December 9, 2025 • 23 mins
The tumultuous story of David and Bathsheba illustrates how seriously God takes the sin of adultery. Sexual purity is not a peripheral Christian matter - it is a non-negotiable, foundational, core, not subject to interpretation or nuance.
Scripture references in this episode include:
Genesis 2:24 Acts 15:20 Mark 7:19
Exodus 20 Acts 10:19-16 Matthew 5, 15, 19
2 Samuel 11 Genesis 18:25 I Thessalonians 4:13-14
Hebrews 3:1 Numbers 21:4-9 John 3:14-16
Isaiah 26:3 Isaiah 50:7 Luke 9:51
Matthew 14:29 John 21:7 Hebrews 12:1-2
Romans 8:26-29 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 John 16:33
2 Peter 3:13
Some of the commentary on the loss of David and Bathsheba's son is drawn from an article by Rev. Robert L. Deffenbaugh, published June 1, 2004, "The Death of David's Son."
https://www.ppl.org/baby-chris
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:16):
Welcome back, and have a seatat the ProLife Kitchen Table,
the weekly podcast ofPresbyterians Protecting Life.
My name is Deborah Hollifield,and for 38 weeks we have been
following the imaginary babyChris's developmental milestones
in the womb, and using formerPPL Executive Director Marie
(00:36):
Bowen's book, Pregnant withPromise, to learn about the ways
that God views all life,especially life in the womb.
This week's profile of apregnant woman in Scripture is
Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah,who was seduced and impregnated
by King David.
It's a story of the oppressionof a woman by a powerful king,
(00:58):
the consequences of sin and itscollateral damage, the justice
of God and God's ultimaterestoration.
Once again, Scripture provesits relevance to our chaotic
modern lives.
By way of background, we'vealready learned in Genesis
chapter 2:24 that God's intentfor sexual expression is one man
(01:21):
and one woman in a covenantmarriage.
Every other kind ofextramarital sexual activity
such as adultery, homosexuality,incest rape, and bestiality are
included under the umbrellaterm of "fornication" or "sexual
immorality." The word forsexual immorality in the Greek
(01:41):
New Testament is "porneia,"where we get the English word
"pornography."Sexual purity is not optional or
peripheral to Christianity, itis a foundational core principle
of Christianity.
You may have read in the bookof Acts chapter 15 that when
Paul and Barnabas traveled toJerusalem to speak to the
(02:03):
Jerusalem Council about what wasrequired for Gentiles - those
who were not Jewish - what wasrequired for them to follow
Jesus, verse 20 reads, "Gentileswho turn to God should abstain
from things polluted by idols,from sexual immorality, from
what has been strangled, andfrom blood."
(02:26):
Idolatry is forbidden in thefirst of the Ten Commandments
and remains in effect for NewTestament believers.
The unclean food provision wascanceled by Jesus in the book of
Mark, chapter 7:19, where Jesusdeclared all foods clean, and
later reinforced inActs 10:16-19, where God comes
(02:50):
to Peter in a vision andinstructs do not call anything
impure that God has made clean.
But the prohibition againstsexual immorality or fornication
not only remains in effect forNew Testament believers, it is
restated and reinforced bydirect commands from Jesus in
(03:10):
Matthew chapters 5, 15 and 19,and by the apostles in the books
of Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians,Galatians, Ephesians,
Colossians, 1 Thessalonians,Hebrews, and Revelation.
This is not obscure or subjectto interpretation or nuance.
So first, when returning to thestory of David and Bathsheba, we
(03:34):
know that David has takenmultiple wives and concubines
like the pagan nations aroundhim.
So despite his devotion to God,he's acting both like a pagan
king and his predecessor, KingSaul.
This is a good time to remindyou that while polygamy, having
more than one wife, is recordedas being relatively common in
(03:54):
the Old Testament scriptures, itis never portrayed as God's
ideal and is always shown tohave negative consequences for
generations in the familieswhere it is practiced.
But that is the social sea thatthe story of David and
Bathsheba swims in.
Last week we learned that theAmmonites - the nation that
(04:17):
descended from the incestuousrelationship between Lot and his
daughters after the destructionof Sodom and Gomorrah - have
ever since been at war with thenation of Israel.
This story is set in 2Samuel 11, that while Israel is
at war with the Ammonites, KingDavid's army has gone out to
(04:38):
war, but King David has stayedhome.
One night he is restless andwalking on the roof of the
palace at the time whenBathsheba, a beautiful woman who
is married to one of David'ssoldiers named Uriah, is bathing
on her rooftop.
