DAVID #23--(2 Samuel 11:1-27)--THE GIANT THAT SLEW DAVID-("Don't go Down"!)
Intro: When you think of the life of David, one of two events probably come to your mind. You either remember the time young David slew Goliath; or you remember when David committed adultery with Bathsheba.   In the first, David revealed fact of his humility. In the second, David revealed the fact of his humanity. In the first, David proved that he was a man of faith. In the second, David proved that he was a man of flesh. When David met a giant named Goliath, we are privileged to witness his greatest victory. When David met Bathsheba, we are forced to watch his greatest defeat.
Up until this moment, David had never lost a battle.  However, when David entered the arena of combat within his own heart, he was defeated.  I know that were it not for the grace of God, it could be me that we are going to talk about. (Gal. 6:1-"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of mekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.")--(1 Corin. 10:12-"Whereforelet him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.")  I want us to be aware of the internal giants that we face in life.  Things like sickness, pain, poverty aren't our greatest troubles....but it is the hidden danger that lies within your own heart!
I. v. 1 THE PERSONALITY OF DAVID’S GIANT
A. David’s Giant Considered – If we really want to understand the nature of the giant that dwelled within David’s heart, we need to look back to 2 Samuel 5:12-13.  Verse 13 says “And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem.”  What’s wrong with this?  Surely no one would care if David indulged his appetite for women by taking to himself many wives and concubines.  Well, God cared! What David did was in direct contradiction to the word of God in Deut. 17:14-17. There, the king was forbidden to do three things:
1. He was not to accumulate horses.    2. He was not to accumulate wives.    3. He was not to accumulate gold and silver.
David had honored God’s command regarding items number one and three. David had disabled the horses taken in battle, 2 Sam. 8:4. He had also dedicated the gold and silver taken as spoil in battle to the Lord, 2 Sam. 8:7-12. But, he had disregarded what God had to say about accumulating wives.
David had a giant....and his name was LUST!  It appears that David had strong sexual desires and sought to satisfy his urges by accumulating women. But, David, like many others, discovered that many sexual partners will not satisfy your sexual desires, they will only increase them.  If this isn't your giant, it might be good for you to identify the identity of you giant. Admitting that it exists is the first step in seeing it defeated!
B. David’s Giant Constructed – Where did this giant of lust come from? How did this giant obtain the power necessary to overcome a “man after God’s Own heart”?
1. Neglect of Duty – As King, David should have led his men into battle and not stayed at home while they were out fighting and dying.
2. Idle Time – David was in bed when he should have been in the battle! Too much free time allows the mind time to wander in areas where it ought not to be.
3. Success – David enjoyed absolute success and victory over all the enemies of Israel. 
4. Pride – David knew that God was with him, 2 Sam. 5:12. He may have let that knowledge go to his head. 
5. Arrogance – David had come to believe his own press! He believed that he was everything people said he was.
6. Neglect of the Spiritual Man – We can only speculate, but it seems that David was guilty of neglecting his spiritual health. 

II. v. 2-4 THE POWER OF DAVID’S GIANT
A. v. 2-3a It Had The Power To Ensnare His Mind – David is lying on his bed, when he decides to take a walk out on the roof.  On this night, David sees a woman bathing. The Bible says that her physical appearance is “very beautiful to look upon.” The Bible uses the word “very” sparingly in its pages.   So, when the Bible says that Bathsheba was “very beautiful to look upon” we can say without reservation that she was the absolute vision of female beauty and physical perfection.  The giant of lust has ensnared his mind and he has forgotten who he is, who he serves and how he is supposed to be living.A thought develops into a desire within in our mind and demands to be fulfilled. The mind is the first battlefield with the giants of sin. 
B. v. 3b It Had The Power To Erase His Reason -When David enquires about Bathsheba, he is told that she is the wife of a loyal soldier, and that she is the granddaughter of a trusted advisor. This information should have caused David to stop the course of action he was pursuing; instead, he pressed on.  People in the grip of lust or some other fleshly desire often do things that they would never do under normal circumstances. 
