Faithful #4 – Advent – Study Questions
Bathsheba – A painful memory
2 Samuel 11
INTRODUCTION: When Matthew refers to Bathsheba, he does so in a way that forces us to be reminded of the kind of details most families would like to forget. David wasn’t her first husband, and their union wasn’t one of celebration. Solomon wasn’t their first son but was the first of their official union. Even Solomon’s inheritance of the kingdom wasn’t drama free. Yet here we are again, a faithful God working through sinful, rebellious, and unfaithful people to bring about the glorious gift of salvation. Even when our stories include details we’d like to forget, we find ourselves in good company with those God used in the Bible.
This story is painful and hard for us to digest as modern readers. We are greeted with a front-row seat to the affair of David and Bathsheba and the ensuing fallout and destruction of David’s actions. The text is clear there is only one party to really blame in all of this, David. The greatest guilt rests upon David, that he, a man upon whom the Lord had bestowed such grace, did not resist the temptation to the lust of the flesh, but sent to fetch the woman. Not only does David not resist sin, but then he compounds sin with more sin in the murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. The text repeatedly refers to Bathsheba as “the wife of Uriah” so as to remind us of the significance of David’s actions. David took what wasn’t his and then murdered a righteous man to try and cover it all up. Matthew brings all this back up when he, too, refers to Bathsheba as “the wife of Uriah.” But, he did it to remind us of God’s glorious grace extended over broken people and brought about through broken people. That is, this broken family line would eventually bring forth Jesus, the Messiah. When we look at the story of David and Bathsheba, we are reminded of the truth that more sin is never the solution to our pain.
GETTING STARTED – As you begin your group time this week, talk about a time in your life when you learned the reality that two wrongs don’t make a right. This could be a now humorous (in hindsight) lesson from childhood or a more recent memory.
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage. It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Here are some good questions to help make observations in this chapter:
- What happened in the narrative? Note any major events, characters, or
themes? - What do you learn about the main characters in this section? How does the author describe
them? How do they describe themselves? - Is there a conflict or high point in the passage?
- What surprises are there?
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?