Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Article: “The Gospel According to David and Bathsheba” by Davis Lacey
• Sermon: “David and Bathsheba” by Tim Keller
• Sermon: “Repentance Is Missing in Our Lives and Our Churches” by Will Graham

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training podcast. Today we are in Unit 11, session 4, the Lord’s Forgiveness, with the core passage of 2 Samuel 11:1-5,14-17; 12:7-14, and the key concept of: God desires our repentance.

After God made His covenant to David, God gave David victory over his enemies. But then, we arrive at 2 Samuel 11, where, though so far we’ve seen David as a faithful obedient servant, we are reminded that “all have sinned,” and that remains the same for David. David, too, fell into temptation and sin and disobedience, straying from God’s righteous paths.

The first indication of David straying from the right path is in the first verse and sentence: “In the spring when kings march out to war, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel.” The Gospel Project Commentary on page 103, reminds us that “spring” is the ideal time to go to battle, the weather was good, and men were free to fight before the harvest. When kings march out to war, when David was supposed to march out to war with his troops, he instead sent Joab with his officers. He himself did not go. His troops were victorious in battle: “They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.” David should have been there, leading the way as king, but he remained in Jerusalem. And since he was home, he had more time to be idle.

In what areas of your life might you be neglecting a responsibility and creating room for sin to grow? Maybe you have too much time on your hands, not volunteering, not serving in any way. This idle time can lead you to too much social media or other addictions. Maybe you’re procrastinating on a task that needs to be done, which may cause undue stress that could lead to sin. Neglecting a responsibility can lead to idleness or stress or unkept promises.

For David, his neglecting his responsibility led to him having too much time on his hands: “One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace.” When you are not active, deliberate, and intentional in your actions and work ethic, that leaves you ample opportunity to stray into places you shouldn’t be. “From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. 3 So David sent someone to inquire about her, and he said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hethite?” 4 David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her.” From his idleness he saw a beautiful woman, which led to lust of the eyes which led to lust of the flesh. Even knowing she was married, knowing she was the “wife of Uriah,” he sent for her, and he slept with her. And she became pregnant. The focus on this passage is clearly David’s sin. People in the past have sometimes blamed Bathsheba in this scenario but the text clearly is making the point that David sinned. Nothing negative is spoken about Bathsheba except for what was done to her.

So, sin always lends itself to cover up and more sin. Because from there, David tried to get Uriah to come home from battle and sleep with his wife so that no one would know David was the father and had sinned. But that didn’t work because Uriah had the integrity to want to be with the other men in battle, living sacrificially instead of leisurely. His words are cutting and revealing as they contrast the current life choices of David: ““The ark, Israel, and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his soldiers are camping in the open field. How can I enter my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live and by your life, I will not do this!” as seen in 2 Samuel 11:11. Uriah knew he couldn’t eat and drink and sleep around while so many men were battling with limited resources, yet David himself as king, was living such a luxurious life. So, when David’s first coverup plan didn’t work, he asked for Uriah to be put in the frontlines of battle for the purpose of getting killed. He didn’t want his sin to be uncovered. And he resorted to murder to coverup his adultery.

In light of Galatians 5:16-26. What are some ways walking by the Spirit can help you avoid temptation? Walking by the Spirit leads to the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. These characteristics help us make good and right choices. When we are loving and patient, kind and controlled, we are more able to make choices that God would want us to make. We are more attuned to the Spirit and not our flesh.

At this point, of course God knew all that had happened. He sent Nathan to confront David. And Nathan started with an example, a scenario that would ignite David’s sympathy and anger. Nathan told of two men, one rich and one poor. And the rich man stole the poor man’s lamb to make himself appear honorable. David immediately saw the injustice and the evil of the rich man, not realizing he had done a very similar thing.

How have you experienced your sin blinding you from seeing the truth? Maybe someone has an addiction they don’t think is an addiction. Maybe quote unquote small sins like white lies or gossip or too much fear and lack of trust don’t seem so bad so we’re blinded to how lethal those sins can be. Gluttony or slothfulness are sins that are easily blinding.

David didn’t realize the extent of the similarity of his sin to the rich man in the story, so Nathan had to cry out, “You are the man!” calling David out. And Nathan spoke God’s words to him, “I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more. 9 Why then have you despised the Lord’s command by doing what I consider evil?” God gave David everything. And He would’ve given him more. But sin is a powerful thing. And God feels our hatred when we sin. And God continued by telling David what he did: “You struck down Uriah the Hethite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife—you murdered him with the Ammonite’s sword.” God said it plainly, recalling to David what he did and then He told him the consequences: “Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house… I am going to bring disaster on you from your own family: I will take your wives and give them to another before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them in broad daylight.” God is not one to be trifled with. Sin results in devastation and consequences, if not immediate, then future ramifications. Death is a result of sin, physical and spiritual if forgiveness is not given. And God knows that when there are secrets, when actions are hidden, they’re usually not good. He told David, “12 You acted in secret, but I will do this before all Israel and in broad daylight.”  Sometimes the consequences we receive for sin are lessons for ourselves and for others. Israel would see the consequences David had to face because of sin.

Now, at this point, David could’ve been like Saul and made excuses or denied it. But being a godly man can include sinning but repenting after your sin. And that’s what David did. His first words were, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Scripture doesn’t say more than that about David’s response but Nathan’s response, “And the Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die” reveal that David confessed and repented. But the consequences remained: “because you treated the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die” in verse 14.

