1. Grace, mercy, and peace to You from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The message from God’s Word as we continue our Lenten series on the 10 Commandments is taken from 2 Samuel 11:1-27 and focuses on the 5th Commandment. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. God’s good will as God for you and for the world is that he wants life protected. He wants life to flourish. After all, he is the Creator of life. All life from God is precious. Consequently, the Lord says: “You shall not murder.” Again, he’s talking to you! “You shall not murder.” That means that you should fear and love—fear and love, that takes you back to the First Commandment—you should fear and love God so that you do not hurt or harm your neighbor in his body. The commandment forbids murder, abortion, euthanasia, suicide, revenge, neglect, indifference, hatred, and prejudice. The commandment expects you to help and support your neighbor in every physical or bodily need. All life of the neighbor is included.
3. So King David is having huge military success. His army is defeating the Ammonites. What a magnificent warrior king he is! But, now we come to a turning point in his reign. He loses an enormous battle against . . . himself! He is, as we heard last week, “lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14) to commit adultery and now, of all things, murder. Double crimes! Against the sanctity of holy marriage and tonight against the sanctity of human life! The Bible doesn’t censor or cover up David’s sins. This text, 2 Samuel 11, like all of Scripture, is written “for our instruction” (Rom 15:4). To warn you. “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12) as King David did. In addition, all Scripture is written to comfort you. There is forgiveness for Christ’s sake for all sin—no matter how despicable. For David’s. For yours. For the world’s.
4. So I preach today’s sermon for your warning if you are secure in your sin. But I also preach comfort to you who are burdened by your sin. Here goes. King David covets Uriah’s wife named Bathsheba. Breaks the Tenth Commandment with no worries. He casually commits adultery with her as if he does that sort of thing every day. Breaks the Sixth Commandment as easily as Taylor Swift writes and sings mega-hit pop songs. As a result of their adultery, Bathsheba is now pregnant with David’s baby. This isn’t Hollywood, where affairs are common and babies conceived out of wedlock are roundly celebrated. This is still King David’s court. He has to uphold a religious example. An example and leader of God’s people in faith and holy living according to God’s Word. Now what? Bathsheba’s pregnant! And he’s the father!
5. David goes into cover-up mode! Can’t let anyone find out about the adultery, let alone the results. Plan A is put into effect. Call husband Uriah in from the army. Give him a few days of military leave. Time off. “Go home, Uriah,” David politely mandates. “Be with your wife. You deserve it. Know what I mean, Uriah? Hmm? Wink. Wink. And here’s a little gift from me to show my appreciation. All the best to you and your wife! What’s her name again? Oh, that’s right, Bathsheba! Wonderful woman! So faithful! You’re so lucky, Uriah! Bye-bye now. Enjoy!”
6. You know what David’s trying to do, don’t you? Give a soldier time off, and give him the opportunity to be with his wife, and he’ll jump at the chance. And when Bathsheba starts to show her baby bump, everyone will be just giddy! God bless Uriah and Bathsheba. We remember when Uriah came home and . . . well, you know. Wink. Wink. Now they’re expecting their first child!
7. One big problem! Uriah doesn’t go home! He won’t! After all, he is devoted to his duty as a soldier. His mates are at war. It’s not fair for him to go see his wife and love her while they’re putting their lives on the line for the king and for Israel. “As you live [O King!], and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing” (v 11). In addition, the ark of the covenant, is there on the battlefield. That’s where the Lord is leading the Israelite army against her enemies. Uriah knows he belongs there. And so should the king! Plan A fails!
8. Plan B then. David throws a party. Opens up his royal liquor cabinet. The best and the stiffest stuff in all of Israel. Get a soldier drunk and he’ll definitely want to take his wife to bed. And when the baby bump shows, everyone will think the baby belongs to . . . Uriah. “Uriah! Great to see you!” King David exclaims. “Here, have a drink. I’ve poured you a drink. It’s on me! Have another one. And another. And another. Chug! Chug! Chug! Oh, Uriah, you’re drunk as a skunk. Off you go now! Best that you head home. Your lovely wife will know what to do. And so will you! Wink. Wink.” But even Plan B crashes and burns. Again, to David’s surprise, the inebriated Uriah doesn’t go home. Incredibly, he sleeps outside on a mat with the king’s servants.
9. Uriah won’t “cooperate.” So the king will kick up the cover-up a notch! He will not be exposed as an adulterer or the father of an illegitimate child. He can’t take that chance. He’s the king! He will conceal and hide his sin. Deny it at all costs. No matter whom he hurts or harms.
