2 Samuel 11 Devotional

Nothing Hidden from God

“And when 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 that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD.”2 Samuel 11:27 (BSB)

In the spring, when kings go out to war, David stays home (11:1). From his roof he sees Bathsheba, learns she is Uriah's wife, and sends messengers to take her (11:4). When she becomes pregnant, David tries to cover it. He calls Uriah home, but Uriah will not go to his house while the ark and the army are camped in the field (11:11). So David sends him back carrying his own death sentence, a letter telling Joab to abandon him in the fiercest fighting (11:15).

Each sin is meant to hide the last, and the loyal soldier shows more integrity than the king. When word comes that Uriah is dead, David tells Joab not to be troubled (11:25). The cover-up seems to have worked. Then comes the final sentence: the LORD saw what David had done, and it was evil (11:27). Nothing is hidden from God's sight (Hebrews 4:13). That is sobering, but it is also where hope begins, because the God who sees is about to send a prophet.

To think about: Is there a wrong you are working to keep covered, and what would it mean to bring it into the open before the God who already sees?