Nightmares of the Righteous

Introduction

Yeah, admittedly, I didn’t give Sean a lot to work with. However, because of Mary’s idea of adding a verse to the sermon titles, at least maybe gives you a little bit further hint of where I’m going. If you looked at that of the bulletin, it might have clued you in a little as it did Sean. But it’ll be hard to match the thoughts of this lesson entirely with the songs that we sing. Alright. Tonight, I present to you the title at the very beginning: Nightmares for the righteous. This only has little to do with Weyland Melton. He already knows where I’m going. A week ago, yesterday, because the beloved dogs got loose. And they were searching frantically in the neighborhood for the beloved dog. In the midst of that search, Wayland looks down, and to his chagrin, he has stepped on a copper head that is now trying to turn and strike him.

And like me, Wayland is petrified of snakes. Even more poisonous ones. Wayland, though I was not there, wish I had video, but I do not. And though it has been described to me, I am going out on a limb to suggest that it was the highest vertical leap ever accomplished in Wayland’s lifetime. At his age, no less. As he jumped off of that copper head, narrowly averting the strike. And that’s just the beginning of the story. Yes, he survived. The dogs were found, but then the nightmares. He dreams about snakes that night. And if he’s like me, it is every now and then the snake dream nightmare. Have you ever had one of those? I think of Harrison Ford in the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie when he falls into that pit of poisonous snakes and he’s staring one face to face.

I hate snakes, was the famous line of that movie. Well, that’s me with Wayland and Harrison Ford. I’ve had so many dreams where I’m standing on a little porch in my backyard, and my whole yard is full of slithering, ugly creatures known as snakes. Now, if you somehow like snakes, then go hang out with the Olympics. They can deal with them, they hold them, they do all they pet them. I don’t know what all they do with snakes out there, but they’re not afraid of snakes. I am. Okay. Okay, so really that introduction is just about nightmares. That’s all it’s about. Because now I want to talk about what Ken Chapman spoke on in regard to the other man. And the story of Uriah the Hittite.

1. The Nightmare of Uriah

And what he presented from the viewpoint of Uriah, the events of the story of David and Bathsheba, which would lead to the death of Uriah on the battlefield. And for some reason, to see that event through the eyes of Uriah, as he is first drawn off the battlefield, brought back for an interview with the king, and then would not even go to his home to be with his wife that he seemingly loved dearly because of honor. Because of his faith, because of his respect for the ark of God, and then to be sent back to the front lines with the execution papers in his own hand. I was thinking about the nightmare of Uriah. No amount of valor. And he was a mighty man of valor, listed among David’s mighty men in 2 Samuel chapter 23, the last one mentioned incidentally in the list.

No amount of valor could say. Godly Uriah. From the nefarious plans of David. Yes, I know I used that term this morning. It’s actually in tonight’s outline. I just threw it in of the nefarious people in the Pecos River. I don’t know. Nefarius is on my mind this week. But it’s actually in this outline, and Nefarious, if you wonder, young people, what that means, it’s not so good. The not so good evil plans of others. As everybody withdraws from valiant Uriah on the battlefield, and no amount of heroics could save him from the arrows of his death. When Ken was telling that story, one thing kept going through my mind, and I was very saddened to look at the story from the standpoint of Uriah. Uriah did perhaps know very little about the why of all of this.

He might have had some wonderings as the rest of the army withdraws and leaves him out there by himself to receive those death blows. Does he have any idea that the king has slept with his wife? That the plan of a man that he greatly respected and admired is killing him. It seems he might have had very little inkling of all of that. But all I could think of was not just that somebody planned and plotted the death of a good man in order to take his wife and to cover his sin. But that it was done by David.

From whom we might expect the worst. But it is another thing entirely. To suffer at the hands of those who are numbered among the righteous, of whom you would expect much more. This was not typically David. Typically, David was a writer of Psalms and hymns, a man who loved worship and righteousness and goodness. But because of this incident with Bathsheba, which was not characteristic of his life. Awful things happen. And all of his attempts to cover it up are met with the ominous words of chapter 11. Now the thing David did was evil in the sight of the Lord.

I thought about the potential in the lives of us all to not merely suffer at the hands of evil men and women, perhaps in the workplace, where you’re not treated fairly on your job, where your employer does you wrong, overlooks you because of your righteousness and does not promote you, perhaps even tries to get rid of you and doesn’t care about you and your family at all. You’re just a person in the company that’s designed to make him or her money. And we might understand some of that. But to suffer at the hands of one who is characteristically righteous. Or just simply to be suffering at the hands of those who are in the body of Christ. Who have seen better days and better times and more Christ-like times in their lives.

