The Testimony of a Faithful Life
2Sam 11:11-20
Synopsis 2Sam 11:11-20 12/11/2018
King David committed adultery with Bathsheba. And she became pregnant. So, David made a plan to fool Uriah the Hittite into thinking that Bathsheba’s child was his. He brought Uriah home from the battlefield. And then he encouraged him to go to his house and sleep with his wife.
But Uriah didn’t feel right about sleeping in his own bed when all the rest of the soldiers were in tents or in the open field. So, he refused to go to his house and visit his wife. And this foiled David’s underhanded plan. So, David wrote a sealed letter to Joab giving instructions to put Uriah in a battlefield situation where he was likely to be killed. Even though Uriah was dear to Joab, he did as David commanded. And so, Uriah died in combat.
Uriah’s Faithfulness
Uriah chose faithfulness. Consistently, he was faithful to the people in authority. And he was also faithful in solidarity with his brother soldiers. So much so, that he refused special treatment or special favor from the king.
In the story, Uriah’s faithfulness was set against David’s duplicity. Uriah’s behavior was as faithful as David’s behavior was despicable. And had it not been so, David would have had some excuse to justify his treachery. But he couldn’t make this justification because of Uriah’s extraordinary character.
The Testimony of a Faithful Life
Sometimes it feels like nothing comes from our effort to be faithful. Like the psalmist, we endeavor to do what is right and pleasing in the sight of the Lord, only to discover that there is no guarantee of any obvious reward.
And there is no guarantee of obvious reward. And that’s scary.
Somehow, I sense this danger that I’m going to feel cheated. And, I fear that I could end up looking like a chump. If that happened, the eyes of the world might mock me. That’s the fear.
And yet we know that no faithful deed goes unrewarded. More than that, we know that every act of faithfulness and love makes the universe more like the thing it was always meant to be.
“Is it in vain that I have kept my heart pure, washed my hands in innocence?” Psalm 73:13
