2 Samuel 11:12-21

Uriah Killed in Battle. 2 Samuel 11:12-21

12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here today also, and tomorrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.
13 And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.
14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.

17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;
19 And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,
20 And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?
21 Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

13. Why did David keep Uriah for two more days? 2 Samuel 11:12

David dismissed Uriah from his presence for the time being, but asked him to stay in Jerusalem for the rest of that day and for the next day. David evidently needed time to collect his thoughts and to devise a plan. David's new plan was as wicked as his first. He conceived the idea of having Uriah to eat and to drink with him. He encouraged him to drink intemperately and then dismissed him from his presence. Even though Uriah was in a drunken state, he still did not go down to his own house. He went out to sleep with the guards of the palace, the servants of David. The old rabbis of Israel said that the soldiers divorced their wives when they went out to battle. No evidence can be gathered to support this from the Scripture, but it is true that a man who had recently married was exempted from going to battle (Deuteronomy 20:7). The apostle Paul also stated a general truth when he said, No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him, who hath chosen him to be a soldier (2 Timothy 2:4). Uriah was of this mind. As long as he was engaged in a battle, he did not want to divert his attention to domestic affairs. David was completely stymied by Uriah's actions.

14.

What was David's final plan? 2 Samuel 11:14

David wrote a letter to Joab, the captain of his army, and sent it back to the commander by Uriah himself. In the letter he wrote that Joab should send Uriah in the place where the battle was most severe. Joab was then to order the rest of the men to withdraw, leaving Uriah to fight and die. David hoped that Uriah would be killed and then he would be free to marry Bathsheba. When the child was born, it would be thought to be the legitimate child of David and Bathsheba.

15.

Why did Joab comply? 2 Samuel 11:16

Joab was an unscrupulous soldier but completely loyal to David. Joab was David's nephew and therefore inclined to do his uncle's bidding, even had David not been king. Joab himself had killed Abner without just cause, and he was not above murdering in order to achieve the ends he had in mind. Joab therefore took careful note of the city and of the battle. He assigned Uriah to a place where he knew the most capable soldiers of the Ammonites were defending their town. As Israel drew near, the men of the city fought fiercely. Some of the Israelites were killed, and Uriah was among them. David's scheme was succeeding.

16.

How did Joab send the news to David? 2 Samuel 11:18

Joab sent a messenger from the battlefield to Jerusalem to tell David about the outcome of the battle. He gave the messenger only general news; since he could hardly justify sending a messenger all the way back to the king simply to tell him that Uriah was dead. Joab carefully instructed the messenger to observe the king's reaction; and if he became angry when he learned that the Ammonites had defeated Israel in the battle near the city, he was to give him additional news. This additional news would include the fact that even Uriah was killed. All of this was done to prevent arousing the suspicions of the messengeror anybody else.

17.

Who was Abimelech? 2 Samuel 11:21

The folly of Abimelech was well known in Israel. He was Israel's first king. He had seized the throne unlawfully in the days of Gideon. The people of Israel wanted Gideon to rule over them, but Gideon had refused and reminded the people that God was their king. Abimelech had gone to Thebez to put down a revolt there. A strong tower was in the city, and some of the men fled to it along with their women and children. As Abimelech drew near to the city to fight against them, a certain woman dropped a piece of millstone on his head and crushed his skull (Judges 9:53). Such action was poor military strategy, and Joab expected David to mention this when he became furious over the way the battle had gone at Rabbah.