The Story of the Fall of King David and the Lessons to Be Learned

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The Story of David and his fall is found in the Book of II Samuel Chap. 11 onwards
 

When was David during the fall?
David and all the people of Israel had been in a war for a year and he already felt victorious, so he was in his palace.
"After a year passed, when kings go out to war, David sent Joab, and with him his servants and all Israel; and
they destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem." 2Sa 11: 1


How did David's fall occur?
    Now it came to pass that, one afternoon, David got up from his bed and began to stroll on the terrace of the royal house; and from the terrace he saw a woman washing herself; and this woman was very beautiful in sight. 2Sa 11: 2
    When David had sent to inquire about that woman, they said to him, Is not Bathsheba, the daughter of Elijah, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite? 2Sa 11: 3
    So David sent messengers to bring her; and she came to him, and he lay with her (for she was already cleansed of her filth);
then she returned to her home. 2Sa 11: 4
    The woman conceived; and sent to David, saying, I am pregnant. 2Sa 11: 5

And what caused David to fall with Betheba?

    It was the spirit of self-confidence and exaltation that paved the way for David's fall. The flattery and subtle attractions of power and luxury have had no effect on him. Relations with surrounding nations also had an influence on evil.
    According to the custom that prevailed among the eastern rulers, crimes that would not be tolerated in the subjects were not condemned in the king; who had no duty to observe the same restrictions as his subjects. All of this tended to diminish David's sense of the excessive malignancy of sin. And instead of humbly trusting in Jehovah's power, he began to trust his own wisdom and power. Patriarchs and Prophets - Ch. David's Sin and Repentance

What is Satan trying to do to make man fall?
    As soon as Satan manages to separate the soul, the only source of strength, from God, he will seek to awaken the impure desires of man's carnal nature. Patriarchs and Prophets - Ch. David's Sin and Repentance So, be sober, watch. Your opponent, the Devil, walks around, roaring like a lion, and looking for whom he can swallow; 1Pe_5: 8

And how does this action of Satan take place?
    The enemy's work is not done abruptly; it is not, at first, sudden and surprising; it is a secret action to undermine the strongholds of principles. It starts with seemingly small things - neglect to be faithful to God and to trust Him entirely, willingness to follow the customs and practices of the world. Patriarchs and Prophets - Ch. David's Sin and Repentance

How did King David feel when he fell into temptation?
    Before the end of the war with the Ammonites, David, leaving Joab to lead the army, returned to Jerusalem. The Syrians had already submitted to Israel, and the total subversion of the Ammonites seemed certain. David was surrounded by the fruits of victory and honor by his wise and skillful government. It was now, when he was at ease, and off guard, that the tempter took the opportunity to occupy his mind.
Patriarchs and Prophets - Ch. David's Sin and Repentance

How was God's relationship with David before the fall?
    The fact that God took David in such an intimate connection with Him, and that David showed him such great favor to him, should have been the strongest incentive to preserve his character beyond reproach. Patriarchs and Prophets - Chap. David's Sin and Repentance

But what then happened to David to sin?
    But when, in his comfort and security, he lost his attachment to God, David surrendered to Satan, and brought the stain of crime upon his soul. He, the head of the nation appointed by Heaven, chosen by God to execute His law, himself trod its precepts. One that should have been a terror to evildoers, by his own act strengthened them the mãos.Patriarcas and prophets - Cap Sin and repentance of David.

Given the previous dangers this fall what David did?
    Among the dangers of the first part of his life, David, aware of his integrity, could entrust his case to God. The hand of the Lord had guided him safely through the innumerable pitfalls that had been placed at his feet.

In the face of sin, how did David act?
    But now, guilty and unrepentant, he did not ask for help and guidance from Heaven, but he sought to free himself from the dangers in which sin had involved him.

What sin had David committed? And what should your punishment be?
    Bathsheba, whose fatal beauty had proved the king's snare, was Uriah the Hittite's wife, one of David's most courageous and faithful officers. No one could have predicted what the outcome would be if the crime were known. God's law declared the adulterer guilty of death; and the proud-minded soldier, so shamefully offended, could take revenge by taking the king's life, or by provoking the nation to revolt.

