2Sam 11:1-3 David and Bathsheba

1. Avoiding Rabbah, does
not Avert the Battle
2Sam 11:1-3
1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired,
at the time when kings go forth to battle,
that David sent Joab, and his servants with him,
and all Israel;
and they destroyed the children of Ammon,
and besieged Rabbah.
But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide,
that David arose from off his bed,
and walked upon the roof of the king's house:
and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself;
and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
3 And David sent and enquired after the woman.
And one said,
Is not this Bathsheba,
the daughter of Eliam,
the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
2Sam 11:1-3
1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired,

2. at the time when kings go forth to battle
After the year was expired
(the year ended around our month March with April
being the first month of the new year)
this was the spring of the year and
the time kings go to battle.
1Kgs 20:22 And the prophet came to the king of
Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen
thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for
at the return of the year the king of Syria will
come up against thee.
1Kgs 20:26 And it came to pass at the return
of the year, that Benhadad numbered the
Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against
Israel.
2Chr 36:10 And when the year was expired,
king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to
Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of
the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king
over Judah and Jerusalem.
Eccl 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a
time of war, and a time of peace.

3. This will be important to Israel at the time of the
Trib.
Matt 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree;
When his branch is yet tender, and putteth
forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mark 13:28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree;
When her branch is yet tender, and putteth
forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
While Joab is busy laying siege to Rabbah (2Sam
11:26; 1Chr 20:1) David was missing in action and
almost put out of commission because of it.
2Sam 12:26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of
the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.
1Chr 20:1 And it came to pass, that after the
year was expired, at the time that kings go out
to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army,
and wasted the country of the children of
Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But
David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote
Rabbah, and destroyed it.
This is the time when kings go forth to battle and if
they don’t go forth to battle,
they sure had better be ready to defend against
battle (its hurricane season).

4. No substitutions will do,
a king who has the authority to enjoy the revenue of
the empire
should also show authority by leading in battle.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to
write unto you of the common salvation, it was
needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you
that ye should earnestly contend for the faith
which was once delivered unto the saints.
As your skill for battle increases so will the
opposition you face.
2Sam 11:15-16 15 And he wrote in the letter,
saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the
hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he
may be smitten, and die.
16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the
city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where
he knew that valiant men were.
2Sam 11:2
2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David
arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of
the king's house: and from the roof he saw a
woman washing herself; and the woman was very
beautiful to look upon.

5. Ps 84:10-11 10 For a day in thy courts is
better than a thousand. I had rather be a
doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to
dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the
LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing
will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
David would have been better off at the
house of God than calling a neighbor over to
his house.
2Sam 12:8-9 8 And I gave thee thy master's
house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom,
and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah;
and if that had been too little, I would moreover
have given unto thee such and such things.
9 Wherefore hast thou despised the
commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his
sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with
the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy
wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the
children of Ammon.
God accused David for joining the enemies of
Israel even though he didn’t go out to war. A
Christian should be identifiable as soldiers of
the cross not conscientious objectors.

6. The conscientious objector is giving aid and
comfort to the enemy and is the enemy.
The more spiritual height you gain the more
discerning you view must be.
David had never fought an adversary in such
a good disguise as this.
Bathsheba having a bath was the bate NOT
the enemy.
While Joab was besieging Rabbah, the king of
all the children of Pride was laying siege to
David’s soul.
2Sam 11:1
1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at
the time when kings go forth to battle, that David
sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel;
and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and
besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at
Jerusalem.
The strongest most vigilant soldier was needed
for Jerusalem.
Og the king of Bashan, and the descendants of
the giants may have been from Rabbah (Deut 3:11),

7. but the most bitter battle is the one fought on
the home soil of the soul.
Ezek 21:19-23
19 Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways,
that the sword of the king of Babylon may come:
both twain shall come forth out of one land: and
choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way
to the city.
Ezekiel makes a road sign for Nebuchadnezzar
and his army
20 Appoint a way, that the sword may come to
Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in
Jerusalem the defenced.
This way-Rabbath; This way- Judah &
Jerusalem
21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of
the way, at the head of the two ways, to use
divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted
with images, he looked in the liver.
22 At his right hand was the divination for
Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth
in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to
appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a
mount, and to build a fort.

