And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.” So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 

2 Samuel 11:5-6 

 And David invited [Uriah], and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” 

2 Samuel 11:13-15 

 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. 

2 Samuel 11:26-27 

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December 16, 2025 

Sin leads to more sin. Just like a small flame igniting a raging fire, David’s sins against Bathsheba and Uriah quickly spiraled out of control, leaving destruction and devastation in its wake. He probably thought he had gotten away with his actions, expecting Bathsheba to silently live with the knowledge of what had happened. What he hadn’t counted on was the child she conceived as a result of his sin. Now, he was forced to reckon with the consequences. 

Rather than repenting for what he had done, David summoned Uriah and repeatedly tried to get him to go home to his wife. But Uriah showed integrity where David did not, and refused to enjoy himself at home while others were at war. David changed tactics. He wrote a letter to Joab, the commander of his army, and said, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die” (2 Samuel 11:15).  

David was successful in his murder attempt, and Uriah died. He took Bathsheba, now a grieving widow, and married her to cover up what he had done. Once again, he failed to live up to his role as God’s anointed king.  

If this king, who was once called a man after God’s own heart, could fall so far, what hope is there for us?  

At Christmas, we are reminded of a greater King, one born to willingly lay down His life to forgive the sins of others. In Him, we find the antidote for sin’s devastation. Only He has the power to quench that raging fire and bring new life from the ashes. Because of Him, “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2). Because of Jesus, we are no longer condemned to wander in the darkness of sin and the destruction it causes. 

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  •  Can you think of a time when you experienced sin leading to more sin?
  • Why do you think that happens?
  • How does Jesus help us break from that cycle? 

 Church Reading Plan: 1 Kings 19; 1 Thessalonians 2