David is referred to in the New Testament as someone God called “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). We have already seen, however, that great men and women of God are still sinners, and they sometimes sin in spectacular ways. Such was the case with David.

1. Prior to the “Bathsheba incident,” David already had at least six wives and likely countless other concubines.

* Even before his adultery with Bathsheba, how well would David have been accepted in your local church?

* How could such man ever be considered a man after God’s own heart?

* The Adult Sabbath School Study Guide views David’s multiple wives as an indulgence of his passions and suggests that “the indulgence of a passion, far from removing the passion, only makes that passion stronger and stronger.” Is this true? Is it true of certain passions, but not others? Is it true of both positive passions (a passion for God or for truth) and more negative passions?

2. Sometimes we neglect Bathsheba’s role in this affair.

* Was she to blame for what happened? Could she have done anything to stop the cycle of infidelity and deception that ultimately led to the death of her husband, Uriah?

* In cases of adultery, are both “offending” parties equally guilty, or is there sometimes a “more innocent” party?

* How should the believing community respond to cases of adultery in their midst?

3. Notice the prophet Nathan’s parable of judgment on David in 2 Samuel 12:1-12.

* Based on that parable, what was David’s greatest sin?

* In what way did David “despise” God (2 Sam 12:10) by what he did?

4. One of the more troubling parts of this story is that the punishment for adultery seems to fall on the child that was born to Bathsheba. In 2 Samuel 12:13-14, David acknowledges his sin to Nathan, who replies, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.”

* What do we make of this text? Does the child die as punishment, or is the child’s death somehow a natural consequence of sin?

* Do children suffer as a result of the sins committed by their parents?

* Does forgiveness mean that we will not bear the consequences of our sin? Can a person be forgiven and yet be punished for what they have done?

5. Together, David and Bathsheba have another son whom they name Solomon.

* According to 2 Samuel 12:25, God had another name for the child. What was it? What did this name mean?

* In his genealogy of Jesus, Matthew mentions that Solomon’s mother “had been Uriah’s wife.” Why would Matthew want to include this rather painful reminder of David’s sin in the genealogy of Jesus?

* What does this whole account tell us about God’s character?