This might sound a little oddto us, but in that hot climate,
the houses in those days wereconstructed with walled patios
(05:01):
on the rooftops where thefamilies could relax and
sometimes bathe in coolness.
The palace was apparentlyhigher than her roof, and King
David could look down on her andwas so taken in by her beauty
that he sent messengers to bringher to him.
Can you imagine?
The king's messenger shows upat your door and tells you that
(05:23):
your presence is required by theking and don't have a reason to
give you! Imagine how upsettingthat would be.
And then to arrive and discoverthat the reason you have been
summoned is so that the king canhave sex with you! How,
exactly, do you say no to a kingand live?
(05:44):
Later in the chapter, we willlearn that Bathsheba loved her
husband, so no matter how manycommentaries you might have read
that called her a loose womanfor taking a bath in her own
house, or how many people haveclaimed this to be outright rape
in other commentaries, it isnot outside the realm of
possibility that David - whom weknow to have been both a hero
(06:06):
and a handsome man from hisdescription in Scripture - went
to the trouble to actuallyseduce her until she was w
illing.
Afterwards David sent her home,no doubt thinking that he could
keep the matter concealed, andno one would ever know about his
act of adultery.
But then Bathsheba sent himword that she was pregnant, and
(06:29):
since her husband was awayfighting battles with David's
army, it's going to become clearthat someone else has fathered
her child.
David plans what seems to be theperfect solution.
It's a simple matter for theking to call her husband, Uriah,
to come home and spend a fewnights with his wife.
(06:49):
Naturally, everyone will assumethe child is the offspring of
Uriah.
There is just one problem: Uriah is extremely loyal to the (06:54):
undefined
men who are still on thebattlefield.
He takes seriously thecommitment of soldiers to remain
clean during battle andtherefore to abstain from sexual
intercourse.
Uriah refuses to go home tosleep with his wife while his
(07:14):
comrades are on the battlefieldsleeping in the cold.
He remains with David'sservants and sleeps in the
doorway for several nights.
Eventually David realizes Uriahis not going home, and so sent
him back to the battle with anote for the commander, Joab,
ordering the general to assignUriah to the front lines of the
(07:37):
hardest fighting, and then toabandon him there, so that Uriah
would be struck down and die.
This happened, and Uriah waskilled.
Maybe you can remember a time inyour own life as a child or
even as an adult when you didsomething wrong and tried to
cover it up.
(07:57):
Was your deception found out?
Were you punished?
How did you feel when thingswere finally out in the open?
David's determination to coverup his own sin results in his
planning Uriah's death.
He probably didn't set out tocommit murder.
Certainly when he followed hisdesires and lay with Bathsheba
(08:19):
he had no such intent.
Still, that one act of passionset him on a path that led him
to commit things he would nothave imagined.
Chapter 11:26 tells us thatBathsheba mourns for her
husband, and at the end of thattime David moves quickly to make
her his wife.
(08:40):
What would that have felt likejust a week after her husband's
death?
She probably didn't know whatDavid had done.
More than likely sheinterpreted the sequence of
events as God's punishment forher sin with David.
Added to that was the distinctpossibility that she had little
choice in the matter, becausehow did one refuse the king?
(09:03):
David is about to learn that hissin is not only against
Bathsheba and Uriah, it isagainst God Himself.
The prophet Nathan comes toDavid with a message from God.
He tells the story of aninjustice.
A man with many sheep takes theonly ewe, a female sheep, of
(09:23):
another man.
The ewe is a family pet, but isseized and callously
slaughtered to feed the richerman's guests.
David is enraged by the accountand pronounces his judgment:
The man should restore fourtimes back to that poor man for
the one lamb that was taken.
Nathan's next words must havepenetrated David's heart with
(09:46):
the fear of God.
"You are the man!" Nathan says.
This is an accusation of thejudgment of God speaking through
Nathan, confronting David withhis sin and judging him by his
own words.
God has revealed to Nathan whatDavid has done.
Though David has many wives, hehad taken Uriah's one wife and
(10:08):
had Uriah murdered in an attemptto cover his sin.
Nathan goes on to pronounceGod's sentence of David's
punishment (10:15):
First, he declares that the sword shall never
depart from David's house, andin later chapters we will see
that this comes true.
Secondly, Nathan tells Davidthat his own wives will be taken
by a neighbor who will lie withthem publicly as punishment for
David's secretive sin.
This too comes to pass.
