Uriah

        In II Samuel Chapter 11, we know what occurred with Uriah, Bathsheba and David. Today I want to look at Uriah himself and show you the characteristics of a faithful warrior. The great King David overshadowed Uriah in this story. We do not see much mentioned or known about Uriah the person, who was clearly the victim. Victim’s stories often get lost when facing larger forces. Even in this, one Chapter God will not let Uriah’s name be forgotten or the lessons he will teach us.

  When we read II Samuel Chapter 23, we can see the mention of David’s mighty warriors. Josheb-Basshebeth, Eleazar and Shammah are David’s Top “Three” and Josheb was the Chief of the Officers. Josheb raised his spear against three hundred men, who he killed in one encounter. Eleazar stood alone against the Philistines when Israel retreated. He stood his ground and struck down all of them until his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. Shammah also stood alone in the middle of the field when Israel retreated and struck down the Philistines. The Lord brought a great victory for them all. As we continue to read, these three men broke through the Philistine garrison to draw water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem because David longed for water. Philistines at that time had Bethlehem under their control and David was hiding from Saul. David did not drink the water after receiving it, in respect of these three men’s great courage and loyalty. Then we read about Abishai who raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed.  He became as famous as a three and became the commander of the army. We then see the mention of the Benaiah who struck down Moab's two mightiest warriors.  He decided to go down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.  He struck down a huge Egyptian with a club. Snatched the Egyptian's own spear from him and killed him with it. The Egyptian is mentioned to be 5 cubits tall, which is around 7 feet 5 inches tall. He became head of David's bodyguards. Then we see the mention of the 30, starting at versus 24.  Uriah the Hittite is mentioned in the last verse and there were 37 mighty warriors in all. He is also mentioned in I Chronicles 11:41.  

The chapter does not mention exactly what many of the other men do but if they were apart of David's bodyguard, you knew they were well capable, physically, mentally and spiritually tough individuals.  They are incredibly skilled at killing and have physical and psychological capacities to endure extreme situations than a normal person.  These were the Navy Seals/Green Barret of David's Army.  The Elite of the Elite. David's Elite were able to single handedly kill hundreds in hand-to-hand combat and as well as giants and a lion. In I Chronicles 11 versus 10 we read, “These were the chiefs of David’s mighty warriors—they, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the LORD had promised.” This special force are the ones who gave David strong support in his Kingdom. There was a relationship between David and his Elite Warriors.  These are the main ones David went into battle with.  He fought alongside them, killed with them, bled with them, ate with them and rested with them. It is known that David's Army was well over 1 million and there is no way that he could have known each of them individually by name. The fact that these names are mentioned tells us that he knew them personally.  He knew their history and saw their faith and courage in action on the battlefield.

There had to have been a fellowship formed between fellow warriors. Men who fight and kill together form a relationship.  In battle, you have to be willing to give your lives for one another.  Without having faith or trust in the person next you, it would be very difficult to win battles.  It is a form of love to sacrifice your life for another. If the bond is strong, it will help them keep fighting when the victory is not known or promised.  It comforts, gives them courage and supports them knowing that they are not the only ones risking their lives. To have your name mentioned in the Elite force tells us a lot about Uriah.

Uriah had to be first physically strong and capable. We can infer that due to his physical attributes he was probably a very attractive man. I do not believe Bathsheba, who was very attractive would marry someone who was not also. As an elite soldier, we can assume Uriah was obedient with the chain of command. He had to have been intelligent, a multi-tasker and followed commands exactly without question or doubt. Faithful, trusting, loyal and patient. He also loves, and I am sure he loved his wife as well as his fellow comrades as brothers. Allowed to go home, eat and lay with his wife by David, he did not succumb to the temptation. His loyalty to his commanders would not allow him to enjoy that moment of peace, while they were out on the field. He had honor and showed it by suffering alongside his men. Even when he became drunk with David, he did not allow his earthly urges to take over, go home and lay with his wife. He followed David blindly. As a soldier, you know you could die at any time and was willing to sacrifice your life for the cause/mission.