What did David try to do with his sin?
    All the effort that David made to hide his crime proved to be useless. He had given himself over to the power of Satan; danger surrounded him; dishonor, more bitter than death, was before him. There was nothing but a way to escape, and in his desperation he hurried to add murder to adultery. He who had plotted the destruction of Saul, sought to bring David to ruin as well. Although temptations were diverse, they similarly led to a transgression of God's law. David reasoned that if Uriah was killed by the hand of enemies in battle, the blame for his death could not be blamed on the king; Bathsheba would be free to be David's wife, suspicions could be removed, and maintained would be the royal honor. Patriarchs and Prophets - Chap. David's Sin and Repentance

What did David do to Uriah?
    Uriah was made bearer of his own death order. A letter sent by his hand to Joab, from the king, ordered: "Put Uriah in front of the greatest force of the battle, and withdraw from behind him, that he may be wounded and die." II Sam. quarter past eleven. Joab, already tainted with the crime of outrageous murder, did not hesitate to obey the king's instructions, and Uriah fell by the sword of the sons of Ammon. Patriarchs and Prophets - Ch. David's Sin and Repentance What was David

's government like before the Fall? And then?
    So far David's record as a ruler had been as few kings have ever had it. It is written about him that he "judged and did justice to all his people". II Sam. 8:15. His integrity had won the nation's trust and loyalty. But when he turned away from God and surrendered to the evil one, during that time he became an agent of Satan; however, he still maintained the position and authority that God had given him, and because of this, he demanded obedience that would endanger the soul of anyone who surrendered to it. And Joab, whose allegiance was protested to the king instead of to God, transgressed the law of God because the king had commanded him. Patriarchs and Prophets - Chap. David's Sin and Repentance

Why had God given David the power to exercise the position of King?
David's power had been given to him by God, but to be exercised only in accordance with divine law. When he ordered what was contrary to the law of God, it became a sin to obey. "The powers that be are ordained by God" (Rom. 13: 1), but we must not obey them contrary to God's law. The apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, sets out the principle by which we are to be governed. He says: "Be my imitators, as I also of Christ." I Cor. 11: 1.

How was the order given to report the war to the King?
A report on the execution of his order was sent to David, but so carefully stated that it compromised neither Joab nor the king. Joab "commanded the messenger, saying: When you have finished telling the king all the success of this battle, and if the king is angry, ... then you will say: Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died. And he was the messenger, and he went in and told David everything that Joab had sent him. " Patriarchs and Prophets - Ch. David's Sin and Repentance

What was King David's response?
The king's reply was, "So you shall say to Joab, 'Do not look this bad in your eyes; for the sword consumes this one as well as that; make your battle against the city and defeat it. Patriarchs and Prophets - Chap. David's Sin and Repentance


How did Beth-seba react to her husband's death?
    Bathsheba observed the usual days of mourning for her husband; and, at the end, "sent David, and took her into his house, and went to him as a wife." II Sam. 11: 19-27. Patriarchs and Prophets - Ch. David's Sin and Repentance
    The One, whose delicate conscience and high sense of honor did not allow him, even in danger of life, to understand his hand against the Lord's anointed, had fallen in such a way that he could face and murder a of his most faithful and brave soldiers, and enjoy, without being disturbed, the reward of his sin. There! how fine gold had lost its luster! how the finest gold had become! Patriarchs and Prophets -
Chap. David's Sin and Repentance

What advantages does Satan show men?
    From the beginning, Satan painted men the advantages to be gained by transgression. So he seduced the angels. So Adam and Eve tried to sin. And so it is still driving crowds away from obedience to God. The path of transgression makes it seem desirable; "but the end of them is the ways of death". Prov. 14:12. Happy are those who, having risked going this way, learn how bitter the fruits of sin are, and return in time. Patriarchs and Prophets - Ch. David's Sin and Repentance


And what did God do with David?
    God, in His mercy, did not allow David to be drawn to utter ruin by the seductive rewards of sin. For Israel's sake too, there was a need for God's intervention.

And what were the consequences in Israel for David's transgression?
    As time passed, David's sin towards Bathsheba became known, and aroused the suspicion that he had planned Uriah's death. The Lord was dishonored. He had favored and exalted David, and his sin falsely represented the character of God, casting ignominy on His name. It tended to lower the norm of godliness in Israel, and to decrease in many spirits the aversion to sin; at the same time, those who neither loved nor feared God became through that audacious sin in transgression.

How did god intervene in this situation?
    The prophet Nathan was commanded to take a message of disapproval to David. It was a terrible message for its severity. To a few sovereigns such a censure could be made, except at the price of certain death to anyone who did it. Nathan resolutely conveyed the divine sentence, and yet, with such wisdom from on high, that it captured the king's sympathy, awakened his conscience and pulled the death sentence upon him from his lips. Appealing to David as the divinely appointed guard of the rights of his people, the prophet referred to the story of the lack and oppression that demanded relief.

