2 Samuel 11:14-27

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer-Lord, Open our minds and open our hearts and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

2 Samuel 11:14-27 (New International Version)

¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵ In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die."

¹⁶ So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

¹⁸ Joab sent David a full account of the battle. ¹⁹ He instructed the messenger: "When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, ²⁰ the king's anger may flare up, and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? ²¹ Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth ^a]'>[a] ? Didn't a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Also, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.' "

²² The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. ²³ The messenger said to David, "The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance to the city gate. ²⁴ Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead."

²⁵ David told the messenger, "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab."

²⁶ When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷ After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.

The web of deceit gets bigger. Uriah will not go "see" his wife, who is now pregnant with David's child. David is getting desperate. He sends a note to Joab to put Uriah in the front and during the heavy fighting fall back and basically sacrifice him. Joab does what David asks.

Joab sends the battle report to David. At first the king is mad because of the defeat, then the messenger tells him Uriah is dead. David orders the messenger to tell Joab, "do not let this discourage you." Bathsheba goes through a period of morning and then becomes David's wife. All is well. David had pulled off the cover up, no one knew he had committed adultery. But, God knew.

Questions:

1. Why would Joab be so loyal as to basically help murder one of his men?

2. What drove David to do such drastic acts?

3. Can't anyone in Jerusalem count?