David gave Uriah a letter to give to Joab. We can see Uriah’s loyalty and faithfulness by not opening and looking at the message. If he had opened the message, he would have known that David sent him to his death. Imagine being in battles, suffering together, creating a bond to be only stabbed in the back. Uriah did nothing to deserve to die. He would have gladly died fighting for David in the battlefield. David tries to comfort Joab by stating do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. At least Uriah died on the battlefield that he may have preferred, being an “Elite” warrior, rather than due to old age.

Uriah resembles the Christian life and the glorious end as well. We are in a spiritual battle now more than ever on Earth. Thousands dying, worldly unrest, economic depression, tornadoes, earthquakes, flooding and maybe even more to come. If you do not think we are not at war then the devil has covered your eyes. Now more than ever we need the qualities of Uriah. He loved and was self-sacrificing, willing to die for his King, in our case for God. He was physically and spiritually fit and ready for battle. He had patience, listened and followed the commands of his King. He had faith in his King as we have faith in our King, Jesus. He resisted temptation when given the choice. He was obedient even unto death. Placed in the front lines, Uriah fought for his King and he did it without hesitation. Loyal to the cause and ours is to follow and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations. Uriah may have not have had an entire book or chapter written about his great accomplishments but he still had a great impact on David’s rise to power and his life. God can use anyone, at any time that can have a large impact on the world. Uriah’s characteristics of a faithful warrior is what all Christians need in their life. There is only one King, Jesus Christ. We want to serve the Lord our King and our sacrifice and duty is too lift and spread the name of Jesus.

Selfish

Selfish

The word selfish is defined in the dictionary as lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one's own personal interest, profit or pleasure. It basically comes down to ME, ME, ME. Selfless is defined as concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own.

        We all know who the great King David was, anointed by Samuel to be the next leader after Saul. The young man who killed a lion, bear and the Great Goliath. A man who was after God’s own heart. But even David was not without sin and a great selfish act is written in 2 Samuel Chapter 11. David was in Jerusalem and sent Joab and his army to go destroy Ammon and besiege Rabbah. He was walking around the roof and saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful. David found out she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. He then had his messengers bring her and he lay with her. Bathsheba became pregnant.

The first selfish act we see David doing is lust and adultery. She was the wife of his soldier Uriah who we will see was loyal to his king and his army. There isn’t much mentioned about Bathsheba and if she was forced or afraid to turn down the king. David knew he had the power and can do whatever he wishes. His selfishness does not end just here with lust and adultery.

David tells Joab to get Uriah and is questioning him about the war and trying to show concern. He then tells Uriah to “Go down to your house, and wash your feet (Verse 6).” Uriah never went home and slept at the door of the king’s house. Uriah was so loyal and felt he would be disrespecting his commanders if he went home, drank and lay with his wife while the ark and his fellow soldiers are in temporary shelters. He would feel guilty having such a relaxing time at home while the others were still out in the field. So David tells him to stay with him and tomorrow he will let him go. David is selfishly attempting to cover up his sin by getting Uriah to go home and lay with his wife. This way no one would question who the father of the baby was, but Uriah was not following his plan.

Uriah is now staying with David and in another attempt to hide his sin he gets Uriah drunk. David hoped that getting Uriah drunk would weaken his resolve to identify with his fellow troops. Yet Uriah did not go down to his house, refusing to enjoy what his fellow soldiers could not while the battle still raged. David continued his selfish desire to cover up his sin. Uriah knew he could die in battle at any time but felt more honor and respect to his fellow soldiers and would not indulge at this moment. She was a beautiful woman from the passage and yet her husband gave up the chance to lay with her, in commitment to his duty.

Since that plan failed, David resorted to something much worse. He calls Joab and tells him to place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and then to leave him there to die. Imagine the loyalty and commitment Uriah has shown to his fellow commanders and soldiers, only to be deserted by them to be killed. The battle occurred and Uriah the Hittite died. Joab sent the events of the war to David. What may also be lost in the passage is the fact that David wrote that message and gave it to Uriah to deliver to Joab. Literally Uriah delivered his own death sentence from the King. Uriah never even wavered or thought to look at the message. If he did maybe things would have been different.

