The Scheme of David
Proverbs 6:16-18 says what the Lord hates are hands that she innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans and feet that run rapidly to evil. God does not delight in people that schemes because they act out the evil intents that are within their hearts. David is a king with great authority and power, with control over many people, and thus should have borne greater responsibility and punishment. He was meant to use the sword for justice but instead used it for his personal schemes.
Why did David schemed against Uriah? Because he had sinned! Although God had promised David rest from all his enemies (2 Sam 7:11), in the evening, when David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the King’s house, he lost his vigilance in faith while enjoying the blessings of God. As the saying goes “When one is comfortable, lust arises.” Comfort itself is not a sin, but failing to stay vigilant can lead to spiritual complacency which becomes a cause of sin. As Romans 7:8 says, sin seizes opportunity through the commandment to produce all kinds of covetous desires in us. Be careful! Sin takes advantage of our lack of vigilance to stir up our desires.
Scheming to take another man’s wife
The horror of sin is its contagious and chain-like nature, what begins with seeing, then thinking and then acting it out. After committing adultery, David tried to cover his sin, attempting to make Uriah take the blame. He told one lie and then more lies to cover it. He committed one evil act then dug deeper into more evil to conceal it. James 1:15 reminds us that desire, when conceived, gives birth to sin. We must cut it off at the beginning and not allow it to take root.
Scheming to take another man’s life
If one is overtaken by sin, one should quickly confess and repent as Psalm 32:5 says “I acknowledged my sin to You and You forgave the guilt of my sin” but David instead provided another great evil to cover his sin. When Uriah died in battle, David pretended to comfort Joab saying not to be troubled. In reality, David was deceiving his own heart and conscience.
No matter how one carefully schemes, no one can escape the judgement of God
The schemes that many think are hidden will ultimately be revealed by God, for everything is laid bare before Him (Heb 4:13). In verse 27, on the surface, David seems to "legitimately" take Bathesheba to be his wife and she bore him a son which appears to be a fitting and happy ending. Yet under God’s righteous judgement, He did not delight in what David had done. God does not acquit the guilty, nor does He overlook sin. In the years that followed, David would come to experience the consequence of his actions.
May our hearts remain simple, open and free from scheming!
