin. If I know we have a weakness, I must confess it, bring it to the Lord, and then re-organize circumstances so I am not pressured to sin. Most of the time I can do things that prevent sin. Little things. I’m thinking of how pastor’s keep their office door open when counseling a person who could tempt in some manner, or staying away from church finances if putting one’s hand in the till is a constant desire -- that's manipulating circumstance to avoid sin.

 David never recovered fully. He recovered his rightness before God – he confessed, repented and made restitution. This did NOT remove the consequences of his sin, though God can graciously alter the impact of sin.  Furthermore, it did NOT remove the loss of reputation that sin created. David’s reputation as a man of God was muddied after this sin, so much so that it is the bible records it.  He is known not only for killing Goliath, etc., but for murdering a man to cover up rape.

David could have repented after raping Bathsheba and then finding out she was pregnant … had he done so, at least the murder would not have occurred. Perhaps he could have confessed to Uriah his sin, received Uriah’s forgiveness (maybe?) and compensated Uriah by making him the ruler of a territory. A second lesson to learn is to repent as soon as possible. When a sin is committed, large or small, repent quickly before it snowballs. 

[Nicolaas A.P. Mostert]

Q2. (2 Samuel 11)

How can a "man after God's own heart" do something so ugly, so despicable as this -- first adultery and then murder by proxy to cover it up?

David was overtaken by **** that he cannot control. In GOD's eyes **** is a sin.

What does this teach us about our human condition?

Don't let your ****, your temptations over rule your.  

What is our problem as humans?

The human challenge is about me and me alone. 

How can David ever recover his integrity after this?

GOD knew what he has done, his palace members knew it, his integrity is in vain. Although he repent for his wrong doing to GOD, the people will have anther perception of him.

[LadyT]

Q2. (2 Samuel 11) How can a “man after God’s own heart” do something so ugly, so despicable as this – first adultery and then murder by proxy to cover it up? We're all human which means we're imperfect. Though it severely disgusts and saddens me, I take the lesson that even one who God loves and "knows" is after God's heart, effortlessly fell into sin.

What does this teach us about our human condition? We're selfish, impulsive, and shady.

What is our problem as humans? Our sinful ways.

How can David ever recover his integrity after this? In my eyes, he couldn't, but God gave him a punishment, and forgave him. It still baffles me when David says he was completely innocent and guilt-free at the end of his life.