(10:38):
And then those words arefollowed by a terrible
punishment that will be aheartbreaking consequence for
David and Bathsheba.
"Nevertheless, because by thisdeed you have utterly scorned
the Lord, the child who is bornto you shall die."
Now I want to pause at thispoint to say that certainly not
(11:01):
every child that dies beforebirth or during infancy is the
result of sin.
Only God knows why this sorrowcomes and to what purpose.
As Abraham said so long ago,"Shall not the judge of all the
earth deal justly?"And we should point out that
this is the first of a number ofpainful events that David will
(11:24):
experience as the result of hissin regarding Uriah and
Bathsheba.
David's daughter will be rapedby one of his own sons.
Another of his sons would bemurdered.
A son would rebel against hisfather and temporarily take over
his throne and sleep with someof David's wives on the rooftop
of the palace from which Davidfirst looked upon Bathsheba.
(11:49):
The tragic death of David's sonis a consequence of David's sin,
but it is not the penalty thatDavid deserves for his sin.
The penalty for adultery andmurder is death on each count.
That means David deserves todie twice over if it were
possible.
Once again we see how seriouslyGod takes the sin of sexual
(12:12):
immorality.
It can't be overstated orreasoned away because we are now
"modern and enlightened." ForGod to allow David's sins to
have no painful consequenceswould enable the wicked to
conclude that God does notreally hate sin, nor does he do
anything about it when we dosin.
(12:34):
The story resumes when the childis born to David and Bathsheba
and becomes very sick.
The Bible says that Davidfasted and went and lay all
night on the ground.
The elders of his householdstood beside him in order to
raise him up from the ground,but he was unwilling and
wouldn't eat.
And then after seven days thechild died.
(12:56):
David's servants were afraid totell him the child was dead,
and they said, "'Behold, whilethe child was still alive we
spoke to him and he didn'tlisten to our voice.
How then can we tell him thechild is dead, since he might do
himself harm?' But when Davidsaw the servants were whispering
together, David perceived thatthe child was dead, and so
(13:17):
asked, 'Is the child dead?' Andthey said, 'He is dead.' And so
David arose from the ground andwashed and changed his clothes
and came into the house of theLord and worshiped.
Then he came to his own house,and when he requested they set
food before him and he ate.
Then his servant said to him,'What is this thing you've done?
(13:40):
While the child was alive youfasted and wept, but when the
child died you arose and atefood.' And he said, 'While the
child was still alive, I fastedand wept, for I said, "Who knows
that the Lord might be graciousto me that the child might
live?" But now he has died, andwhy should I fast?
Can I bring him back again?
(14:02):
I will go to him, but he willnot return to me.'"
We are not told aboutBathsheba's distress, her
thoughts, fears, and regretsduring her pregnancy and now
this loss.
But we do read that in themonths to come David can
comforts Bathsheba, and Godgraciously gives them another
(14:23):
child whom they name Solomon,and who will be given the task
of building the temple inJerusalem and become the richest
and most powerful king ofIsrael's history.
Clearly, this story has lessonsfor us about the consequences of
sin.
Even if we repent and arerestored by God's mercy, our
(14:44):
disobedient actions sometimesset in motion events that bring
us sorrow and regret.
The consequences of our sin maybring pain to not only
ourselves, but also to those welove.
King David modeled for us afaithful way of dealing with the
sorrow that comes in the lossof a child by praying for the
(15:05):
child's recovery, and when thechild died by submitting to the
sovereignty of God whosejudgments are always perfect,
and who always acts mercifullyfor our good even when we don't
understand it.
Some couples learn that theirunborn child has a medical
condition that is incompatiblewith life.
They might hear the sad newsthat if the child survives
(15:29):
birth, he or she will not livelong or be able to thrive.
These parents need the love andsupport of the church as they
face the grief and loss to come.
Doctors often counsel suchcouples to abort their unborn
babies, and friends, too, mayencourage abortion, thinking to
spare the parents the emotionalpain of bearing the child, only
(15:51):
to be called to give the babyback into the arms of God.
Couples who take this route,however, find that abortion does
not help them avoid feelings ofgrief and loss, but only adds
to their burden of guilt becausethey have participated in
taking the life of their child.
Something else that isunfamiliar to most people but is
(16:15):
a gift to couples facing thistrial is a special program known
as perinatal hospice.
When an unborn child's life isexpected to be brief, perinatal
palliative care walks withparents through their grief by
providing counseling and supportfrom the time of diagnosis,
including birth, planning, andmedical decision making before
(16:38):
the baby is born.
