2 Samuel 11 Bible Study - In 5 Minutes
2 Samuel 11 Short Summary
In 2 Samuel 11, while on his rooftop, King David observed a beautiful woman named Bathsheba bathing. Bathsheba was the wife of one of David’s soldiers, Uriah, but David disregarded her marital status and slept with her. After learning she was pregnant, David tried to cover up his sin, but failed, ultimately leading to Uriah being murdered. David married Bathsheba after Uriah’s death.
2 Samuel 11 Summary - A Quick Overview
WHEN:
Saul died in approximately 1055 B.C., after reigning over Israel for 40 years.
David became king over Judah the same year. He reigned over Judah for 7 years and 6 months, before becoming king over all Israel. His reign over all Judah and Israel lasted 33 years.
CHARACTERS:
David – The second king over all Israel and Judah.
Uriah – A Hittite man who served as a warrior in Israel’s army. He was married to Bathsheba.
Bathsheba – The wife of Uriah. David had a sinful sexual relationship with her.
Joab – Commander of the army of Israel.
WHERE:
David was in Jerusalem while the army of Israel was fighting the Ammonites at Rabbah.
OUTLINE:
DAVID’S SINFUL AFFAIR WITH BATHSHEBA (11:1-4):
In the spring of the year, while David’s army was off fighting the Ammonites, David was walking on the roof of his house and witnessed a woman bathing.
She was very beautiful, so David inquired about her identity.
His servants told him the woman was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of David’s warriors.
David sent messengers to her, brought her to the palace, and slept with her.
BATHSHEBA’S PREGNANCY AND DAVID’S ATTEMPTED COVER-UP (11:5-13):
Some time later, Bathsheba sent messengers to David to tell him she was pregnant.
To cover-up his sin, David asked Joab to send Uriah home from the battlefield.
When he arrived, David spoke to him about the war and then told him to go to his house and visit his wife.
Uriah left David’s presence, but he didn’t go to his house, he spent the night with the servants of the king.
Uriah told David he could not go to his house and enjoy the comforts of his home and his wife when his fellow soldiers were sleeping in tents on the battlefield.
Next, David tried to get Uriah to go to his house by getting him drunk, but this attempt also ended in failure.
DAVID MURDERS URIAH AND MARRIES BATHSHEBA (11:14-27):
The next morning, David wrote a letter to Joab, telling him to intentionally get Uriah killed on the battlefield.
The messenger who was assigned to carry the letter was Uriah.
Joab did as the king instructed. He put Uriah in a particularly dangerous part of the battlefield, and during the course of the battle, Uriah was killed.
Joab sent messengers back to David to report the death of Uriah.
Bathsheba mourned her husband’s death.
When she completed the mourning period, David brought her to his house and made her his wife.
The final sentence of the chapter reads, “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.”
APPLICATION:
People often have questions about why a God designed world has so much suffering in it.
One thing we need to keep in mind is that a lot of the suffering in the world is created by human beings who ignore God’s commands.
David did Uriah dirty. Uriah didn’t deserve to be treated the way David treated him.
He was treated unjustly because David chose to embrace covetousness and lust, things God condemned.
These kinds of injustices are not brought about by the will of God, but by human beings who reject the will of God.
It’s common to hear people blame God for all the suffering in the world, but we need to remember that a lot of human problems have human origins.
A lot of suffering could be eliminated if people would listen to God.