What lessons should we as believers learn from David’s sin and repentance? We learn that we all have sinful natures and are prone to sin, even spiritual leaders and pastors and those who are faithful and love God. Sin affects all of us, everyone. So, we can’t let our guard down. We have to be diligent in seeing temptation for what it is and saying no to it at all costs. We need people in our lives to call out sin when we can’t see it ourselves. And we need to confess and repent when we do sin, asking forgiveness from a merciful Father, knowing He will forgive, and asking for the strength to not sin in the same ways in the future. We also need to remember that sin has consequences, immediate and future. And if we don’t want these consequences, we need to be very alert about not being tempted.

And as the Gospel Connection presents it on p. 105 of the Leader Guide, “Because of sin, we are bound for death and destruction. But when we repent and trust in Jesus to forgive us, turning from our old ways, He forgives and restores our relationship with Him.”

Into the Group Experience then, ask the icebreaker question about noticing a flaw in your life. Let people share what they do about it: examples may include: try to cover it up, let it be, fix it, make it normal again.

Go into the Context, summarizing the events thus far. Then Recap, letting the group explain the narrative, including text that wasn’t part of the core passage if anyone read through the Daily Readings. Fill any additional insights from your personal prep time for your group when needed.

Then onto the Group Activity on page 107 of the Leader Guide and page 86 of the Personal Study Guide. First, have someone read 2 Samuel 11:1-5,14-17. Using verses 1-4, discuss how David entered into temptation and sin, asking: “What should we make of the statement that kings normally marched out to war in the spring, but David remained in Jerusalem? David should have led his army or at the very least, gone out with them in solidarity as a king should, but he didn’t. “How does David’s decision to remain in Jerusalem relate to his decision to commit adultery?” Not being with his men, possibly being isolated and idle, made him more susceptible to falling into temptation, getting into things he shouldn’t have, and not having the community to support him in God’s ways. “How does David’s sin of murder relate to his sin of adultery?” Sin lends itself to more sin because we want to coverup our initial sin. Sin is a slippery slope that we fall into easily. “When we submit to temptation and sin, why do we want to cover it up?” Usually because of shame or guilt or pride or fear. These emotions in sin lead us to cover up.

Next have someone read 2 Samuel 12:1-12. Consider the way Nathan confronted David, who thought he had hidden his sins, asking, “Why do you think Nathan’s story about the rich man and the poor man provoked such a fierce reaction in David?” God’s Spirit in David still knew what was right. And, also, David was king, anointed by God. We all have a sense of justice, and we know when we’re doing right or wrong. David could see the justice in other situations, even though it was difficult to see it in his own actions. Also, sometimes our own sin makes us more judgmental of the sins of others.  “Why might our own sin make us more judgmental of the sins of others?” Because our conscience and the Holy Spirit in us is trying to reveal to us our own sin. And our shame tries to transfer that passion onto another. “How have you seen sin have a blinding effect on the sinner?” One example is people with addiction tend to not be able to see their sin. A habitual sin tends to be blinding because we’re so used to it. “What is the role of believers in confronting others in their sin?” Believers, with truth and love (as seen in Eph. 4:15), should speak up and point out sin in others, not to condemn them, but to bring them back on the right path of God’s ways (as seen in James 5:19-20).

Pass out copies of Pack Item 10: David’s Judgment. Ask: “What is the role of God’s judgment and consequences in our trajectory of sin?” God will forgive us our sins when we confess and repent, but there are other consequences of sin that we will face. The idea that every action has a reaction is real. But through Christ’s work on the cross, forgiveness is given, and spiritual death has been removed from the equation, but the natural consequences of sin still remain.

Then look at the Chart and the Compare instructions on page 108 of the Leader Guide. Sketch or write out the differences between Saul’s acknowledging his sin and David’s repenting of his sin. Maybe someone would draw David lying or on his knees with his hands over his head or face with tears, showing true remorse, whereas Saul is still standing with shrugged shoulders and a pensive face, trying to think of his next logical step. David was a man after God’s own heart. He sinned but immediately took responsibility when called out. He accepted God’s mercy and His judgment and knew that only God could give mercy and forgiveness. In contrast, Saul gave excuses and admitted to fearing people above God. He thought that his own actions could earn his forgiveness as opposed to merely relying on God’s good character. Follow those instructions, ending with asking: “Based on the circumstances surrounding these two men and their statements of repentance, what can we determine that God desires from us when we sin?” God doesn’t want excuses, and He doesn’t want us to fear people. God wants us to fear Him alone and be remorseful, taking responsibility for our actions and relying on His mercy and goodness to forgive and restore us.

On to the Debrief questions: What are steps we can take to respond appropriately when we do give in to temptation? We need to confess, repent, take responsibility and put up boundaries to not repeat the sin, like finding someone to hold us accountable.

What are steps we can take to confront a believing friend when they give in to temptation? We should approach with gentleness and love, speaking truth for restoration, not condemnation.

In the next section if time is limited, just tackle the Hearts question: How can we develop a posture of repentance in our heart so that we are quick to repent of our sin? If we have a consistent personal time and relationship with Christ, we will be quick to repent. Through prayer and being in God’s Word as well as being in community with God’s people, that will help us be more repentant.

Point out Next Steps to your group and end in prayer requests and praises. If time permits, pray throught Psalm 51:6-13, David’s prayer for restoration.

Hey, thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast, reach out at [email protected] and have a great group time!