How does 2 Samuel 11:7 connect to the commandment against coveting in Exodus 20:17? Verse Spotlight: 2 Samuel 11:7 “When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab and the troops were doing and how the war was progressing.” Remembering the Tenth Commandment “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17) How 2 Samuel 11:7 Reveals a Heart Already in Violation of Exodus 20:17 • David’s friendly questions mask an inner agenda. Long before Uriah walked through the palace doors, David had coveted Uriah’s wife (2 Samuel 11:2-3). • Coveting produced action: David took Bathsheba, committed adultery, and tried to hide the sin (2 Samuel 11:4-5). • Verse 7 sits in the cover-up phase. David’s inquiries about the battle sound pastoral, yet they are calculated to ease his plot to make it appear that Bathsheba’s child is Uriah’s (11:8-13). • The progression illustrates James 1:14-15: “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then desire, after it has conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.” Coveting (desire) leads to adultery (sin) and ultimately to Uriah’s murder (death). • By breaking the tenth commandment in his heart, David set in motion violations of the seventh (adultery) and sixth (murder) commandments—showing that inner desires and outward deeds are inseparable before God (Matthew 5:27-28). Key Insights for Today • Coveting is not a harmless private longing; it is the seedbed of outward sin. • Hidden motives can wear polite masks—David’s small talk in verse 7 proves that coveting often hides behind respectable words. • God’s law is unified; when one commandment is broken in the heart, others quickly follow in behavior. • Genuine repentance must address both the deed and the desire (Psalm 51:1-4). Practical Guardrails Against Coveting – Cultivate gratitude (1 Thessalonians 5:18). – Redirect desire toward God’s kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). – Keep relationships transparent; secrecy feeds coveting (Ephesians 5:11-13). – Memorize and meditate on Scripture to renew the mind (Psalm 119:11). |
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