        It is interesting to note that Joab when he sent the messenger to David about the events of the battle, he made sure that the messenger tells David, Uriah died. It may seem that Joab did a selfish act himself by going closer to the wall. “He charged the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, and if it happens that the king’s wrath rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also (2 Samuel 11:19-21).” This is a reference to Judges 9:50-57, where Abimelech was killed by coming too close to the walls of a city under siege. The idea is that Joab knew it was a bad military move to get so close to the walls, but he did it anyway on the command of David. David receives the message well and we don’t know if he would have been upset due to his servants dying. He accomplished his selfish goal of getting rid of Uriah, no matter the cost.

  David waits for Uriah’s wife to finish mourning and once it was over, she became his wife. God sent Nathan in Chapter 12 and speaks with David. In Verse 1-9 “There were two men in a certain city. One was rich, and the other was poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cows, but the poor man had only one little female lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up in his home with his children. She would eat his food and drink from his cup. She rested in his arms and was like a daughter. “Now, a visitor came to the rich man. The rich man thought it would be a pity to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler. So he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared her for the traveler.” David burned with anger against the man. “I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives,” he said to Nathan, “the man who did this certainly deserves to die! And he must pay back four times the price of the lamb because he did this and had no pity.”“You are the man!” Nathan told David. “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I anointed you king over Israel and rescued you from Saul. I gave you your master Saul’s house and his wives. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if this weren’t enough, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise my word by doing what I considered evil? You had Uriah the Hittite killed in battle. You took his wife as your wife. You used the Ammonites to kill him.

  David didn’t even realize what he did was wrong until God sent Nathan to show him. David’s selfishness caused him to sin and blind him from the truth. As punishment the baby died after 7 days of birth. David repented for his mistakes and was blessed with his next son, Solomon. We all know how loved David was by God and all the great Psalms he created. Yet we can still fall short and sin against the Lord. Our selfish desires sometimes blind us from sin and we ignore the right thing to do. This was the King of Israel who was lifted up from Shepherd too King by God. Who slayed a lion, bear and the greatest Giant with a sling and pebble. Do not let selfishness keep you away from God. David was a king and could have had any woman to be his queen. We need to defeat our selfish ways and put trust in the Lord. Our reach for money, power, fame will only lead to our downfall. You could have everything in the world that your heart desires, but if you do not desire the Lord you will never be satisfied.

Now more than ever more people are searching, praying and yearning for God’s truth. Until we have the attitude of Christ and put our selfish desires away we will not be able to overcome sin. We need to be selfless like Jesus. He showed us how to be selfless by washing his disciple’s feet, praying/healing for the sick, prostitutes, wicked, blind and sacrificing his blood for us. Now more than ever we have to rely on all of us as individuals and Christians to do the right thing for ourselves and our neighbors to not get sick. Jesus is the only person in history whom a King has become a Servant. The most powerful King of Kings was selfless and suffered physical, emotional and spiritual attacks for us. He paid the ultimate price for our sins and defeated death Jesus is so selfless that he would leave the 99 to find the 1 that became lost. It might seem illogical, irrational and senseless until that 1 is you. He came for the sinners and to save their souls. The word “less” is so important during these times. We take our lives for granted and the fear of death now more than ever has made us realize what really matters. The less we have in our lives the better. We can live without sports and athletes, celebrities, social media, restaurants, movie theatres, clubs but we can’t live without God. He is showing how powerful he is and in a matter of a few weeks he has shut down the world. Become selfless like Jesus, love your neighbor, and pray for your neighbor. We need Jesus now more than ever and being selfish will condemn us to the lake of fire but being selfless will bring us salvation and heaven. If we have to be selfish, be selfish for the Lord. Wanting to know him, learn his ways and follow his commandments.