How did Nathan convince the king that he had committed sin?
    "There were two men in a city," he said, "a rich man and a poor man. The rich man had many sheep and cows; but the poor man had nothing but a small lamb that he had bought and raised; and she had grown up with him and with his children alike, he ate from his mouthful and drank from his cup and slept in his lap, and had her as a daughter, and when a traveler came to the rich man, he ceased to take care of his sheep and his cows to for the traveler who came to him, and took the poor man's lamb, and prepared it for the man who came to him. "

What was King David's reaction to Nathan's story?
    The king's wrath was aroused, and he exclaimed: "The Lord lives that the man who did this is worthy of death. And by the lamb he will give the quadruple again, because he did such a thing, and because he did not have compassion." II Sam. 12: 5, 6.

Nathan reveals ... who was the man in the story? And what was the curse that David received?
    Nathan fixed his eyes on the king; then, raising his right hand to heaven, he declared solemnly. "You are that man." "Why, then," he continued, "did you despise the word of the Lord, doing evil before His eyes?" Criminals can, as David did, try to hide their crime from men; they may seek to bury bad deed forever, out of sight or human knowledge; but "all things are bare and evident in the eyes of Him with whom we have to deal". Heb. 4:13. "There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known." Mat 10:26.
    Nathan declared, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: I have anointed you over Israel, and I have delivered you from the hand of Saul. ... Why, then, did you despise the word of the Lord, doing evil before His eyes? Uriah the Hittite, you smote the sword, and his wife you took for your wife, and you killed him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword will never depart from your house .... Behold, I will stir up evil from you from your own house, and I will take your women before your eyes, and I will give them to your neighbor .... Because you did it in secret, but I will do this business before all Israel and before the sun. " II Sam. 12: 7-12.
PP - Pag. 722 Did


David repent of his sin?
    The prophet's censure touched David's heart; awakened his conscience; his crime appeared in all its enormity. His soul bowed in repentance before God. With trembling lips he said, "I have sinned against the Lord." All evil, done to others, reflects the offended to God.


What was David's punishment?
    David had committed a grave sin, both for Uriah and Bathsheba, and he felt it intensely. But infinitely greater was
his sin against God.
    Since no one was found in Israel to carry out the death sentence on the Lord's anointed, David shuddered at the fear that, being at fault and not forgiven, he would be suppressed by God's quick judgment. But the message was sent to him by the prophet: "The Lord has also pierced your sin; you will not die." However, justice should be maintained. The death sentence was transferred from David to the child of his sin. Thus the king was given an opportunity for repentance, although for him the child's suffering and death, as part of his punishment, were much more bitter than his own death could have been. Said the prophet: "Because with this deed of this place greatly to which the enemies of the Lord blaspheme, also the son who was born to you will surely die." II Sam. 12:13 and 14.



When David's son with Beth-seba was born what happened?
    When his son was attacked by the disease, David, with fasting and deep humiliation, pleaded for his life. He removed his royal robes, deposited the crown, and night after night he lay prostrate on the ground, interceding, with the pain of a broken heart, for the innocent who suffered because of him. "The elders of his household got up and went to him, to lift him up from the earth; but he did not want to." II Sam. 12:17.
    Often when judgments were made about people or cities, humiliation and repentance deflected the blow, and the One who is always merciful, ready to forgive, had sent messengers of peace. Excited by this thought, David persevered in his supplication while the child was spared in life. Knowing that she was dead, she silently submitted to God's decree. The first blow had been dealt, in that retribution which he himself had declared fair; but David, trusting in God's mercy, was not without consolation.


How many people see David's life and sin?
    Many people, reading the story of David's fall, have asked: "Why is such a record made public? Why did God find it convenient to patent to the world this dark episode in the life of those who had been so greatly honored by Heaven?" The prophet, in his disapproval of David, declared in relation to his sin: "With this feat of this place, above all that the enemies of the Lord blaspheme." II Sam. 12:14.
    Through successive generations, unbelievers have pointed to the character of David, who bears this black stain, and exclaimed with triumph and scorn: "This is man after God's own heart!" Acts 13:22. Thus reproach was brought to religion, God and His Word were blasphemed, souls were hardened in unbelief, and many, under a cloak of piety, became bold in sin.

But what is the true meaning of David's story?
    But David's story does not provide a defense to sin. It was when he walked in the counsel of God that he was called a man after God's own heart. Sinning, this ceased to be true of him, until by repentance he returned to the Lord. The Word of God understandably states, "This thing that David did looked bad in the eyes of the Lord." II Sam. 11:27. And the Lord said to David by the prophet, "Why, then, did you despise the Word of the Lord, doing evil before His eyes? ... Now therefore, will the sword never depart from your house, because you have despised Me. " II Sam. 12: 9, 10. Although David repented of his sin, and was forgiven and accepted by the Lord, he reaped the results of the seed which he himself had sown. Judgments about him and his home testify to God's aversion to sin.
    Until then, God's providence had preserved David against all the conspiracies of his enemies, and had been directly exercised to restrain Saul. David's transgression, however, changed his relationship with God. The Lord could in no way sanction iniquity. He could not exercise His power to protect David from the results of his sin, as He had protected him from Saul's enmity.

