1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

6 So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. 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 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to 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, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. – 2 Samuel 11:1-13 ESV

There is a saying found in the book of Proverbs that reads: “Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth” (Proverbs 20:17 NLT). This little proverb is very applicable to the story found in chapter 11 of 2 Samuel, and what makes it even more interesting is that the book of Proverbs, in which it is found, was compiled by Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba. It’s a simple proverb, but it carries profound weight. What is forbidden often has a strong appeal to us and, when we get what we desire, it can provide a short-lived sense of gratification. But the proverb goes on to warn that the forbidden, once consumed, quickly loses its appeal and can have serious consequences. Stolen bread that turns to gravel in the mouth would not only leave a disappointingly bad taste in the mouth but a face full of broken teeth as well.

The story of David and Bathsheba is probably one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. How would you like it if one of the worst sins you ever committed was chronicled in a book for everyone to read? One of the things about the Bible is its brutal honesty. It freely portrays the good, the bad, and the ugly of humanity and refuses to paint a rosy picture of mankind. Instead, it goes out of its way to reveal the presence of sin in the lives of even the most faithful characters.

All you have to do is look at the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Noah, Peter, and a host of other biblical characters to realize that sin was an ever-present problem even for the most godly individuals. David was no exception. As has been pointed out before, David had an inordinate love for the opposite sex. His attraction to women was his Achilles Heel, his weak spot. He had already amassed for himself a collection of wives who had fathered him many children, and this had been in direct disobedience to the command of God. Yet, it’s interesting to note that David’s growing collection of wives never seemed to scratch the itch he had. His lust was never satisfied and his physical desires were never satiated. He had more than enough wives to satisfy his sexual needs, yet there seemed to be in David an inordinate attraction for forbidden fruit, an overwhelming drive for “stolen bread.” He wanted what he could not have.

In the case of Bathsheba, David was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The passage makes it clear that this entire episode took place in the spring, “the time when kings go out to battle” (2 Samuel 11:1 ESV). But David had chosen to remain in Jerusalem while his troops went off the war. He was the warrior-king and it was his responsibility to lead his troops into battle. As the God-appointed protector of the kingdom, he had a role to fulfill but had delegated it to Joab.

This was the first step in David feeding the monster within. He knew he had a problem and was well aware of the lust that lurked within himself. By staying home in Jerusalem, David set himself up for failure. He created the ideal opportunity for his lust to get the better of him. He was not doing what he was supposed to be doing and he was not where he was supposed to be. As a result, Satan, the enemy, took advantage of the situation. He too was well aware of David’s weakness and cunningly cast the perfect bait to lure David into sin. The apostle James reminds us:

…remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. – James 1:13-15 NLT

Fish with full stomachs don’t usually take the bait. Well-fed fish are not as susceptible to the lure. But David’s lust for women had yet to be satisfied because he had a heart problem. He had an insatiable desire for women and no amount of wives would ever satisfy what was, in actuality, a spiritual problem. By staying in Jerusalem and refusing to go to war, David set himself up for failure. He found himself with idle time and an overactive libido.

As the story unfolds, David wakes in the afternoon from a nap and goes onto the roof of his palace where he spies a woman bathing on a nearby rooftop. Immediately, his desires entice him, he takes the bait, and he is reeled in. He saw and he had to have. He lusted and he had to satisfy that lust. Even when he is informed that Bathsheba is a married woman and the wife of one of his own soldiers, David is undeterred. The fact that she is married carries no weight with David. His lust overwhelms any sense of moral propriety and common decency and leads him to commit adultery.

But his unbridled lust failed to deliver on its promise of sweet satisfaction. In fact, the sweetness of the stolen bread turned to gravel in his mouth. In time, Bathsheba broke the news to David that she was pregnant. The text pointed out that this unethical and immoral liaison took place just after Bathsheba had completed the mandatory purification ceremony from her monthly menstrual cycle (Leviticus 15:19-30). This would have meant that she was ready to conceive, and she did.

This surprising bit of news threw David into overdrive. He immediately attempted to do damage control, trying to come up with a way to cover up his sin. He called Uriah home from the battlefront, naturally assuming that Uriah would make a beeline to his home. David was counting on the fact that Uriah, after an extended time of separation from his wife, would want to have sexual relations with her. But what David didn’t take into account was Uriah’s dedication to the crown and his allegiance to his fellow soldiers. He wasn’t going to allow himself the pleasure of his wife’s company while his brothers were still at war. Instead, he chose to sleep outside the doors of the palace alongside the servants of the king.

Uriah’s unexpected display of loyalty forced David to come up with Plan B. Uriah was invited to a feast at the palace where he was well-fed and served enough fine wine to leave him staggering drunk. But even in his inebriated state, Uriah refused to go home and satisfy his own sexual desires by sleeping with his wife. His love for Bathsheba would not deter him from his duty to his country and the crown.

What a contrast we see between Uriah’s behavior and that of David the king. It’s interesting to note that Uriah was a Hittite, a non-Jew, yet he proved to be more faithful than the man after God’s own heart. His response to David’s enticement to go home and be with his wife reveals a great deal about Uriah’s integrity. When given the opportunity to satisfy his own sexual desires, Uriah told the king:

“The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.” – 2 Samuel 11:11 NLT

David’s attempt at a cover-up was blowing up in his face. His little deception was falling apart right before his eyes, and he was growing desperate. He was guilty of committing adultery but, rather than confess his sin, he took repeated steps to disguise it through deceit and dishonesty. David was attempting to get Uriah to sin against his own conscience, all in an attempt to conceal his own sin. David had made the mistake of feeding the monster within and now he was being devoured by it. His life was being consumed by his own sinful nature.

The apostle Paul gives us a less-than-attractive list of the “fruit” that comes as a result of giving our sinful nature free rein in our lives:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.– Galatians 5:19-21 NLT

It all had begun with David being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Staying home in Jerusalem wasn’t necessarily a sin, but it proved to be an unwise decision for David. Had he gone off to war as he was supposed to do, he wouldn’t have been on his rooftop that day. He wouldn’t have seen Bathsheba bathing. He wouldn’t have lusted. He wouldn’t have committed adultery. And there would have been no sin to cover up. Take a look again at the passage in James: “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”

Do you see the pattern?

Temptation – desires – enticement – sinful action – increased sin – death

The key to defeating the monster within is to starve it. Paul reminds us, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves” (Galatians 5:16 NLT). As long as David continued to feed the monster of lust, he would continue to be devoured by it. Yet, if he had chosen to listen to the Spirit of God and do what God had called him to do, this whole affair could have been avoided.

…you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. – Romans 8:12-14 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.