David's Life - A Warning to Christians (Part 3)

6. David's failures. A. David multiplied wives unto himself. i. Kings were forbidden to multiply wives unto themselves (Deu 17:17). ii. Multiply - 1. trans. To cause to become much, many, or more; to make many or manifold; to augment the number, amount, or quantity of. iii. David had at least 10 wives and 10 concubines. a. Michal - (1Sa 18:27) b. Abigail - (1Sa 25:40-42) c. Ahinoam - (1Sa 27:3) d. Maacha - (2Sa 3:3) e. Haggith - (2Sa 3:4) f. Abital - (2Sa 3:4) g. Eglah - (2Sa 3:5) h. Bathsheba - (2Sa 12:24) i. David then took more concubines and wives (2Sa 5:13). 1) Since he took more wives, that necessarily means he took at least two (2) more in addition to the eight (8) he already had. 2) Since he took more concubines, that necessarily means he already had at least one (1) concubine and took at least two (2) more. 3) David had at least ten (10) concubines (2Sa 20:3). 4) Concubine - 1. A woman who cohabits with a man without being his wife; a kept mistress. In reference to polygamous peoples, as the ancient Hebrews and the Muslims: A ‘secondary wife’ whose position is recognized by law, but is inferior to that of a wife. B. David didn't keep his eyes and his lust under control. i. Though David's wives were no doubt beautiful (1Sa 25:3), the eyes of man are never satisfied (Pro 27:20). a. Marriage is a covenant of the eyes in which a man should not look or think on another woman (Job 31:1). b. A spouse is a covering for the eyes which should prohibit a person from looking at another (Gen 20:16). c. A man should be satisfied only by the body of his wife and no other (Pro 5:15-20). d. Adultery begins by looking on a woman (Mat 5:28). ii. David was walking on his roof one evening and he saw Bathsheba bathing herself (2Sa 11:2). iii. Sin begins with lust (Jam 1:14). a. When a lust first rears its ugly head it should be fled (2Ti 2:22). 1) Youthful - adj. 1. Having or characterized by youth; that is still young. 2) Flee the lust while it is still young before it grows stronger and you can't escape it. 3) David should have fled fornication (1Co 6:18). 4) This is what Joseph did (Gen 39:12). 5) When we are tempted by a sexual lust, we must avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away (Pro 4:14-15). 6) We must put sin far away from us (Job 11:14). b. Lust is a powerful force which tempts, draws away, and entices us (Jam 1:14). 1) Tempt - v. II. To try to attract, allure, incite, induce. 4. trans. To try to attract, to entice (a person) to do evil; to present attractions to the passions or frailties of; to allure or incite to evil with the prospect of some pleasure or advantage. 2) Drawn - 1. a. Moved by traction; dragged, hauled, pulled; attracted; extracted; protracted; strained, stretched, made thin by tension. 3) Entice - v. 1. trans. To stir up, incite, instigate (to a course of action); also to provoke (to anger). Obs. 2. To allure, attract by the offer of pleasure or advantage; esp. to allure insidiously or adroitly. Often const. from, to (a course of conduct, a place). Also with away, in. c. Lust will lead us away (2Ti 3:6). 1) Lead - v. 1. trans. To cause to go along with oneself. †a. To bring or take (a person or animal) to a place. Also with away, down, etc. 2) Lust has power; when someone is led away they are caused to go along. d. Sexual lust is especially strong and will ravish you (Pro 5:20; Pro 7:22). 1) Ravish - 1. a. trans. To seize and carry off (a person); to take by violence, to tear or drag away from (a place or person). Now somewhat rare. †Also, to sweep or carry away; to drag off (to or into a place). 2) Sexual lust will cause you to get carried away. 3) That's exactly how people describe it: "We just got carried away." iv. Rather than turning from his lust and avoiding it, David inquired about who this woman was (2Sa 11:3). a. This is called making provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof , which we are not to do (Rom 13:14). b. Provision - 1. Foresight, prevision; esp. (with trace of sense 2) foresight carefully exercised; looking ahead. (Went out of use in 1530) 2. a. The action of providing; seeing to things beforehand; preparing, or arranging in advance; the fact or condition of being prepared or made ready beforehand. c. By enquiring about Bathsheba, David was preparing to fulfill his lust. v. David then acted on his lust and summoned Bathsheba and laid with her (2Sa 11:4). a. Lust had conceived and become sin (Jam 1:15). b. Lust wasn't the only thing which had conceived; Bathsheba had too (2Sa 11:5). c. Let's bring it home. 1) You're looking innocently at videos on YouTube (walking on the roof). 2) You happen to see a video on the side bar with an enticing picture or title (Bathsheba bathing). 3) Rather than immediately looking away or covering it up with your hand so you can't see it, you stare at it for a while and think to yourself, "Hmmm, I wonder what that video's about?" (enquiring about Bathsheba). 4) You know it's off-limits based on the title and picture, but you click on it anyway (sending for Bathsheba). 5) Once the video starts playing, the temptation is too strong to close it and you watch the whole thing (laying with Bathsheba when she gets there). 6) Now you have to live with the consequences, which are the images in your mind and the feeling of guilt for looking at it (getting Bathsheba pregnant). vi. Once David found out Bathsheba was pregnant, he then tried to cover his sin. a. He first tried to get Uriah to lie with his wife (2Sa 11:6-9). b. Even after being out at war and away from his wife, Uriah still had more self-control and better morals than David (2Sa 11:10-11). c. Next he got him drunk in order to get him to go in unto her (2Sa 11:12-13). d. Even while drunk, Uriah still had more self-control and better morals than David (2Sa 11:13). e. Next he devised a plan to have him killed (2Sa 11:14-16). f. Lust had conceived and brought forth sin which eventually brought forth death (Jam 1:15). 1) David's sin resulted in Uriah's death (2Sa 11:17). 2) His sin also resulted in his baby's death (2Sa 12:14,18).