10. So Plan C is hatched. It’s ruthless. Evil. Wicked. Well thought out! Murder in the first degree! “General Joab,” David barks. “Put Uriah in the frontlines where the fighting is the most intense and where the enemy’s fiercest warriors are positioned. And then, General, pull back. Leave Uriah totally exposed to enemy fire. I’ll be rid of this Goody two shoes once and for all.”
11. Well, the battle takes place. Not only is Uriah the Hittite killed, but other soldiers in David’s army fall in the line of duty as well! Uriah’s death was made to look valid, legal, and justifiable. Poor Uriah—a casualty of war! So sad. Tragic. We wish it didn’t happen. But that’s how it goes in the army. Everyone knows what could happen when recruits sign on the dotted line.
12. But the fact of the matter is this: Uriah was set up. A hit was put out on him! Cold-blooded murder! David planned it. David ordered it. David was responsible! Not only for Uriah’s death but also for the other soldiers killed in that battle in order to snuff out Uriah. It doesn’t get any more depraved than that! When the news breaks to everyone in Jerusalem that Uriah is dead, David goes into an all-out public relations blitzkrieg. “We’ll have a national day of mourning, honor him for his bravery, name a street after him, and set up a foundation for the families of our fallen soldiers.” Then, after all the tears and all the public ceremonies, King David pulls off one of the biggest PR stunts in the history of the world. He announces on television—interrupting Monday Night Football—that His Royal Majesty will take care of the poor, grief-stricken war widow Bathsheba. He went to Jared, politely proposed that they get hitched, and she graciously accepted the marriage proposal. The wedding takes place. It is magnificent. What a king! That he cares so much for the war widow. And then, when Bathsheba’s baby bump appears a few months later, what joy! A royal baby! All legit! At least that’s how it looks.
13. But it took a murder, check that, murders (remember the other soldiers that died too?), to pull off such cunning and pious-appearing deception. Appearances are deceiving. What David did didn’t please the Lord! Well, no doubt, you’re appalled by David’s breaking the Fifth Commandment. Rightly so. But how about the murder(s) that you’ve committed? Yes, that’s right, you’re a murderer too, even if you haven’t taken a gun and shot someone in the head or taken a knife and driven it through a person’s heart. Does that appall you? Just wait. Listen to what Jesus declares. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ ” So far so good. But then Jesus turns, looks directly at you, and audaciously and categorically proclaims: “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment . . . whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire” (Mt 5:21–22). In connection with 1 Jn 3:15: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
14. Shoe fits, doesn’t it! Perfectly. I’ll bet you can’t count the number of people you’ve called a fool, let alone all the other names I can’t repeat in a G-rated sermon! Tell me, with whom aren’t you angry? Who is it you don’t hate? Very few. See! The Fifth Commandment exposes not just your deeds but also your thoughts and your words as damnable sin. Despicable King David. Despicable you. Despicable me. A whole world of despicables.
15. Despicable murderers who desperately are in need of the Savior, Jesus. And his will is to do just that! That’s precisely his cup of tea. What he’s really the best at. So he goes and does a Good Friday. Consequently, whatever sins you’ve committed, they now belong to Jesus. After all, on that Friday, God laid on him the iniquity of us all (Is 53:6). Seriously! All sin—every sin—was borne by Jesus in his crucified body. Yours too.
16. This crucified Jesus, then, is your highest comfort and joy. He clothes and wraps himself in David’s sin, your sin, and the sin of the entire world. God the Father heaped all sin on Jesus and said to his Son: “Be Peter the denier. Paul the persecutor, blasphemer, and assaulter. David the adulterer and murderer. Adam the apple-eater in Paradise. The thief on the cross. And all the folks seated and standing here at Grace Lutheran Church. See to it that you become sin—become the sinner—and thereby pay and make satisfaction for all sinners and their sin.”
17. And Jesus did just that. He carries your sins, dies with them, and gets damned with them. And so I can tell you with the utmost certainty: the Lord has taken away your sin. Buried it all forever in the black hole of Jesus’ tomb. You are forgiven. Forgiven, the Lord’s Good Use for You Is to Be His Instruments to Protect and Promote Life.
18. From conception to the ending of life. To fear and love God so that you support your neighbor in every physical need. After all, your neighbor needs such help. The Lord gives such help through you. And you want to be of help. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Let us pray. Creator God, You alone give life and breath and everything. Breathe into us Your life-giving Spirit that we may be caretakers of all You have made and honor life from the womb to the tomb; O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments. Turn us away from all angry thoughts and hurtful actions so that we may learn to help and support our neighbor in every physical need and, thereby, live peacefully with one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Now the peace of God
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