I hope I’ve not been that person who is so treated, another brother in Christ. But I believe I have been that person who has been so treated. Where there was no concern about me or the welfare of my family. But just some selfish motive, some ill will, hatred, jealousy, whatever it was, that raised its ugly head. And so as Kim was preaching that sermon, I thought about the fact that sometimes, even among the Lord’s people, there are attitudes that are less than holy and less than godly. And sometimes the innocent suffer. Sometimes the righteous suffer at the hands of the unrighteous. Beware. Be on guard in regard to your attitudes toward others in the body of Christ. And your treatment of the Lord’s people. You know, I’ve wondered sometimes, and I don’t mean this to be self-serving at all, but I’ve wondered sometimes if the preacher and perhaps even elders wear some kind of an exception label.

Because they’re leaders among the Lord’s people, we somehow don’t have to treat them like we would other Christians. They’re like fair game. Anything goes. Nitpick them or criticize them to death. That’s what they’re there for. But we’re brethren too, I think. And don’t forget that. All of us. We’re in this together. We’re on the same team. David and Uriah found themselves not on the same team. And it was none of Uriah’s doing. He was innocent. And so this says something about a very good man who had some awful moments. A period of moments in his life that cost a good man like Uriah. His little U lamb. And not just his little U lamb, but even his lifeblood. Interesting reunion, wouldn’t it be? If David and Uriah speak in heaven.

2. Not the Only Nightmare of This Story

But that’s not the only nightmare of this story. We’re not told much about the relationship of Uriah with Bathsheba, but from all apparent indication in the text, they had a good marriage. Uriah was a good man, a good husband to his wife, and that she wasn’t looking for some kind of exit strategy from her marriage. And she wasn’t even seemingly that thrilled with the fact that the king of all people wanted to be with her or found her attractive. But that’s not the worst part of her story. Not only does she lose her husband, the child that was conceived, she sees that child born and then dies, as Nathan the prophet predicted. Oh, yes, David loved Bathsheba. They had another son, Solomon, whom the Lord loved, and he would become the next king.

3. The Nightmare of Ahithophel

But that did not remove, I’m sure, all of the pain of her past. Then we had a sermon recently, which I’m sure you remember probably word for word. Probably don’t. But the sermon on Ahithophel, who may well have been Bathsheba’s grandfather. As you start to look at the story of Ahithophel, why would Ahithophel side with the upstart Absalom over David, the great king? Why would he side and become the counselor of Absalom? Perhaps this has been a burr in his saddle all the way along. That David had stolen Bathsheba from Uriah. And that this was a family thing. And thus, when the opportunity came to go a different direction, he sided with Absalom, the young man. And this sent Ahithophel on a tragic trajectory. Did it not?

His words in those days was as if one inquired of the Word of God. I’ll tell you, sometimes when people ask me for counsel, I just don’t know what to say. I always wish I had golden words. Sometimes there are no golden words for certain situations. But I would love to always have the perfect words to say in every situation. Not that guy. I do my best. And sometimes it’s better not to say anything. But it’s never been said of me, I don’t believe, as it is said of Ahithophel, that his words were like the word of God, that he was so wise and so smart and so intelligent. If he counseled you to do something, you ought to do it. And so Absalom having him on board, that was a tremendous decision.

But David knew that as well. And so he sends Hushai back, his friend, to thwart the counsel of Ahithophel. And he does. And because Absalom chooses to listen to Hushai, David’s friend, and not the counsel of Ahithophel, that would send his rebellion on a trajectory of demise. And Ahithophel knew it. The nightmare of Ahithophel. When he saw his counsel wasn’t heeded.

4. Nathan the Prophet's Nightmare

He could see the proverbial handwriting on the wall. Well, that’s enough nightmares, and just in regard to the story of David and Bathsheba, but that’s not the last nightmare. There is Nathan the prophet’s nightmare. Immediately after the text registers the sin of David in the last verse of 2 Samuel chapter 11, immediately on the scene, the Lord sends Nathan the prophet to David, and he comes with this story about the rich man who steals the one poor you lamb. And David says, as it is so easy, another whole sermon. I have another whole sermon here, and some of you have heard it. Another whole sermon, David says, that man surely deserves to die for what he’s done. Not realizing that he’s pointing the fingers at himself.

It is so easy to size up the behavior of others and to gloss over our own. But when Nathan says to the most powerful man in Israel, you are the man.

Oh, it all turned out okay for Nathan. He survived. He lived through it. Because David was humble enough to say, I have sinned against the Lord. But does he know that’s going to be the king’s response? This is somebody who has just killed Uriah the Hittite and tried to cover up his sin. Does he know that’s the way it’s going to go when God says, I want you to go and take this message to the king? And he has to say to him, again, a man who has the power to execute him on the spot. You’re the man. It hasn’t always or won’t always go so well as it did for Nathan. Remember the prophet that was sent to Jeroboam after the golden calves, the prophet without a name, who would eventually be slain by a lion because he does not follow God’s directions on his course there and home.