Was David the same after the sin?
    There was a big change in David himself. He was broken in spirit by the awareness of his sin, and its results, which would have far reaching. He felt humiliated in the eyes of his subjects. Their influence has weakened. Until then, his prosperity had been attributed to his conscientious obedience to the Lord's commandments. But now his subjects, having knowledge of their sin, would be led to sin more freely. Their authority in their own home, their children's right to respect and obedience, have weakened. An intuition of his guilt kept him silent when he would have condemned sin; it weakened his arm to do justice in his home. His bad example had an influence on his children, and God would not intervene to prevent the result. He would allow things to take their natural course, and so David was severely punished. PP - Pag. 724
    For a full year after his fall, David lived in apparent safety; there was no external proof of God's displeasure. But the divine sentence hung over him. A day of judgment and condemnation was fast approaching, and no repentance could deviate from the anguish and shame that would blacken his entire earthly life.

Does David's sin serve as an excuse to sin?
    Those who, pointing to the example of David, seek to lessen the guilt of their own sins, should learn from the biblical record that the path of transgression is hard. Although, like David, they deviate from their bad conduct, it will be found that the results of sin, even in this life, are bitter and hard to withstand.

What was God's purpose with David's story?
    It was God's intention that the story of David's fall should serve as a warning that even those He blessed and greatly favored should not feel free from danger, and neglect vigilance and prayer. And this has done this story to those who have humbly sought to learn the lesson that God intended to teach. From generation to generation, thousands have been led to realize the danger they are in because of the power of the tempter. The fall of David, who was so greatly honored by the Lord, aroused their suspicion of self. They felt that only God could keep them by His power, through faith. Knowing that their strength and security were in Him, they feared to take the first step on Satan's ground.

How did David feel after sin?
    Even before the divine sentence was pronounced against David, he had begun to reap the fruit of transgression. His conscience was restless. The affliction of spirit that he then endured is presented in Psalm thirty-two. He says:

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
And whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute evil,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
While I was silent, my bones grew old
By my roaring in all day long.
Because day and night your hand was heavy on me;
my mood has become summer drought. " Ps. 32: 1-4.


How did David express his repentance?
And Psalm fifty-one is an expression of David's repentance, when the message of reproach came from God:
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
Erase my transgressions,
According to the multitude of Your mercies.
Wash me completely from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
Because I know my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me. ...
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be pure;
Wash me, and I will be more white than snow.
Make me hear joy and joy,
So that the bones that You have broken will enjoy.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And erase all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit in me.
Do not cast me out of Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Give me the joy of Your salvation again,
And support me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You.
Deliver me from bloody crimes, O God, God of my salvation,
And my tongue will highly praise Your righteousness. "Ps. 51: 1-14. Did

David hide his sin?
    In this way, in a sacred song that there was to be chanted in the public assemblies of his people, in the presence of the court - priests and judges, princes and men of war - and who would keep the knowledge of his fall until the last generation, the king of Israel reported his sin, his repentance and his hope of forgiveness for God's mercy. Instead of striving to hide his crime, he wished that others could be educated by the sad story of his fall.

How was David's repentance?
    David's repentance was sincere and profound. There was no effort to mitigate his crime. No desire to escape threatened judgments inspired his prayer. He saw, however, the enormity of his transgression against God; he saw the contamination of his soul; he disliked his sin. It was not only for forgiveness that he prayed, but for purity of heart.

What was David's hope?
    David did not abandon the struggle in despair. In God's promises to repentant sinners, he saw proof of his forgiveness and acceptance. "For you do not delight in sacrifices, otherwise I would give them; you do not delight in burnt offerings. The sacrifices for God are the broken spirit; you will not despise a broken and contrite heart, O God." 51:16 and 17. PP -
Pag. 726

What was David's refreshment?
    Although David had fallen, the Lord raised him up. He was now in more complete harmony with God and sympathy for his fellow men than before he fell. In the joy of his deliverance, he sang: "I confessed my sin to You, and my wickedness I did not cover up; I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord;
And You have forgiven the wickedness of my sin. ... You are the place in that I hide; You preserve me from anguish; You gird me with joyful songs of deliverance. " Ps. 32: 5-7.

