David’s sin with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of Uriah are instructional to us. The stages are interesting.
First, David was at leisure when he should have been with his troops at war. You’ve heard it said that “idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.” David seems to be bored and just meandering around the castle when he stepped out on the terrace and saw Bathsheba.
Second, he stayed and looked at Uriah’s wife. He let himself dwell upon her and not just notice her beauty, but to dwell on it. Thus, Lust was conceived. Everyman sees beautiful women and if they’re not careful looks can turn to lust. Martin Luther used to say, you can’t stop a bird from landing on your head, but you can prevent him from building a nest in your hair.
Third, He acted on his lust. Once conceived, lust gives birth to sin. David did not resist. I often wonder what David knew about a young Israelite boy in Egypt named Joseph.
Fourth, Bathsheba became pregnant. My mother used to say, you can be sure your sin will find you out. It usually does. In the end, it always does.
Fifth, David tries to hide his sin. Proverbs 28:13 tells us “No one who conceals transgressions will prosper…”
Sixth, trying to hide his sin resulted in an even greater sin. David murdered Uriah. Sir Walter Scott once wrote, “what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive.”
We all become tangled up in our self made webs unable to escape awaiting the predator. To Paul the predator is personified as Death himself. If we could shave off the first six feet of the soil of this planet we would find the bones and the dust of virtually every human being who has ever lived. It’s not just David. It’s all of us.
Proverbs 28:13 continues, “…but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”