C. v. 4 It Had The Power To Eclipse His God -David knew better! He is fifty years old. He has been King in Israel for twenty years. He is a man of God. He is a mighty warrior. He is the “Sweet Singer of Israel.” But, at this moment in time, he reveals the truth that he has feet of clay. He brings Bathsheba into his bed and he commits adultery with another man’s wife! As the Bible says, “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant,” Proverbs 9:17. David paid for his moment of pleasure with a lifetime of pain!
Both David and Bathsheba are at fault here. David is a man of God and he knew better than to do what he did. He was the aggressor in this horrible act. But, surely Bathsheba knew that David, or anyone else for that matter, could see her as she bathed, if they were on a high roof. I do not know whether or not she intended for her affair with David to take place; but, these two people teach us a couple of lessons that need to be mentioned here.......Be careful how you look "AT" others is the first lesson! We all know adultery is wrong; but Jesus said that looking at someone with lust for them constituted adultery already, Matt. 5:28.
The second lesson is this: Be careful how you look "TO"to others! Yes, some men look when they shouldn’t, but some women dress to be seen! There is no excuse and no reason for any women who claims to know the Lord to dress in such a fashion that attention is drawn to her body! Short skirts, low rise pants, midriff bearing tops, low cut blouses, etc. are not fit apparel for a woman who says she loves the Lord!
When a woman wears immodest apparel she is placing a stumbling block in front of a man, and Jesus warned against that kind of thing, Luke 17:1.   There is a such thing as THE WRONG ATTENTION!!!  (The Bible calls for women to dress modestly, 1 Tim. 2:9. You will attract the right kind of man with the right kind of dress, 1 Pet. 3:1-4.)
III. v. 5-27 THE PROBLEM WITH DAVID’S GIANT
A. v. 5-13 It Led Him Down A Deceptive Path -When David fed his giant, it just wanted more!!!  David tried every tactic he could to get Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba.  When Uriah would not go home the first night; David got him drunk the next night. David is using deception to try and cover his sins. Instead of stepping up and being a man; confessing his sins to God and dealing with the consequences, David tried to hide like a coward.  God’s way is openness and honesty, Pro. 28:13; 1 John 1:9. Man’s way is to hide it. Sin will lead you down a path of deception!
B. v. 14-25 It Led Him Down A Deepening Path -When deception did not work, David settled on a plan to remove Uriah altogether. David devised a plan to get Uriah killed on the battlefield and even sent the man back to the war carrying his own death warrant.  When the Bible says “the way of the transgressor is hard”, Pro. 13:15; it means what it says!

C. v. 26-27a It Led Him Down A Devastating Path -After Uriah dies and Bathsheba fulfills her mourning period, David takes her as his wife. But, folks can count and a thinking person can figure out at least part of what happened! 
It is interesting to note that verse 27 says “David sent and fetched her.” This is the second time David “fetched” someone to his house. The first time was in 2 Sam. 9:5, when he “fetched” Mephibosheth from Lo-Debar. The first time, David fetched someone to show love. The second time, he fetched someone to satisfy his lust. 
This is what sin does! It sears the conscience making sin easier and easier until the entire life is devastated and destroyed!  Satan never shows his cards. He never tells you about the worm hidden in his apple. He never tells the drunk that the drink will destroy his life and ruin his family. He never tells the fornicator or adultery that their sexual activities may lead to pregnancy, disease or death. He never tells the drug user that his habit will control him forever. He never tells the truth about sin! But, God does!
David’s sin was just sin! It could have been committed by anyone of us! Yet, it is magnified by who David was and by how he handled it. The fact is, we are no greater than David. We are as prone to fail as he was. If you have already been beaten by the giant, I want you to know that the war is not over! God knows how to restore you and help you out of sin’s grip.