It includes essential newborncare such as warmth, comfort,
and nutrition.
It also enables families tomake meaningful plans for the
baby's life, birth, and death,honoring the baby as well as the
family.
There are over 350 perinatalhospice programs worldwide, and
(16:59):
referrals can be foundat PerinatalHospice.org.
That's P E R I N A T A L H O SP I C E.
org.
Hear the word of the Lord (17:14):
"But we do not want you to be
uninformed, brothers andsisters, about those who are
asleep, that you may not grieveas others do who have no hope,
for since we believe that Jesusdied and rose again, even so
through Jesus, God will bringwith him those who have fallen
(17:35):
asleep."I Thessalonians 4:13-14.
Thanks be to God.
Wow, that is such a dramaticstory, and for most of us it is
emotionally exhausting, not onlyfor us who just try to imagine
what Bathsheba went through, butalso for our listeners who have
(17:57):
experienced one or more ofthese crises in their own lives.
But regardless of what such atumultuous story says about the
human condition, it says moreabout how God cherishes human
life and how God restores uswhen our lives are controlled by
others, when we seek hisforgiveness, when he restores
(18:19):
the things that our sins havedestroyed, and how he restores
blessing to our families afterwe fail him.
We serve a good God.
And now we've come up on ourbreak, and afterwards we will
return to learn about BabyChris's 38th week of development
in the womb and contemplatewhat that means to Advent.
Announcer (19:02):
Presented by a five-member ensemble cast,
Viable leads the audiencethrough a journey of healing and
restoration for post-abortivewomen and men through the love
of Jesus Christ.
Viable is endorsed by theNational Right to Life
Committee.
You can find out how to presentViable to your church or pro
life group at ViablePlay.org.
Host (19:25):
This week thirty-eight Baby Chris devotional is called
Focal Point.
Hear the word of the "Fix yourthoughts on Jesus, whom we
acknowledge as our apostle andhigh priest." Hebrews 3: 1.
Thanks be to God.
At 38 weeks, the placenta is nowat its full size and is spread
(19:49):
out flat against the uterus.
It will continue its functionof supplying nutrients and
antibodies to baby Chris untilhe is born.
His bones have hardened, aprocess known as ossification.
His mother is now preparing fordelivery in earnest.
She may have taken childbirthclasses to learn breathing
(20:10):
methods to help with her paincontrol and work with the rhythm
of her contractions duringlabor.
One of the techniques anexpectant mother learns is to
choose a focal point on the wallor ceiling to help her
concentrate for breath controlduring labor contractions.
When a contraction begins, shemoves her gaze to her chosen
(20:33):
focal point, takes a few deepbreaths, and begins a pattern of
breathing and counting untilthe contraction ends.
Having a focal point isimportant in helping her screen
out the distractions that mightinterfere with her measured
breathing, allowing pain andanxiety to get the upper hand.
(20:53):
The Bible teaches about theimportance of focal points at
critical moments in the life ofthe believer.
As a consequence for thecomplaints of the Hebrew nation
about the manna God provided forthem as they wandered in the
wilderness, God sent fieryserpents to torment them.
When they went to Moses torepent, he offered them relief
(21:14):
and healing by having them turntheir focus upwards towards a
bronze serpent hung on a pole.
In the Gospel of John, Jesusinvokes the serpent in the
wilderness as a foreshadowing ofhis own lifting up that would
bring eternal life and healingto those who would believe.
Isaiah wrote that if we focusour thoughts on God, we will
(21:38):
know perfect peace.
As he neared the end of hisearthly mission, Jesus set his
face like flint towardsJerusalem.
Peter focused on Jesus as hegot out of the boat and walked
toward him on the water, andagain after the resurrection
when he jumped into the waterand swam towards Jesus waiting
(21:58):
on the shore.
The writer of Hebrewsencourages us to look to Jesus
to help us endure the race ofChristian life.
In the chaos of the world as itflexes and contracts around us,
Advent coaches us to meditate onthe mighty works of the Lord,
the promises that are fulfilledin Christ, and the assurance of
(22:20):
our eternal future together withthe Lord.
As we count down our days, wereturn to prayer and focus on
Jesus as he perfects our faith.
Like preparation for childbirthclasses, the church season of
Advent is an exercise in waitingas we practice again the
techniques that will carry usthrough to the end of our lives,
(22:43):
or to the return of Christ,navigating the challenges of
daily life in a distractingworld that threatens to
overwhelm our peace.
