September 18 – 2 Samuel 11:14-21

September 18 – 2 Samuel 11:14-21

[14] In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. [15] In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” [16] And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. [17] And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died. [18] Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting. [19] And he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, [20] then, if the king’s anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? [21] Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”

What a tangled web David has woven. Not only has he asked Uriah to carry his own death sentence to Joab, but Uriah was not the only Israelite killed. In setting up the scene that David instructed Joab to make happen, several other innocent warriors were killed. This was another desperate attempt by David to hide his sin.

God calls us to do the right thing. David was placing many people in harm’s way and involved many others in his charade of covering up his sin. May we recognize our sin immediately and ask for forgiveness. May we never drag innocent people into our tangled web of sin.