The following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things. This content may be difficult for some in your group to process together. Be sure to let your group know the topic before you meet, and give permission to anyone to bow out if they are concerned about being triggered, or who simply don’t want to talk through this particular story.  Read More

2 Samuel 12:7, 11-13 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man" “This is what the LORD says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.” Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Psalm 51:16-19 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit— with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar. Before we move on from these troubling passages, there’s one more point to consider. The pages of scripture show that it is unrealistic to believe forgiveness and acceptance conveniently eliminate consequences. Engaging in sinful behavior threatens our relationship with God. Not because He will eventually forsake us or be unwilling to forgive, but because sin subtly drives us far enough away from salvation that we would no longer reach for the hand of Jesus. The Bible suggests that God won’t give up on us before we give up on Him. Our sins lead us to reject God, rather than the other way around...  Read More

2 Samuel 12:5-10 David was furious. “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. Psalm 51:12-15 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. We’ve reached a point in our story where David is overwhelmed with guilt. He has taken what isn’t his, betrayed his family, ruined neighbors’ lives, shed innocent blood, and become a cautionary tale of power and entitlement. Tomorrow’s lesson will examine the consequences of wrongful actions that are never completely avoided, no matter how much we repent. But today, we see the grace and salvation Jesus offers to everyone who confesses. Before we go further, I have to admit that part of me feels relieved to read this story. Some Christians jump between Biblical success stories, skipping the troubling ones, in a way that makes following God seem impossible. In contrast, between the stories of Moses crossing the Red Sea, David slaying Goliath, and Peter preaching the resurrected Christ, we have opportunity to read about their failures and flaws, allowing space for me to follow Jesus despite my imperfections.  Read More

2 Samuel 12:1-5 So the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.” David was furious. “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die" Psalm 51:7-11 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Have you ever felt your face flush with embarrassment when you realize how wrong something you did was? Maybe someone repeats what you just said, and you respond, “When you put it like that, it sounds awful,” even though all they did was echo your words. This is David’s situation as he sits before Nathan...  Read More

WARNING: Today’s topic touches on rape and abuse. If you have struggled with these issues, please proceed with caution. If you are triggered in any way, you can ask for help by reaching out to a pastor at your local campus, requesting a referral at office@crosswalkvillage.com, or by calling the Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.4673. 2 Samuel 11:2-5 NASB Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, “I am pregnant.” It is helpful to notice the verbs used in this fairly literal NASB translation of today’s passage describing David’s actions. He saw, he inquired, he took, and he lay. His problems develop gradually from the initial moment of observing a woman to full, undeniable transgression. It is difficult to escape the sense of possession and objectification that overtakes him...  Read More

2 Samuel 11:26-27 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the LORD was displeased with what David had done. Psalm 51:1-3 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Last week, we started studying 2 Samuel 11-12, focusing on David’s rapid decline into the life of a mass murderer. Today, we go back to the beginning of the story to examine David the adulterer and his sexual sins. Today’s passage concludes both themes as Uriah is dead, and Bathsheba goes to the palace to join the king’s harem. Soon, everything will become public when Nathan confronts David. But, before we reach the showdown between the prophet and the king, let’s take a moment to revisit how it all began...  Read More