What was the big difference between David and Saul?
    Many have murmured about what they call God's injustice in sparing David, whose crime was so great, after He rejected Saul for what seems to them to be far less blatant sins. But David humbled himself and confessed his sin, while Saul despised reproach, and hardened his heart in impenitence.

What lessons can you learn from David's story?
    When a person is in a position of authority, such as: parents, bosses, governors, heads of business or state, whatever the position, they should not abuse this position to do the wrong thing and think it is right, thinking they have the right due to the high post.
    An example, a father calls his four-year-old daughter, she turns her back and leaves and does not answer him, and the indignant father goes after his daughter and scolds her, but this same father, when dealing with his old parents, talks to him in a rustic way, with negligence and silly curses. I ask what example is this father setting for his little daughter?
    Let's say that a patient gets sick in an office and the doctor tells him to take better care of his health by doing physical exercises and taking better care of his food, the patient agrees, but when the patient leaves the room and looks into the office and the doctor light a cigarette. What example is this professional giving to his patient?

    In the story arising from David, in front of his children, David had lost "morale" in front of his children. How now would David rebuke his children if his sin was evident in the eyes of those people?
    Parents, dearly, I beseech you: "So speak, and so do, as you should be judged by the law of freedom." James 2:12
    Have a rational life! Think about the consequences before you act. Therefore, brethren, I pray you for the mercies of God to offer yourselves in a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is rational worship. Romans 12: 1
    May your actions not be by impulses or by the emotion of the heart, but by reason, with a good, constructive and non-destructive purpose, both for your life, as for your family, as for the church, for society, for the TRUTH and for God that it must be the biggest rationale for our actions. Thinking about the real reason for your actions, you will avoid mistakes, both small and big, their terrible consequences and undesirable upsets like David and many who are going through bitter struggles today. If people thought about the consequences of their actions, the world would not be as bad and degraded as it is today.

    Therefore: Think about the consequences of your own actions and avoid mistakes, destruction and everything that is bad, this is a rational cult for God.

Depart from all forms of evil.1 Thessalonians 5:22
Hate evil, love good; ... Amos 5:15


What other lesson can we learn from this story?
    We see that when a sin is committed it does not come alone, it comes in a sequence of mistakes.
When a man cheats on a woman and has this custom, see that he comes home late and says it was a business meeting or service at the company, he is always very busy, without paying much attention to his wife and excusing his exits all the time, but it doesn't tell her the truth.
    Davi looked at Beth-seba, he already had degrading thoughts, he sent for her to call, unrepeated a married woman and her husband, slept with her, got pregnant, wanted to deceive Uriah, devised the evil of killing Uriah and even killed Uriah.
    See that every mistake made is followed by another mistake, because when you want to hide sin, behind it comes mistakes, lies, excuses, irritability, fights and separations.
    Therefore, cutting evil in the bud is the best solution. The recognition, confession and abandonment of sin, will bring us less disastrous consequences because we will disable the domino effect chain triggered by the sequences of wrong actions, thus the sinner prevents from suffering other consequences
more. Otherwise if there is no confession and abandon the sinner he feels that life has no joy and he feels that life is really
worthless to be lived.
    And the ax is already at the root of the trees; the whole tree, therefore, that does not bear good fruit, is cut and thrown into the fire. Luke 3: 9
    Therefore, genuinely, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us all our sins and cleanse us from any injustice. 1 John 1: 9


What is another great lesson we can learn from David's story?
    Thanks to the great love of the Lord, we are not consumed, for his mercies are inexhaustible. Lamentations 3:22
    This period in David's history is full of significance for the repentant sinner. It is one of the most striking illustrations given to us of humanity's struggles and temptations, of genuine repentance towards God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the centuries, it has been shown to be a source of animation to souls who, having fallen into sin, found themselves struggling under the burden of their guilt. Thousands of God's children, when betrayed by sin and ready to surrender to despair, have remembered how David's sincere repentance and confession was accepted by God, despite suffering him for his transgression; and they also put on the courage to repent, and to seek again to walk in the way of God's commandments.
    Whoever hides his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them finds mercy.Proverbs 28:13
    Whoever, under the reproach of God, humiliates the soul with confession and repentance, as David did, can be sure that there are hope for him. Whoever faithfully accepts God's promises will find forgiveness. The Lord will never cast out a truly repentant soul. He made this promise: "Take hold of My strength, and make peace with me; yes, that you make peace with me." Isa. 27: 5.
    "Let the wicked leave his way, and the wicked man his thoughts, and turn to the Lord, who will have mercy on him; return to our God, because it is great to forgive." Isa. 55: 7.