We grow weaker the nearer wecome to deliverance, but we gain
strength in Christ.
We gain peace in tribulation aswe focus on the knowledge that
(23:04):
He has overcome the world.
Hear the word of the Lord (23:06):
"We are looking forward to a new
heaven and a new earth whererighteousness dwells." 2
Peter 3:13.
Thanks be to God.
Announcer (23:25):
We hope you enjoyed this week's reflection.
We encourage you to share itand join us next time on ProLife
Kitchen Table.
May God bless you.
Welcome back, and have a seatat the ProLife Kitchen Table,
the weekly podcast ofPresbyterians Protecting Life.
My name is Deborah Hollifield,and for 38 weeks we have been
following the imaginary babyChris's developmental milestones
in the womb, and using formerPPL Executive Director Marie
(00:36):
Bowen's book, Pregnant withPromise, to learn about the ways
that God views all life,especially life in the womb.
This week's profile of apregnant woman in Scripture is
Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah,who was seduced and impregnated
by King David.
It's a story of the oppressionof a woman by a powerful king,
(00:58):
the consequences of sin and itscollateral damage, the justice
of God and God's ultimaterestoration.
Once again, Scripture provesits relevance to our chaotic
modern lives.
By way of background, we'vealready learned in Genesis
chapter 2:24 that God's intentfor sexual expression is one man
(01:21):
and one woman in a covenantmarriage.
Every other kind ofextramarital sexual activity
such as adultery, homosexuality,incest rape, and bestiality are
included under the umbrellaterm of "fornication" or "sexual
immorality." The word forsexual immorality in the Greek
(01:41):
New Testament is "porneia,"where we get the English word
"pornography."Sexual purity is not optional or
peripheral to Christianity, itis a foundational core principle
of Christianity.
You may have read in the bookof Acts chapter 15 that when
Paul and Barnabas traveled toJerusalem to speak to the
(02:03):
Jerusalem Council about what wasrequired for Gentiles - those
who were not Jewish - what wasrequired for them to follow
Jesus, verse 20 reads, "Gentileswho turn to God should abstain
from things polluted by idols,from sexual immorality, from
what has been strangled, andfrom blood."
(02:26):
Idolatry is forbidden in thefirst of the Ten Commandments
and remains in effect for NewTestament believers.
The unclean food provision wascanceled by Jesus in the book of
Mark, chapter 7:19, where Jesusdeclared all foods clean, and
later reinforced inActs 10:16-19, where God comes
(02:50):
to Peter in a vision andinstructs do not call anything
impure that God has made clean.
But the prohibition againstsexual immorality or fornication
not only remains in effect forNew Testament believers, it is
restated and reinforced bydirect commands from Jesus in
(03:10):
Matthew chapters 5, 15 and 19,and by the apostles in the books
of Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians,Galatians, Ephesians,
Colossians, 1 Thessalonians,Hebrews, and Revelation.
This is not obscure or subjectto interpretation or nuance.
So first, when returning to thestory of David and Bathsheba, we
(03:34):
know that David has takenmultiple wives and concubines
like the pagan nations aroundhim.
So despite his devotion to God,he's acting both like a pagan
king and his predecessor, KingSaul.
This is a good time to remindyou that while polygamy, having
more than one wife, is recordedas being relatively common in
(03:54):
the Old Testament scriptures, itis never portrayed as God's
ideal and is always shown tohave negative consequences for
generations in the familieswhere it is practiced.
But that is the social sea thatthe story of David and
Bathsheba swims in.
Last week we learned that theAmmonites - the nation that
(04:17):
descended from the incestuousrelationship between Lot and his
daughters after the destructionof Sodom and Gomorrah - have
ever since been at war with thenation of Israel.
This story is set in 2Samuel 11, that while Israel is
at war with the Ammonites, KingDavid's army has gone out to
(04:38):
war, but King David has stayedhome.
One night he is restless andwalking on the roof of the
palace at the time whenBathsheba, a beautiful woman who
is married to one of David'ssoldiers named Uriah, is bathing
on her rooftop.
This might sound a little oddto us, but in that hot climate,
the houses in those days wereconstructed with walled patios
(05:01):
on the rooftops where thefamilies could relax and
sometimes bathe in coolness.
The palace was apparentlyhigher than her roof, and King
David could look down on her andwas so taken in by her beauty
that he sent messengers to bringher to him.
Can you imagine?
The king's messenger shows upat your door and tells you that
(05:23):
your presence is required by theking and don't have a reason to
give you! Imagine how upsettingthat would be.
