David and Bathsheba

Scripture:

2 Samuel 11:1-12:13

Quick Summary:

Bathsheba was Uriah’s wife, and yet David cheated with her. David didn’t want to get caught cheating, so he arranged for Uriah to die in battle. David not only cheated but lied and murdered Uriah. Only after the prophet Nathan pointed it out, did David finally admit his sin. 

The Point:

When we try to cover-up our sin, we end up sinning more and hurting other people. Admit when you are wrong!

Questions for Family Time:

1.     What was David’s first sin?

a.      He cheated with Bathsheba.

2.     What was David’s second sin?

a.  He lied about cheating with Bathsheba.

     What was David’s third sin?

a.     He killed Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband so he wouldn’t get caught cheating.

3.     What did you learn?

a.      It’s important for us to take responsibility when we do something wrong, or someone else might get hurt.

Deeper:

            This is one of David’s most famous stories. David was called the “man after God’s own heart.” This story balances that honor with the reality that he was not perfect. Where other historical documents always put leaders in the best light possible, the Bible speaks to their mistakes and sins. It is a defining characteristic that separates the Bible from other ancient documents.
           
            David committed more than one sin in this story. 1) He committed adultery with Bathsheba. 2) He lied and tried to cover up that sin. 3) He murdered Uriah. Sin #2 is what we will be focusing on in our KICK lesson. By not take responsibility for his actions with Bathsheba, David put more lives in jeopardy. He sinned worse by lying and cost Uriah and other faithful soldiers their lives. Cheating turned into murder because he wouldn’t admit he had done wrong.
            
           In our house, no one has been murdered, but there have been multiple times when one small wrong became a big problem because that person wouldn’t admit they did it. Like many of you, there have been times when I have said, “You are in more trouble for lying about it than you are for doing what you did.” The reality is that when we don’t confess, others can be hurt and problems can snowball. Things often get worse if they aren’t dealt with right away.

            Christians call this act of admitting we did wrong "CONFESSION." We practice confession in our prayers.  We even confess when we fall short as a church in our words leading to communion. Confession is so important it is recognized as the first step of turning toward God. We don’t just name our sins to get them off our chest. We name them to protect others from paying the consequences. We name them so that things can be put right.

Personal Reflection:

               Are there sins that you need to confess? How has keeping those sins secret hurt others?

David and Michal

Scripture:

2 Samuel 6:14-23

Quick Summary:

King David came into Jerusalem dancing before the ark. His wife was so embarrassed. He said, “I don’t care if I am king. I will praise God with all I have, even if it is embarrassing.” 

The Point:

Praise God like nobody’s watching.

Questions for Family Time:

1.     Why was Michal embarrassed of David?

a.      He was dressed in like a commoner, dancing in the street.

2.     That is embarrassing! Why was he doing that?

a.      He was praising God, and celebrating God’s ark coming into God’s city.

3.     How do you praise God?

a.      (with singing, dancing, shouts of praise, praying aloud, etc.)

4. Do you ever feel too embarrassed to worship like that?

   

    *In this lesson, I used the word Praise and Worship interchangeably. While these 2 words are similar, they are not exactly the same. Praise is when we show gratitude to God. Worship is when we give God our attention. We have worship services in which we praise God, along with other things like pray for the needs of our community, read the Bible together and learn together. Worship includes praise, but also includes lament (crying out to God) and mourning. 

Deeper:

            The Ark of the Covenant had been a spoil of war, taken far from the temple of God by the Philistines. When Israel got it back, they discovered it was no random piece of property. David’s act was not a celebration of war. It was a celebration of God.

            To make it clear this was not a normal military procession, David took of his king robes and regalia to enter as a common man. This was a huge symbol of humility. It was his way of saying God was Israel’s real king. He came in dancing on foot, not reverent and regal on the king’s horse. He came celebrating and inviting the nation watching this parade to join in celebration that God was among them.

            This horrified Queen Michal. Unlike David, Michal had been born royalty. As King Saul’s daughter, she had been given to David as a prize of war. She had never lived outside of a palace and knew how dignified royalty acted. This was not it. Royalty didn’t dance around in plain linen. People were to bow to the king, not dance alongside him. Yet this is exactly what David did. He was willing to look the fool for God to look like the king.

            Sometimes, like Michal, we get caught up in perceptions. We think worship should be reverent, and interpret reverent as quiet, calm, and without joy. But God reminds us that true praise is filled with embarrassing moments. God is glorified when we stop being self-conscious and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading. At Wednesday Worship, that means dancing during our centering song, or lifting up a personal prayer request. It may mean reading even though we may fumble over the words, or singing a song even if we may hit wrong notes. True Praise of God happens when, like David, we get over ourselves and are honest with God. It is when we are less concerned about what people will think and more concerned with what God thinks.   

Personal Reflection:

             


   When have you been willing to be embarrassed to worship God?