While he was there and speaking the judgment against King Jeroboam stretches out his hand toward the prophet to do him harm, and his hand withered. His intentions were not good in relation to the prophet. A little bit further.

Again, a good man. In 2 Chronicles, in 2 Chronicles chapter 16, King Asa, who has been a man of faith, a great reign in Judah, following his great grandfather. But things go poorly in the end. He loses his trust. And Hananai, the seer, has to come to him with this message. You trusted God in the past, but you are not trusting him now. And he says, the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that he may strongly support those whose heart is completely his. I don’t know how many times I quoted that verse in sermons before I realized that in the context it was somewhat negative for the one receiving the message.

But you are not one of those people right now. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on. You will surely have wars. And Asa took it like a man, like David in 2 Samuel chapter 12. No, he did not. And now it says Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison. For he was enraged at him. For this. And he persecuted some of the people at that time. Oh, that’s not the worst story. See the progression? The prophet sent to Jeroboam, the prophet sent to Asa, who was a righteous man, in contrast to Jeroboam, generally so. Then there’s the story of King Joash. Remember when wicked Queen Atheliah was trying to destroy all the king’s sons. Aunt Jehoshaphat springs into action and saves one of the king’s sons.

Joash. And as that boy gets older at the age of seven, he’s presented to the people. Here’s your king. A remaining descendant of the royal lineage. Athaliah is put to death, and Joash becomes king, thanks to Jehoida the priest, and apparently his wife Jehoshaphat. I’ve often called Jehoida and Jehoshaphat Aquila and Priscilla of the Old Testament. As they mentored this young boy who would be the king, the descendant of David to sit upon the throne. But what a tragic story. After the death of Jehoiada. Their son. Zachariah prophesied.

And Joash had him killed. Not remembering all that had been done for him by his parents.

Well, you talk about a sad story. The death of Zachariah. So I mention all of those to suggest that Nathan’s trepidation, if he had any, that the results of Nathan’s message to the king could have ended far worse than it did. And so here’s the message for you and me. Sometimes we have an obligation to do things we would perhaps not want to do because of the trouble it could bring to our doorstep. Have you ever had to confront someone regarding their sin? You who are spiritual, restore such one. He who converts a sinner from the air of his way shall save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. Whoa, I’m going to let the elders take care of that. In fact, I’m going to go talk to the elders and let them handle it.

Look, I’m the one that saw it. I’m the one that knows about it. Oh, there may come a time that I need to go to the elders or two or three witnesses and follow the model of Matthew chapter 18. But I’m the one that’s in the note here. I’m the one that’s seen the action, and I believe that sin has been committed. Love compels me to go. Not to tell someone else. Love compels me to go and to speak to them. How’s that going to turn out? Let me just tell you. Sometimes that doesn’t turn out very well for you. Oftentimes there is a backlash that comes your direction, like we see in the case of these prophets, because you had the audacity to indict them.

Now it’s their behavior that indicted them. Make sure that you’re going to them because they have transgressed, or at least from all outward appearances. But oftentimes people don’t want to hear that. So I’ll tell you what we learned from Nathan and from others like it. We have to do the work that needs to be done. This is about converting a sinner from the air of his way. That’s what Nathan teaches us. And while there may be some backlash, while they may disparage you and speak evil of you can’t believe what Tony did because he had the audacity to come to me and point that out. They may try to assassinate your character. We must have the courage to do God’s bidding regardless of the consequences.

5. David Had His Own Nightmares

A lot of nightmares in this story. But that’s not all of the nightmares. I want to suggest to you that David had his own nightmares. As he recovered from this incident, and he did. Psalm 51 is written, it seems, about his sin with Bathsheba. Against thee and thee only have I sinned. I mean, yes, he ascended against Uriah and sinned against Bathsheba, but he realizes ultimately and foremost, this transgression is against God. In sin, my mother conceived me, he said in that Psalm. I got into sin as quickly as I could. A partaker in sin. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, he says, renew a steadfast spirit within me. He recovered. And I’ve often thought that when he did, how many times did he wake up in the middle of the night thinking about Uriah the Hittite and what he had done?

And not only that, he too had to deal with the loss of his child, whom he warned. And not only that, in the passage that Sean spoke of that was in the bulletin. Beyond everything else, there are the deaths of Amnon and Absalom. The bloodshed would not depart. There were revolts beyond Absalom. We read about another in chapter 20. There’s famine and then pestilence that was the result of his own doing. But it was not all smooth sailing for David after this incident. He went through some rough times. He had some nightmares of his own.

Do you see the point of the story? We’re not talking about David, a characteristically wicked man. We’re talking about a man who was so godly, so devout, so attuned to the righteousness of God. One who practiced the law very carefully and thoroughly, as we talked about this morning. But yet there was this period in his life where he got sideways. It was a moment of lust. It was a moment of desire. He wanted something. And he took it.