And then to arrive and discoverthat the reason you have been
summoned is so that the king canhave sex with you! How,
exactly, do you say no to a kingand live?
(05:44):
Later in the chapter, we willlearn that Bathsheba loved her
husband, so no matter how manycommentaries you might have read
that called her a loose womanfor taking a bath in her own
house, or how many people haveclaimed this to be outright rape
in other commentaries, it isnot outside the realm of
possibility that David - whom weknow to have been both a hero
(06:06):
and a handsome man from hisdescription in Scripture - went
to the trouble to actuallyseduce her until she was w
illing.
Afterwards David sent her home,no doubt thinking that he could
keep the matter concealed, andno one would ever know about his
act of adultery.
But then Bathsheba sent himword that she was pregnant, and
(06:29):
since her husband was awayfighting battles with David's
army, it's going to become clearthat someone else has fathered
her child.
David plans what seems to be theperfect solution.
It's a simple matter for theking to call her husband, Uriah,
to come home and spend a fewnights with his wife.
(06:49):
Naturally, everyone will assumethe child is the offspring of
Uriah.
There is just one problem: Uriah is extremely loyal to the (06:54):
undefined
men who are still on thebattlefield.
He takes seriously thecommitment of soldiers to remain
clean during battle andtherefore to abstain from sexual
intercourse.
Uriah refuses to go home tosleep with his wife while his
(07:14):
comrades are on the battlefieldsleeping in the cold.
He remains with David'sservants and sleeps in the
doorway for several nights.
Eventually David realizes Uriahis not going home, and so sent
him back to the battle with anote for the commander, Joab,
ordering the general to assignUriah to the front lines of the
(07:37):
hardest fighting, and then toabandon him there, so that Uriah
would be struck down and die.
This happened, and Uriah waskilled.
Maybe you can remember a time inyour own life as a child or
even as an adult when you didsomething wrong and tried to
cover it up.
(07:57):
Was your deception found out?
Were you punished?
How did you feel when thingswere finally out in the open?
David's determination to coverup his own sin results in his
planning Uriah's death.
He probably didn't set out tocommit murder.
Certainly when he followed hisdesires and lay with Bathsheba
(08:19):
he had no such intent.
Still, that one act of passionset him on a path that led him
to commit things he would nothave imagined.
Chapter 11:26 tells us thatBathsheba mourns for her
husband, and at the end of thattime David moves quickly to make
her his wife.
(08:40):
What would that have felt likejust a week after her husband's
death?
She probably didn't know whatDavid had done.
More than likely sheinterpreted the sequence of
events as God's punishment forher sin with David.
Added to that was the distinctpossibility that she had little
choice in the matter, becausehow did one refuse the king?
(09:03):
David is about to learn that hissin is not only against
Bathsheba and Uriah, it isagainst God Himself.
The prophet Nathan comes toDavid with a message from God.
He tells the story of aninjustice.
A man with many sheep takes theonly ewe, a female sheep, of
(09:23):
another man.
The ewe is a family pet, but isseized and callously
slaughtered to feed the richerman's guests.
David is enraged by the accountand pronounces his judgment:
The man should restore fourtimes back to that poor man for
the one lamb that was taken.
Nathan's next words must havepenetrated David's heart with
(09:46):
the fear of God.
"You are the man!" Nathan says.
This is an accusation of thejudgment of God speaking through
Nathan, confronting David withhis sin and judging him by his
own words.
God has revealed to Nathan whatDavid has done.
Though David has many wives, hehad taken Uriah's one wife and
(10:08):
had Uriah murdered in an attemptto cover his sin.
Nathan goes on to pronounceGod's sentence of David's
punishment (10:15):
First, he declares that the sword shall never
depart from David's house, andin later chapters we will see
that this comes true.
Secondly, Nathan tells Davidthat his own wives will be taken
by a neighbor who will lie withthem publicly as punishment for
David's secretive sin.
This too comes to pass.
(10:38):
And then those words arefollowed by a terrible
punishment that will be aheartbreaking consequence for
David and Bathsheba.
"Nevertheless, because by thisdeed you have utterly scorned
the Lord, the child who is bornto you shall die."
Now I want to pause at thispoint to say that certainly not
(11:01):
every child that dies beforebirth or during infancy is the
result of sin.
Only God knows why this sorrowcomes and to what purpose.
As Abraham said so long ago,"Shall not the judge of all the
earth deal justly?"And we should point out that
this is the first of a number ofpainful events that David will
(11:24):
experience as the result of hissin regarding Uriah and
Bathsheba.
