A Man And His Purity

I like the Bible. Sure, it seems a given that a person in my position would, but I like it for more than just the obvious reasons. I like the Bible because it tells it like it is. We read about these heroes, but not just the great things they have done. We read about their failings, their wrongdoings, the evil things they did, their dark sides. The Bible does not sugar coat the men and women who are shown here – God left that to us…we tend to make them “saints” with permanently attached halos who are always doing the right things at the right times. God, however, is perfectly content to show us the real picture of these people, warts and all.

Think about it. Noah got drunk. Moses disobeyed God. Jonah was vindictive. Jacob cheated his brother. Abraham passed off Sarah as his sister. Peter denied Jesus. Paul persecuted Christians, and had a big argument with Barnabus that split up the first traveling evangelism team in church history! Now there’s a list of “heroes” for you!

And then we have David. Here is a man God has anointed as a young man. As a boy he was in charge of his father’s flocks and had done hand to hand combat with a bear and a lion – and lived to tell the tale! Here is a man who, as a teenager, had defeated the mighty Goliath through skill and even more important a strong faith in God. He had served as the general over the Israeli army. He showed great courage in battle, and unshakable integrity.

David was a very blessed man! You could easily say that David had it all – Scripture tells us he had “ruddy good looks” he had physical strength, courage, integrity – a real “man’s man!” The men all loved David – his soldiers willingly risked their lives to serve him. And yet he was deeply spiritual, wrote amazing poetry, worshiped God enthusiastically, and showed tender care for his wife – the ladies loved this guy, too!

But David was not perfect. David succumbed to a sin that Satan uses to destroy men over and over again. Sexual impurity. It is the sin that slips in and destroys marriages, families, careers, ministries and lives.

Today, I want us to look at two Biblical characters, and the way they dealt with their purity.

First, let’s take a look at David. Turn with me to the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 11. Follow along as I read this episode from David’s life to you.

1 It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child."

6 Then David sent to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered. 8 And David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah departed from the king's house, and a gift of food from the king followed him. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 So when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?" 11 And Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing." 12 Then David said to Uriah, "Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die." 16 So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also. 18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war, 19 and charged the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling the matters of the war to the king, 20 if it happens that the king's wrath rises, and he says to you: 'Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? ^F28 Was it not a woman who cast a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?'--then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.' " 22 So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent by him. 23 And the messenger said to David, "Surely the men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field; then we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate. 24 The archers shot from the wall at your servants; and some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also." 25 Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall say to Joab: 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city, and overthrow it.' So encourage him." 26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. 27 And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.[i]

My response is kind of like Chuck Swindoll’s. He writes, “Personally, when I step into this chapter of David’s life, I am forever grateful that God has finished writing Scripture. There is not a person I know who would want to have his failures and vices recorded for all generations to read and discuss and make movies about and write books on and preach sermons on down through the centuries!”[ii]

He’s right! Would any of us want God to put in writing our failures like David’s is so vividly portrayed here? NO WAY!!! And yet God did put David’s failure here for a reason – because we are all in the same boat! Each one of us is capable of just such a fall as David if we are not diligent! We have to do far more than just read this chapter, and shake our heads in disappointment at David’s sin- we need to learn from it!

So let’s look closely at it. On your tables, you will find a piece of paper and a pencil. As a group, read through the chapter and see if you can outline the progression of the sin from seemingly insignificant details through the ultimate climax of Uriah’s murder.

It’s not hard to see, is it? You know, it’s always easy to see the path of destruction in retrospect. Looking back we say, “If only I had known!”

I want us to focus hard on those first few steps, because the truth is, once we get to the later steps, it’s too late…by the time we reach steps 5,6&7, the train is out of the station and has a full head of steam, and there’s no way to stop it! If we are going to learn the lesson that God intends us to learn from this chapter, then we have to focus on stopping that train before it ever leaves the station! So let’s talk about these first few steps in particular.

“In Spring, when the kings go out to war…” David was king, he should have been doing his job, doing his duty – but he sent others to do it. By this point in his life, David was probably in his late 40’s or early 50’s. He had arrived. He was ready to sit back, relish in some of the fruits of his hard working younger days, and enjoy life a little. He’d already proven himself in battle – why go out again with the guys? Life was good – this was the high point of David’s reign as king. The nation of Israel stretched to over 60,000 square miles, his army had never been beaten on the battlefield. There was prosperity, security and certainly no need for the king to go out of his way to do the spring military show!

But David’s success made him vulnerable. It is so often the case – when we are at our most successful, our most secure in our own abilities that we are the most likely to fail. Think about the moral failures that have exploded on the world scene in our lifetime: Presidents Nixon, and Clinton; church leaders like Jimmy Swaggert, Jim Baaker; business leaders like Kenneth Lay from and even Hollywood stars often fall when they are at what seems like the top of the world.

Note this: Your most difficult times in dealing with temptation may be when you are at your most successful. When the job is going great, the bank account is swelling, and the house is big and beautiful, look out! Those tend to be the times when we let our guard down, when we become self sufficient, and we stop seeking and trusting in God. When times are tough – we tend to be most dependent on God. When we feel week, we lean on him. When we’re desperate, we turn to Him.

How should that affect your outlook on hard times? [They may be your best friend!]

Joab was David’s most trusted general in the army –he was also David’s nephew. He took with him “the king’s men.” David was alone. There was no one around to question him – to ask him about his intentions or his motives - just servants who would do as they were told. Men – we need accountability! We need someone who will get in our face and make us think! Who will ask the tough questions.

