2 Samuel 11:20

11:14-27 Adulteries often occasion murders, and one wickedness is sought to be covered by another. The beginnings of sin are much to be dreaded; for who knows where they will end? Can a real believer ever tread this path? Can such a person be indeed a child of God? Though grace be not lost in such an awful case, the assurance and consolation of it must be suspended. All David's life, spirituality, and comfort in religion, we may be sure were lost. No man in such a case can have evidence to be satisfied that he is a believer. The higher a man's confidence is, who has sunk in wickedness, the greater his presumption and hypocrisy. Let not any one who resembles David in nothing but his transgressions, bolster up his confidence with this example. Let him follow David in his humiliation, repentance, and his other eminent graces, before he thinks himself only a backslider, and not a hypocrite. Let no opposer of the truth say, These are the fruits of faith! No; they are the effects of corrupt nature. Let us all watch against the beginnings of self-indulgence, and keep at the utmost distance from all evil. But with the Lord there is mercy and plenteous redemption. He will cast out no humble, penitent believer; nor will he suffer Satan to pluck his sheep out of his hand. Yet the Lord will recover his people, in such a way as will mark his abhorrence of their crimes, to hinder all who regard his word from abusing the encouragements of his mercy.

And if so be that the king's wrath arise,.... Which might be seen in his countenance, or expressed in his words: and he say, wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? as to expose the king's troops to the enemy on the wall, who by stones or darts greatly annoyed them, or sallied out on them, and killed many of them: knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall? they must have known that, and therefore should have kept out of the reach of their shot.

The men of the city went out - i. e. they made a sally and attacked the troops which were blockading the city on that side, chiefly to entice them to pursue them, and so come within shot of the archers who lined the wall 2 Samuel 11:20 , 2 Samuel 11:24 . There fell some of the people ... - They, too, as well as the brave and faithful Uriah, were victims of David's cruel artifice.

The men of the city went out - i. e. they made a sally and attacked the troops which were blockading the city on that side, chiefly to entice them to pursue them, and so come within shot of the archers who lined the wall 2 Samuel 11:20 , 2 Samuel 11:24 . There fell some of the people ... - They, too, as well as the brave and faithful Uriah, were victims of David's cruel artifice.

2Sa 11:14-27. Uriah Slain. 14, 15. David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah … Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle—The various arts and stratagems by which the king tried to cajole Uriah, till at last he resorted to the horrid crime of murder—the cold-blooded cruelty of despatching the letter by the hands of the gallant but much-wronged soldier himself, the enlistment of Joab to be a partaker of his sin, the heartless affectation of mourning, and the indecent haste of his marriage with Bath-sheba—have left an indelible stain upon the character of David, and exhibit a painfully humiliating proof of the awful lengths to which the best of men may go when they forfeit the restraining grace of God.

Joab immediately despatched a messenger to the king, to give him a report of the events of the war, and with these instructions: "When thou hast told all the things of the war to the king to the end, in case the anger of the king should be excited (תּעלה, ascend), and he should say to thee, Why did ye advance so near to the city to fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall? Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbosheth (i.e., Gideon, see at Judges 6:32 )? did not a woman throw down a millstone from the wall, that he died in Thebez ( Judges 9:53 )? why went ye so nigh to the wall? then only say, Thy servant Uriah the Hethite has perished." Joab assumed that David might possibly be angry at what had occurred, or at any rate that he might express his displeasure at the fact that Joab had sacrificed a number of warriors by imprudently approaching close to the wall: he therefore instructed the messenger, if such should be the case, to announce Uriah's death to the king, for the purpose of mitigating his wrath. The messenger seems to have known that Uriah was in disgrace with the king. At the same time, the words "thy servant Uriah is dead also" might be understood or interpreted as meaning that it was without, or even in opposition to, Joab's command, that Uriah went so far with his men, and that he was therefore chargeable with his own death and that of the other warriors who had fallen.

Peradventure the Syrians designed to bring the war into David’s country, and therefore hastened their march, and for that end put their footmen on horseback, (as hath been frequently done in like cases,) who, when they came to the place of battle, carne down from their horses, and fought on foot. So there is no need of acknowledging an error of the scribe in the sacred text; which yet if it were granted in such historical passages of no moment to the doctrine of faith and good life, it would not shake the foundation of our faith in matters of great importance, which it might reasonably be presumed the providence of God would more watchfully preserve from all depravation or corruption. ## 2 Samuel 10:19 The kings that were servants to Hadarezer, to wit, for that time, or in that expedition to which he hired them. ## 2 Samuel 11:1 2 SAMUEL CHAPTER 11 Whilst Joab besieged Rabbah David committeth adultery with Bath-sheba, 2Sa_11:1-4. And hearing that she was with child, he sendeth for Uriah her husband out of the camp, to cover his shame. He will not go to his own house, neither sober nor drunk, 2Sa_11:5-13. David sendeth him again into the camp with a letter to Joab to expose him to death, 2Sa_11:14-17. The news of which Joab sendeth to David: he marrieth Bath-sheba, 2Sa_11:18-27. ## After the year was expired; when that year ended, and the next begun, which was in the spring time, Exo_12:2.

clean^and counted upright, notwithftanding thofe Infirmities : And therefore you (ball find, thtr iren of God are counted good and u fright in Con^ fiuih the Text, did that which wm right in the ejer in the matter of Uriah the Hittite, i Kin. 1 5. 5, t\ But was David in a ft rid): fenfe without fault in is\ dl things elfc ? No verily : But that was foul 30 a higher degree than the reft, and- thercforer diere God fets a bloc ; ay, and doubclefs, for char ke was accus'd by Satan before the Throne of €od ; for here is Adultery, and Murder, and Hypocrifie in David'^s doings ; here is notorious mat^ ter, a great Sin, and fo a great Ground for Satarr to draw up an Indidlment againft the King, and a thundering one to be fure (hall be preferred ag gainfl him. This is the time then for Ghrift ta a I ftand up to plead ^ for now there is room for el fach a Queflion, Can David's Sim ftand withr. : Grace ? Or, is it poffible that a Man that has done I as he has, fhould yet be found a Saint, and fo itr f afaved ftate? Or, can God repute him fo/ and*" - yet be Holy and Juft ? Or, can the Merits of the - ! lord Jefus reach, according to the Law of Hca- 'I ven, a Man in this condition ? Here is a cafe du^ 5 j fcow, here's a Man whofe Salvation, by his foul • j Offences, is made doubtful ^ now we muft to '■ I Law and Judgment, wherefore now let Chrift