David's daughter will be rapedby one of his own sons.
Another of his sons would bemurdered.
A son would rebel against hisfather and temporarily take over
his throne and sleep with someof David's wives on the rooftop
of the palace from which Davidfirst looked upon Bathsheba.
(11:49):
The tragic death of David's sonis a consequence of David's sin,
but it is not the penalty thatDavid deserves for his sin.
The penalty for adultery andmurder is death on each count.
That means David deserves todie twice over if it were
possible.
Once again we see how seriouslyGod takes the sin of sexual
(12:12):
immorality.
It can't be overstated orreasoned away because we are now
"modern and enlightened." ForGod to allow David's sins to
have no painful consequenceswould enable the wicked to
conclude that God does notreally hate sin, nor does he do
anything about it when we dosin.
(12:34):
The story resumes when the childis born to David and Bathsheba
and becomes very sick.
The Bible says that Davidfasted and went and lay all
night on the ground.
The elders of his householdstood beside him in order to
raise him up from the ground,but he was unwilling and
wouldn't eat.
And then after seven days thechild died.
(12:56):
David's servants were afraid totell him the child was dead,
and they said, "'Behold, whilethe child was still alive we
spoke to him and he didn'tlisten to our voice.
How then can we tell him thechild is dead, since he might do
himself harm?' But when Davidsaw the servants were whispering
together, David perceived thatthe child was dead, and so
(13:17):
asked, 'Is the child dead?' Andthey said, 'He is dead.' And so
David arose from the ground andwashed and changed his clothes
and came into the house of theLord and worshiped.
Then he came to his own house,and when he requested they set
food before him and he ate.
Then his servant said to him,'What is this thing you've done?
(13:40):
While the child was alive youfasted and wept, but when the
child died you arose and atefood.' And he said, 'While the
child was still alive, I fastedand wept, for I said, "Who knows
that the Lord might be graciousto me that the child might
live?" But now he has died, andwhy should I fast?
Can I bring him back again?
(14:02):
I will go to him, but he willnot return to me.'"
We are not told aboutBathsheba's distress, her
thoughts, fears, and regretsduring her pregnancy and now
this loss.
But we do read that in themonths to come David can
comforts Bathsheba, and Godgraciously gives them another
(14:23):
child whom they name Solomon,and who will be given the task
of building the temple inJerusalem and become the richest
and most powerful king ofIsrael's history.
Clearly, this story has lessonsfor us about the consequences of
sin.
Even if we repent and arerestored by God's mercy, our
(14:44):
disobedient actions sometimesset in motion events that bring
us sorrow and regret.
The consequences of our sin maybring pain to not only
ourselves, but also to those welove.
King David modeled for us afaithful way of dealing with the
sorrow that comes in the lossof a child by praying for the
(15:05):
child's recovery, and when thechild died by submitting to the
sovereignty of God whosejudgments are always perfect,
and who always acts mercifullyfor our good even when we don't
understand it.
Some couples learn that theirunborn child has a medical
condition that is incompatiblewith life.
They might hear the sad newsthat if the child survives
(15:29):
birth, he or she will not livelong or be able to thrive.
These parents need the love andsupport of the church as they
face the grief and loss to come.
Doctors often counsel suchcouples to abort their unborn
babies, and friends, too, mayencourage abortion, thinking to
spare the parents the emotionalpain of bearing the child, only
(15:51):
to be called to give the babyback into the arms of God.
Couples who take this route,however, find that abortion does
not help them avoid feelings ofgrief and loss, but only adds
to their burden of guilt becausethey have participated in
taking the life of their child.
Something else that isunfamiliar to most people but is
(16:15):
a gift to couples facing thistrial is a special program known
as perinatal hospice.
When an unborn child's life isexpected to be brief, perinatal
palliative care walks withparents through their grief by
providing counseling and supportfrom the time of diagnosis,
including birth, planning, andmedical decision making before
(16:38):
the baby is born.
It includes essential newborncare such as warmth, comfort,
and nutrition.
It also enables families tomake meaningful plans for the
baby's life, birth, and death,honoring the baby as well as the
family.
There are over 350 perinatalhospice programs worldwide, and
(16:59):
referrals can be foundat PerinatalHospice.org.
That's P E R I N A T A L H O SP I C E.
org.
