Game of Thrones – The King’s Deadly Affair

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Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills

Category: Personal Study

Thread: Game of Thrones

Post Topic: David’s Deadly Cover-up

Post in Thread: #15

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Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 2 Samuel 12:1-19

Key Verses:
²⁶When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷After 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.
2 Samuel 11:26-27

Observations

Context

David won military battles over numerous enemies.
He continued to expand the kingdom under the leadership of his commander, Joab.

Sin – and David’s Deadly Cover-up (Chapter 11)

David had sent Joab and his forces to war against the Ammonites. He remained behind in Jerusalem.
He noticed the beautiful Bathsheba cleansing herself in her home below the palace.
He inquired about her and was told she was married to one of his best warriors, Uriah.
He slept with her anyway, and she became pregnant.
He summoned Uriah home in an attempt to cover up the sin, but Uriah refused to go to Bathsheba.
David sent the loyal Uriah to Joab with a letter – Joab was to arrange for Uriah’s death in the hottest part of the battlefield.
Afterward, Joab sent back a messenger with news of the battle where Uriah died.
The cover-up worked – or so David thought.
He took Bathsheba as his wife, and she bore him a son.

Consequences (Chapter 12)

The prophet Nathan informed David that he’d angered God with his sin.
David repented, begging for forgiveness.
God forgave David, but the punishment stood. David and Bathsheba lost their firstborn son.

Interpretation

Setting

David’s palace in Jerusalem, overlooking the city. With so many men away to fight, the place might have been quieter than usual.

Genre

Narrative description.

Author

The author is unknown, but they had access to the records of the kings and possessed a thorough knowledge of the life and times of Samuel and the events surrounding the first kings of Israel.

Takeaways

David allowed his lust to get the best of him.
The first sin of adultery was bad enough. Making matters worse was the fact that Bathsheba was the wife of one of his most loyal soldiers – Uriah is listed as one of the mighty men of David.
David thought he was smooth. He’d bring Uriah back for a report and send him home to his wife. Uriah would believe the child was his.
But Uriah hated being away from his brothers who remained in harm’s way.
- He refused to sleep inside, or have relations with his wife.
- Contrast Uriah with David, who’d stayed back in Jerusalem.
Realizing his cover-up had failed, David panicked. His backup plan was even worse – murder.
David should have just come clean with Uriah and begged for forgiveness.
Joab discreetly cleaned up David’s mess.
But God saw. David’s repentance was genuine, but he and Bathsheba faced the consequences of their sin.

Imagine

When Joab got the letter from David urging him to send Uriah to the worst part of the battle, what did he think? Would you have obeyed the king? There’s no question that the ambitious, industrious Joab would make it happen.
Put yourself in the prophet Nathan’s shoes. The Lord has revealed David’s sins to you, and it’s your job to go confront the king. Nathan likely had revered David until this point. That reverence flipped to disgust in an instant. But now he had to figure out a way to confront the same man who’d just had one of his most loyal warriors killed. Must have been an intimidating moment.

Correlation

Proverbs 28:13 – Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Application

Generic Applications

When we are entrenched in sin, the guilt can make us do even worse things.
Cover-ups may seem to work. But they likely involve something worse than the original mistake. Admitting our failures is always a better choice than compounding them.
God sees our sins. He can forgive the worst of them, if we repent. But the consequences of our actions will live on.

Personalize it

As I examine myself, am I hiding a mistake or a perpetual sin? I know God sees it. Exposing it to the world might not be the best choice, but can I confess it to God now? He will forgive.

Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:

Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.

Daniel P Warner