2 Samuel 11: Facing Temptation
IN LAKE WOBEGON Days Garrison Keillor describes a priest named Father Emil, who presides over Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility Catholic Church. Every year Father Emil faithfully delivers a sermon on the evils of birth control. He entitles it "If You Didn't Want to Go to Minneapolis, Why Did You Get on the Train?" His point, of course, is that if we want to avoid certain consequences, we must avoid certain actions. The story of David and Bathsheba reveals how a series of smaller sins can build to tragic and devastating results. We also discover what forces can lead "a man after God's own heart" to commit adultery and murder.
Warming Up to God
When have you failed to be honest with God about sin in your life? If you have not yet done so, confess that sin to God.
Read 2 Samuel 11. »
Discovering the Word
- Sin often begins with a series of temptations, each one leading to the next. What steps led to David's sin with Bathsheba (vv. 1-5)?
- At each stage of his temptation, what might David have done to keep from taking the next step? (Be specific.)
- What plan does David devise to cover up his sin (vv. 6-13)? How does Uriah thwart David's plan—at least initially?
- When deceit fails to work, how does David's plan become vicious (vv. 14-15)?
- What other people does David draw into the wake of his sin?
- From this chapter, how would you explain what led "a man after God's own heart" to commit adultery and murder?
Applying the Word
- At what point does a temptation become sin?
- Why are we tempted to cover up our sins rather than confess them?
- In what specific ways is David's experience a warning to you?
Responding in Prayer
Pray that you would be faithful in the "little things" so that you would not be led into temptation.
For Further Study
Temptation by Tom L. Eisenman