Hear the word of the Lord (17:14):
"But we do not want you to be
uninformed, brothers andsisters, about those who are
asleep, that you may not grieveas others do who have no hope,
for since we believe that Jesusdied and rose again, even so
through Jesus, God will bringwith him those who have fallen
(17:35):
asleep."I Thessalonians 4:13-14.
Thanks be to God.
Wow, that is such a dramaticstory, and for most of us it is
emotionally exhausting, not onlyfor us who just try to imagine
what Bathsheba went through, butalso for our listeners who have
(17:57):
experienced one or more ofthese crises in their own lives.
But regardless of what such atumultuous story says about the
human condition, it says moreabout how God cherishes human
life and how God restores uswhen our lives are controlled by
others, when we seek hisforgiveness, when he restores
(18:19):
the things that our sins havedestroyed, and how he restores
blessing to our families afterwe fail him.
We serve a good God.
And now we've come up on ourbreak, and afterwards we will
return to learn about BabyChris's 38th week of development
in the womb and contemplatewhat that means to Advent.
Announcer (19:02):
Presented by a five-member ensemble cast,
Viable leads the audiencethrough a journey of healing and
restoration for post-abortivewomen and men through the love
of Jesus Christ.
Viable is endorsed by theNational Right to Life
Committee.
You can find out how to presentViable to your church or pro
life group at ViablePlay.org.
Host (19:25):
This week thirty-eight Baby Chris devotional is called
Focal Point.
Hear the word of the "Fix yourthoughts on Jesus, whom we
acknowledge as our apostle andhigh priest." Hebrews 3: 1.
Thanks be to God.
At 38 weeks, the placenta is nowat its full size and is spread
(19:49):
out flat against the uterus.
It will continue its functionof supplying nutrients and
antibodies to baby Chris untilhe is born.
His bones have hardened, aprocess known as ossification.
His mother is now preparing fordelivery in earnest.
She may have taken childbirthclasses to learn breathing
(20:10):
methods to help with her paincontrol and work with the rhythm
of her contractions duringlabor.
One of the techniques anexpectant mother learns is to
choose a focal point on the wallor ceiling to help her
concentrate for breath controlduring labor contractions.
When a contraction begins, shemoves her gaze to her chosen
(20:33):
focal point, takes a few deepbreaths, and begins a pattern of
breathing and counting untilthe contraction ends.
Having a focal point isimportant in helping her screen
out the distractions that mightinterfere with her measured
breathing, allowing pain andanxiety to get the upper hand.
(20:53):
The Bible teaches about theimportance of focal points at
critical moments in the life ofthe believer.
As a consequence for thecomplaints of the Hebrew nation
about the manna God provided forthem as they wandered in the
wilderness, God sent fieryserpents to torment them.
When they went to Moses torepent, he offered them relief
(21:14):
and healing by having them turntheir focus upwards towards a
bronze serpent hung on a pole.
In the Gospel of John, Jesusinvokes the serpent in the
wilderness as a foreshadowing ofhis own lifting up that would
bring eternal life and healingto those who would believe.
Isaiah wrote that if we focusour thoughts on God, we will
(21:38):
know perfect peace.
As he neared the end of hisearthly mission, Jesus set his
face like flint towardsJerusalem.
Peter focused on Jesus as hegot out of the boat and walked
toward him on the water, andagain after the resurrection
when he jumped into the waterand swam towards Jesus waiting
(21:58):
on the shore.
The writer of Hebrewsencourages us to look to Jesus
to help us endure the race ofChristian life.
In the chaos of the world as itflexes and contracts around us,
Advent coaches us to meditate onthe mighty works of the Lord,
the promises that are fulfilledin Christ, and the assurance of
(22:20):
our eternal future together withthe Lord.
As we count down our days, wereturn to prayer and focus on
Jesus as he perfects our faith.
Like preparation for childbirthclasses, the church season of
Advent is an exercise in waitingas we practice again the
techniques that will carry usthrough to the end of our lives,
(22:43):
or to the return of Christ,navigating the challenges of
daily life in a distractingworld that threatens to
overwhelm our peace.
We grow weaker the nearer wecome to deliverance, but we gain
strength in Christ.
We gain peace in tribulation aswe focus on the knowledge that
(23:04):
He has overcome the world.
Hear the word of the Lord (23:06):
"We are looking forward to a new
heaven and a new earth whererighteousness dwells." 2
Peter 3:13.
Thanks be to God.
Announcer (23:25):
We hope you enjoyed this week's reflection.
We encourage you to share itand join us next time on ProLife
Kitchen Table.
May God bless you.
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