Godly fathers-ungodly sons-17

Our trip was extended due to family concerns. We are now safely back home.

David was a man after God’s own heart, yet he was not a godly father. This is the challenge when studying David.

1 Samuel 13:14  "But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." 

We all know that David started with a heart seeking to glorify God. But, things changed as he aged.

2 Samuel 3:1  Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually. 

3:2  Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 3:3  and his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; 3:4  and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 

3:5  and the sixth, Ithream, by David's wife Eglah. These were born to David at Hebron. 

These first three sons, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah, caused David grief, sorrow, and many problems. The first thing to notice was they all had different mothers. Who was raising these boys to become men? As we continue our study, we will discover that David may well have been an absent father.

We must add one more wife and son. This is the greatest contrast to our beginning verse.

2 Samuel 11:1  Then it happened in the spring, 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 sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 11:2  Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 

11:3  So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 

The servants knew that this woman was another man’s wife. In fact, this man was now in battle for David. Uriah was well known to David as he was with him when Saul pursued David to kill him.

11:4  David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 11:5  The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am pregnant."

How brazen was David! His servant warned him but he still sent messengers, plural, to invite her to be with David. She did not refuse to go.

2 Samuel 23:8  These are the names of the mighty men whom David had;

2 Samuel 23:39  Uriah the Hittite; thirty-seven in all. 

Uriah had risked his life for David. He was now in battle once again risking his life for David. What was David thinking? He already had many wives and 10 concubines!

When is enough really enough? What kind of example was he giving his sons, his servants, his wives, and Joab as well? David was now losing all his ‘moral’ authority.

More next Saturday.