Conclusion

Look at the aftermath of this decision. Look at the aftermath of this story. Look at all of the nightmares involved in the story of one selfish decision. And we could spend some time talking about the grace of God and the mercy of God. And thanks be to God, it was there for David. It gives me hope. It gives you hope. Regardless of the sins of our past, there is mercy, there is forgiveness. We still have a very great hope before us. And perhaps we can join the likes of Uriah and David in glory. But don’t miss this one thing. Not all sins that we commit have the same attendant consequences. Young people, I want you to know something. Sin is never in your best interests. Never.

I don’t care what the sin is. Lying, it may get you out of that troubling situation. I don’t want to have to tell my parents the truth here. Well, let’s worry about that before we ever have to get in a situation where we’re compelled to lie. Sin is never in your best interest, ever. Notice the attempts at lying and cover up here that ultimately failed. I don’t care what the sin is. Sin is never good for you. It is never in your best interest. And there is always a price to be paid. Always. If nothing else, your sin is tallied in the spiritual realm. The thing David did was evil in the sight of the Lord. There’s some strikes in our past, right? Sins that we’ve committed, sins that were tallied, those need to be remedied by the provisions of salvation in Jesus Christ.

But just because that happens, just because there is forgiveness, just because as we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin, and we have fellowship one with another. While that is so, please understand that sin has a tremendous cost sometimes. Beyond just the fact of how it affects your soul in that moment. Sometimes the sin that is committed is one from which people never recover. The alcoholic started with a single drink. The gambling addict started with his first moment at a casino. The sin from which some people never ever recover in their life sends them on a trajectory like the bitterness of Ahithophel from which they never survive. But beyond that, you may survive it spiritually. You may find forgiveness.

But as we see in the story of David and Bathsheba. Sometimes the consequences affect the rest of our lives. Every sin’s not the same. Sometimes the tragic impact of sin, its devastating effects, are far greater, far more extensive, far more painful, far more destructive in relationships than we ever imagined or thought possible. What are you telling him? What do you tell him? Sin’s always a big deal. That’s what I’m telling you. Should never be minimized. I don’t know what the results are going to be, and you don’t know what the results are going to be. But sometimes the consequences are catastrophic. The ones we looked at in regard to David, those were catastrophic consequences. Look at all of the hardship and the suffering that David endured as he’s fleeing.

And he even says, in regard to the cursing of Saul’s servant Ziba, God told him to do this. David realizes he is suffering because of things he’s done. He didn’t just wipe it away and forget about it. Oh, that happened in the past. That was Uriah. He believes he’s still suffering because of it, because Nathan told him he would.

So I don’t know what’s going to be. When we transgress and fall short of the glory of God, I’m just warning you. Think twice.

Be as careful as you can be, because you just don’t know what the impact is going to be.

If I’m scaring you into righteousness, I’ll try anything that works. The second thing that I want to say in conclusion is don’t be greatly surprised when trouble comes. Or even its source. Uriah would have never imagined that the king could do this to him. Never would have imagined it. And like I talked about experiences in my past, you just don’t expect the source of the negativity and the hatred to be God’s people. But if David, one who was a man after God’s heart most of his life, if David could be that person, then there are people who are generally good folks among the Lord’s people who could be that person. Don’t be surprised. If the source of trouble is not the evil man, but the characteristically good man.

And then I would say, if this story doesn’t tell us anything else, it says, take other people into account before you act. That’s easy to say. Because sometimes all that matters in the moment of temptation is what I want. I want it! And because I want it, I’m going to take it.

A lot of people could suffer. That’s very hard to do. I throw this up here, you know. Preach to yourself. When you want it. The last thing you’re thinking about is how this is going to affect others. But this story tells us we ought to think about it. How does this choice, how does this decision, how does this behavior affect my family? How could it potentially affect my spiritual family? What are the possible ramifications of this decision ten years from now? Twenty years from now.

Learn. Do not repeat the mistakes David made. Avoid the nightmares. And that takes me to one other thing that seemed to be very powerful in what Ken did. As we consider the impact of a single decision, he also taught us about the impact of our shadow. I know a lot of people talked about his sermon, Me and My Shadow. Understand as sin can have a tremendous impact on the lives of others. Understand that your example of righteousness can have a tremendous impact for good in others’ lives. Jill obeyed the gospel recently, Harley. That decision means more to other people, Johnny as well. Mean more to other people than you realize. It encourages us. It strengthens us who are older.

Let’s be intent on being that example to those who believe. 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 12. Set yourself, your course on a trajectory of goodness. And let’s live our lives to the glory of God. If you’re subject to the invitation tonight, come now as we stand and sing together.