How does David's action connect with Exodus 20:14 on adultery?

Setting the Scene

• 2 Samuel 11:1-4 describes David remaining in Jerusalem while his army fights, seeing Bathsheba, inquiring about her, sending for her, and lying with her.

• Exodus 20:14 simply commands, “You shall not commit adultery.”

• Scripture is historically accurate; David’s act is a real, concrete violation of God’s law, not a mere metaphor or parable.

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How David’s Sin Violates the Seventh Commandment

• Deliberate pursuit: “David sent messengers and took her” (2 Samuel 11:4). The initiative is his; the commandment forbids any intentional act that breaks marital covenant.

• Sexual union outside marriage: “He lay with her” (2 Samuel 11:4). Adultery is defined in Exodus 20:14 as sexual intimacy with someone else’s spouse; Bathsheba is “the wife of Uriah” (v. 3).

• Disregard for God’s moral boundary: God’s law is unchanging (Psalm 19:7-9). David knowingly trespasses it, showing that even God-appointed leaders remain accountable to divine standards.

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Ripple Effects Revealing the Seriousness of Adultery

• Concealment and further sin: David arranges Uriah’s death (2 Samuel 11:14-17). James 1:14-15 shows how lust gives birth to sin, and sin, when full-grown, births death.

• National consequences: “The thing David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD” (2 Samuel 11:27). Israel’s king brings judgment on the nation (2 Samuel 12:10-12).

• Personal devastation: Psalm 51 records David’s anguish and repentance, underscoring how adultery wounds the soul (see also Proverbs 6:32).

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Scripture’s Unified Voice on Adultery

• Old Testament: Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10; Proverbs 6:24-29 warn of inevitable ruin.

• New Testament: Matthew 5:27-28 exposes heart-level lust; Hebrews 13:4 esteems marriage; 1 Corinthians 6:18 commands, “Flee from sexual immorality.” David’s failure illustrates why these warnings stand.

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Lessons for Today

• God’s command is timeless—adultery remains sin regardless of culture or status.

• Small compromises (idle time on the rooftop) can open doors to major transgressions.

• Genuine repentance is possible (Psalm 51), yet earthly consequences often persist (2 Samuel 12:13-14).

• Christ’s atonement satisfies the law’s penalty, but believers are called to holy obedience empowered by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).