Bible Commentaries

THE AWFUL LAPSE

‘The thing that David had done displeased the Lord.’

2 Samuel 11:27

David’s career thus far had been one of singular excellence and attractiveness—not without great weaknesses, and blemishes of character, and many sins. Under Divine direction, and with Divine help, he engaged and conquered all neighbouring hostile nations, and made them tributaries of Israel. During the first half of his reign all his acts and all God’s providences tended toward the ultimate culmination of his power, and of the greatness of his kingdom. And through all his constant exposures to selfish pride and vain glory David stood fast in his integrity, proved himself a man after God’s own heart. But there came a time when, through the sudden blinding power of evil passions, the pure man became vile, and under the prolonged madness of unrepented evil for nearly a year deliberately planned crime after crime, adding baseness to lust and falsehood, and murder to hypocrisy. And from that hour of his great sin began the sad contrast to his previous history. That double grievous offence against God and man shadowed and embittered the latter half of his reign.

I. Now let it be distinctly noted: these sins not only had their aggravating circumstances, but the inspired pen records them.—Not one is withheld. Not only is the crime charged upon David, but its points of special enormity are thoroughly unfolded. There is no attempt to suppress a single fact bearing upon the aggravation and guilt of these sins. Moreover, there is no concealment or suppression of the fact that these great sins were utterly displeasing to God. He did, indeed, forgive the royal penitent; but he took care that these dreadful sins should be rebuked over and over again; brought up to David’s sad remembrance; brought out in sunlight before the nation and before the world. First, the babe is smitten, and after seven days of lingering life and prolonged suffering—David meanwhile on the ground, weeping, fasting, praying—the child dies. Then came those dreadful scenes of lust and murder among his own sons and daughters—Tamar ravished; the guilty Amnon, David’s first-born, murdered by his brother Absalom—how terribly suggestive of his own example before these very children! How hot with scorching rebuke! What griefs harrowed his sensitive spirit when it became known to him and to all Israel that Absalom had outraged his father’s bed! Then he drove that father from his palace, city, and throne. Bitterest of all, Absalom dies in his sins! David could bear the vilest indignities, the basest ingratitude toward himself, the foulest treason, the sadness of enforced exile; but oh! when the tidings came that Absalom was dead—his own guilty son dead—gone—lost, amid the horrors of unpardoned sin—alas! this filled his cup of woe! Did he not then recall his own sin in the matter of Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite? Alas! how does God bring the sins of men to their remembrance, and make them feel in the depth of their souls that it is a fearful thing to sin!

II. Another line of thought and feeling is fitly awakened by these scenes in the life of David.—We cannot think of him as if he were one of the fallen angels—a junior brother of Satan or of Moloch. He was one of our own fallen race, a brother to our very selves. If he had passions tempting him into awful sin, so have we. If he could so far forget his manhood, his piety, his obligations to his Infinite Benefactor, his relations to the noble warriors in the field and to their virtuous wives at home, as to fall into these most grievous sins, so, alas, may we! This fearful record lies against our own fallen nature. If we, personally, have been kept from sin so great and aggravated, let us rather honour the grace that has saved than plume ourselves on the assumption of better self-control and purer virtue. We have, then, a real though sad interest in the most tragic and painful scenes of human sinning. It were well if this interest shall move us to such a study of David’s case as will be morally wholesome. It stands on the Scripture record for the sake of its great moral lessons.

Illustrations

(1) ‘Some of the points of peculiar aggravation in this double sin of David are presented tersely and with telling force in the supposed case by which the prophet Nathan introduces his rebuke of his king. The poor man’s one lamb—his household pet; nursed in his bosom; fed at his table; to him as a daughter—this lamb is torn away by his rich neighbour, who had lambs enough and to spare—the heartless tyrant! The case kindled David’s indignation; but, Oh! how did the application of it—“Thou art the man,” pierce his soul with daggers of self-condemnation! He felt every word as a burning arrow. Conviction brought forth confession, penitent grief, and imploring cries for mercy.’

(2) ‘It seems almost impossible to believe that one who has given us such Psalms should have fallen to such a depth of sin. But remember that the nature which is capable of supreme aspirations is sometimes capable of equal declension in the other direction. Those who have most capacity for spirituality are in some cases most liable to the temptations of the flesh.’