David shouldn’t have been in that bed at all – he was supposed to be with the army – and the lack of activity that we talked about earlier left him restless – so he got up out of his bed. Men, the old phrase is true – “idle hands are indeed the devil’s playground.” If you are not busy doing what you are supposed to be doing, chances are you’re going to be doing something you SHOULDN’T be doing! Beware of activity vacuums! To avoid temptation, we need to keep ourselves from too much free time!

David goes out for a stroll on a doubtless beautiful spring evening. I can imagine a nice breeze blowing, the scent of spring flowers in the air, David goes out to the roof-top patio, and looks over this capitol city of Jerusalem. All is well – and then he sees her. A woman that the Bible calls “very beautiful.” Of all the women described in the Bible, only three are described as “very beautiful.” Sarah, the wife of Abraham, Rachael, the wife of Isaac, and Bathsheeba. In each case, the woman described was irresistible. In fact, Rachael was so beautiful that when Isaac saw her, he burst into tears! Sarah was so beautiful that Abraham was sure the Egyptians would kill him to take her, and then we have Bathsheeba. She was apparently a knockout!

David “saw” her bathing. Now, for just a moment, I want us to talk for a moment about Bathsheeba. While I would never excuse David for what he did – I think we would be foolish to not spend just a moment talking about Bathsheeba, and how her story might apply to our situation today. There were very strict rules about modesty in the Jewish culture, and she violated them. If David could see here, then she had to know that it was possible to be seen from his porch, and she needed to be more careful. The Bible tells us in Romans 14:12-13 that we must be careful to never be a stumbling block to another person. Ladies – impure thoughts are a problem for every man – including a great man of God like David. While it is demanded of that man of God that he control those thoughts, and keep his life pure, it is also demanded of you that you not be an inappropriate temptation. I realize that the style is to wear tight clothes that reveal a little midriff and low-rise jeans. I know that’s in style – but it’s not in keeping with the conduct of a woman of God. I’ve been pretty tough on the men over the last 8 weeks – so give me a little slack here – your desire to be stylish may be at the expense of your testimony, and it may cost you much more than that. Look what it cost Bathsheeba to be careless for an evening! Your dress may never lead to adultery, the loss of a child, a dead husband and untold grief – but it might, and it will surely cause a man - even a godly man, to struggle with his purity. Do everyone a favor, and use prayerful discretion when you buy your clothes, when you choose the clothes you will wear – especially this time of year!

That being said, it was David who was the aggressor in this instance. He walked on the porch. He stopped. He stared. He lusted. He went after her. He abandoned his values. He slept with her, and he began a trail of sin that led to great tragedy.

I want us to stop there, because we could go on for the rest of the day looking at the escalation and the destruction that came into David’s life. Samuel 11:27 closes this dark chapter with these ominous words, “But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.” David thought he had covered all the tracks – he had taken in the grieving widow, the people of Israel must have thought the king was just such a great guy to take in the poor gal! But God knew the real story, and he was “displeased.”

The aftermath of this story is just tragic. David was confronted with his sin by Nathan, and God brought judgment on David and his family. Listen to God’s judgment on David:

"You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 11 Thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.' "

Harsh judgment for a Man of God who was careless with his purity. Men, we dare not take this subject lightly. We need to see the seemingly insignificant steps that can lead to destruction, and stop them.

I want you to notice one statement in particular in God’s judgment against David. It’s found at the end of verse 12:8: “And if that had been to little, I would have also give you much more!” David had great blessings from God, but God could have given him much more, but his sin, his poor decisions, his deceit, led to great loss instead. We will never know what great things David denied himself from God because of his sin. What we do know is this – from that day on, David’s life fell apart – his family, his kingdom and his personal life were never the same.

In Genesis 39, we read of another man of God – a great young man named Joseph. Even though he walked with God, it seemed that at every turn he was beat down. Betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, Joseph found himself in charge of his master’s home. Even though he was far from his homeland and any believers, he maintained his faith in God.

In Genesis 39:6, the Bible says, “Now Joseph was well built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come sleep with me!” But he refused. He said, “How can I do this thing and sin against God?” Talk about temptation! Here was sin chasing after him. Day after day she hounded him. Verse 10 says, “though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.” Do you see the difference is the pattern from David? Joseph stayed as far away as possible from the source of his temptation! He kept his values in front of him. He would not give in! And when she cornered him one day, he turned and ran away – so quickly that his shirt was torn off his back in her hands!

So God must have taken care of Joseph, right? The woman’s husband found out and he divorced her right? He honored Joseph for being such an upright guy, right? Nope – in fact, the wife accused Joseph of rape, and he went to prison! But God had not abandoned him. In fact God was orchestrating things in Joseph’s life so that one day he would be the highest ranking official in Egypt – just under Pharaoh, and from that position, he would save the people of Israel – the very brothers who had sold him into slavery. At the end of that story, Joseph said, “What you intended for evil, God used for good.”

At the end of David’s story, the words are sad and poignant – “You could have had even more!” At the end of Joseph’s – they are filled with joy, “God used it for good!” Why? To a great degree, it all hinged on each man and his purity. Men, there is no sugar coating this issue –it is one each one of us faces and we must face it honestly. If we take it lightly, it will cost us dearly – we may never be able to add up all that it costs us. If we choose to resist, and to keep our eyes, minds and bodies pure, we can discover new levels of the blessing of God – blessings that we may never be able to total.

Keep yourself from those places of known vulnerability. Establish and maintain a network of accountability partners who will challenge you to stay pure. Understand and recognize the seemingly insignificant steps that can lead to destruction, and when you find yourself in a vulnerable place, don’t stand there, like David, seeing just how close you can come to the danger – be like Joseph RUN AWAY! Resist! Keep your values in view, and stay pure before God.