8. Neb. Urges an answer from the supernatural
forces of sorcery.
The choice was Right hand= Jerusalem, Left
hand=Rabbath.
-he consulted with images
(teraphim) small images or cult objects used
as domestic deities or oracles by ancient
Semitic peoples.
Gen 31:19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and
Rachel had stolen the images that were her
father's.
Gen 31:34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and
put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon
them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found
them not.
Judg 17:5 And the man Micah had an house of gods,
and made an ephod, and teraphim, and
consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
Judg 18:14 Then answered the five men that went to
spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their
brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses
an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a
molten image? now therefore consider what ye have
to do.
-he looked in the liver: looking in the liver of a
freshly sacrificed animal to see if the undertaking
would be healthy or not.

9. 23 And it shall be unto them as a false divination in
their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he
will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may
be taken.
Ezek 21:24
24 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because
ye have made your iniquity to be remembered,
in that your transgressions are discovered, so
that in all your doings your sins do appear;
because, I say, that ye are come to
remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.
Heb 10:3
3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance
again made of sins every year.
A false divination- this is a prophecy of a future
deliverance for a remnant, and Babylon’s eventual
over through.
Ezek 21:27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn,
it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose
right it is; and I will give it him.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a
son is given: and the government shall be upon
his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

10. Isa 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold;
mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have
put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth
judgment to the Gentiles.
Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the
LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous
Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and
shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
He will call to remembrance- The Jews had proved
themselves to be unfaithful to their oath of allegiance
to Neb & now he will get revenge.
This was the time kings go forth to battle-
Israel’s Transgressions, sins and iniquities had not
been cleansed.
Ezek 18:1-4 1 The word of the LORD came
unto me again, saying,
2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb
concerning the land of Israel, saying, The
fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the
children's teeth are set on edge?
3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not
have occasion any more to use this proverb in
Israel.

11. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the
father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the
soul that sinneth, it shall die.
It was not too late for Israel the day of
atonement was 6 months past due (7/10).
Lev 16:16 And he shall make an atonement
for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of
the children of Israel, and because of their
transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he
do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that
remaineth among them in the midst of their
uncleanness.
Lev 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands
upon the head of the live goat, and confess over
him all the iniquities of the children of Israel,
and all their transgressions in all their sins,
putting them upon the head of the goat, and
shall send him away by the hand of a fit man
into the wilderness:
Lev 16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever
unto you: that in the seventh month, on the
tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your
souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of

12. your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth
among you:
Lev 16:34 And this shall be an everlasting
statute unto you, to make an atonement for
the children of Israel for all their sins once a
year. And he did as the LORD commanded
Moses.
Lev 16:30 For on that day shall the priest
make an atonement for you, to cleanse you,
that ye may be clean from all your sins
before the LORD.
Now the scapegoat is Rabbah and the sacrifice is
Israel.
The King of Kings will make war at the time of war.
A Christian should be God's revenge on the Devil,
for us it is always the spring of the year.
Luke 1:78 Through the tender mercy of our
God; whereby the dayspring from on high
hath visited us,
John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water
that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the

13. water that I shall give him shall be in him a well
of water springing up into everlasting life.
Acts 17:28-29 28 For in him we live, and
move, and have our being; as certain also of
your own poets have said, For we are also his
offspring. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the
offspring of God, we ought not to think that the
Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone,
graven by art and man's device.
Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to
testify unto you these things in the churches. I
am the root and the offspring of David, and
the bright and morning star.
There is a strong WARNING against fighting for the
enemy as David learned
Heb 12:15
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of
God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble
you, and thereby many be defiled;
1John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.