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(Click refresh or reload for current message) Tuesday, May 17,
2022
Yesterday's sunset over the
Susquehanna River where the Conewago Creek empties into it. I
was riding on the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail.
Click on photo to enlarge
"The
Cover-up"
Message
summary: Today let us learn
a lesson as we face our own Bathsheba moments.
"The
woman (Bathsheba) conceived and sent word to David,
saying, 'I am pregnant.' So David sent this word to
Joab: 'Send me Uriah the Hittite.' And Joab sent him to
David" (2 Samuel 11:5,6). "He who covers his sins will
not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them
will have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).
This is a
follow-up message to our teaching yesterday about
incremental temptation which concluded with David
committing adultery with Bathsheba. The story might have
ended there but it did not. "The
woman (Bathsheba) conceived and sent word to David,
saying, 'I am pregnant.'"
The
progression of David's temptation and sin take up just the
first five verses in the chapter. The remainder of the
chapter is David's elaborate and cunning attempt at a
cover-up. A cover-up is an attempt to prevent people's
discovering the truth about a serious mistake or crime. Of
course we can never cover-up our sin before God.
The cover-up
plan began with a word to David's commander, "So David
sent this word to Joab: 'Send me Uriah the Hittite.'"
Cover-up
step 1: David's plan was the have Uriah spend the
night with his wife and thus provide a plausible excuse
when the baby came along that the child was Uriah's. But
Uriah was an honorable man and slept at the entrance to
the palace. Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel
and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab
and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How
could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to
my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a
thing!”
Cover-up
step 2: David was perplexed and his cover-up began
to unravel. So he ramped up his plan. "He ate and
drank with him, and David made him drunk". There's
nothing like alcohol to dull the senses. But it still
didn't work, even with impaired senses Uriah did not go
home.
Cover-up
step 3: In the morning (following the two attempts
to get Uriah home to sleep with his wife) David came up
with an utterly dastardly plan. "David wrote a letter
to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In it he wrote, “Put
Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then
withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.”
(11:14,15). David even had the gall to send this letter
with Uriah having confidence in his honor not to open it.
This
cover-up worked or so it seemed. David received
news from a messenger from the battlefield, "Uriah the
Hittite is dead" (11:24). Oh, how this must have
pleased David. He even feigned concern for his complicit
commander sending this message back to the battlefield, "Say
this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword
devours one as well as another" (11:25).
David, like
Pilate later, in
utter self-deception felt he was absolved. David had
Bathsheba brought to his house, and she became his wife
and bore him a son.
But the
chapter ends with this sobering truth, "But the thing
David had done displeased the Lord" (11:27). We
contrast this with the New Testament aspiration, "So
we make it our goal to please Him" (2 Corinthians
5:9) and command, "find out what pleases the Lord"
(Ephesians 5:10).
Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber ![]() Personal
note: Brooksyne and Ester are in San
Diego to visit a friend for a week
arriving yesterday afternoon. I am
responsible for keeping the home fires
burning, including chaplaincy visitation
and preparing the daily encouragement
messages solo. We have limited means of
collaboration so do not expect the
perspective and polishing edits she brings
to our joint ministry and I will also be
reading the podcasts solo.
Yesterday
I rode my bike over 40 miles on several
different rail trails and am certainly
feeling it this morning!
Conewago
Creek is a small tributary to the
Susquehanna River.
Click on photo to enlarge
The
Conewago Recreation Trail and Lebanon
Valley Rail Trail runs along Conewago
Creek through Lancaster and Lebanon
Counties.
Click on photo to enlarge
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![]() ![]() Stephen & Brooksyne Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity." © Copyright 2022 Stephen C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA |