Lesson 30: King David and Bathsheba

Primary 6: Old Testament, (1996), 131–34

Purpose

To help the children keep their thoughts and actions pure.

Preparation

King David Coloring pages.docx

1. Prayerfully study:

• 2 Samuel 11:1–11, 14–17, 26–27—King David covets Uriah’s wife, which leads David to commit adultery and murder.

1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. [He wasn't where he was supposed to be, doing what he was supposed to be doing.]

2 ¶And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

3 And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.

5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

6 ¶And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.

7 And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.

8 And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king’s house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.

9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

10 And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?

11 And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.

12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow 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 people 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 a 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.

22 ¶So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for.

23 And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate.

24 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king’s servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

25 Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.

26 ¶And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.

27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

• 2 Samuel 12:1–10—The prophet Nathan tells David the parable of the ewe lamb.
1 And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:

3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:

6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

7 ¶And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

11 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

15 ¶And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.

16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.

18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?

19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.

21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.

22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?

23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

24 ¶And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him.

25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.

26 ¶And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.

27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.

28 Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.

29 And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.

30 And he took their king’s crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.

31 And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick kiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.

• 2 Samuel 12:13—King David, when confronted, admits his sins. (Note: The Joseph Smith Translation corrects this verse to read, “hath not put away thy sin that thou shalt not die.”)
13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
• Doctrine and Covenants 88:86—The Lord counsels us to keep ourselves free from the entanglements of sin.
86 Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands be clean, until the Lord comes.

• Doctrine and Covenants 14:7—If we keep the commandments and endure to the end, Heavenly Father promises us his greatest gift.
7 And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.

2. Additional reading:
- • Mosiah 4:30—Watch your thoughts, words, and deeds and continue in faith.
- 30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.
- • Genesis 39:12—Joseph flees Potiphar’s wife.
- 12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
- • Alma 41:10—Wickedness never was happiness.
- 10 Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you,wickedness never was happiness.
- • Exodus 20:17—Thou shalt not covet.
- 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
3. Study the lesson and decide how you want to teach the children the scripture account (see “Preparing Your Lessons,” p. vi, and “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii). Select the discussion questions and enrichment activities that will best help the children achieve the purpose of the lesson.
Note: As you teach this lesson, be sensitive to the children’s understanding of the Lord’s standard of morality. Do not explain the exact nature of David’s sin with Bathsheba. Instead, it may be sufficient to explain that David and Bathsheba committed a serious sin in breaking one of the Ten Commandments.
4. Materials needed:
1. a. A Bible for each child.
2. b. A Book of Mormon and a Doctrine and Covenants.
3. c. Thread or thin string (see the attention activity).

Suggested Lesson Development

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

Have one of the children read Doctrine and Covenants 88:86. Ask the class what they think it means to become entangled in sin. Have a volunteer stand at the front of the class with his or her hands forward. Place a strand of thread loosely around both of the child’s wrists and tie it. Explain that this one thread, which by itself is not much of an entanglement, represents an unclean thought. Then have the child break the thread by pulling his or her hands sharply outward (make sure you have thread that the child can break). When an unclean thought appears in our mind, we should stop it immediately, just as the child snapped the thread. Wrap the child’s wrists with several strands of thread, and now have him or her try to break the threads (wrap enough strands to make it impossible). Explain that if we allow unclean thoughts and desires to grow in our minds, we may become entangled in sin and find it difficult to escape.

Scripture Account

Teach the children the account of King David and Bathsheba from the scriptures listed in the “Preparation” section. (For suggested ways to teach the scripture account, see “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii.) Remind the children that this is the same David who fought Goliath, served King Saul, and was a friend to Jonathan.

Discussion and Application Questions

Study the following questions and the scripture references as you prepare your lesson. Use the questions you feel will best help the children understand the scriptures and apply the principles in their lives. Reading and discussing the scriptures with the children in class will help them gain personal insights.

•What started King David’s downfall? (2 Samuel 11:2–3.) What did Joseph do when he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife? (Genesis 39:12.) What could David have done to be more like Joseph and avoid becoming entangled in sin? (Closed his eyes, turned away, gone inside, and prayed for self-control.) (See enrichment activity 3.) When we see something that puts bad thoughts into our minds, what can we do? (See enrichment activity 4.)
•Where have we heard the word covet in our lessons? (Exodus 20:17; “thou shalt not covet” is one of the Ten Commandments.) Explain that this use of the word covet describes an intense desire for something that belongs to another. How might David have been protected if he had kept this commandment? What can we do if we find ourselves desiring something that belongs to someone else? (See enrichment activity 5.)
•Since David did not personally kill Uriah, why is he still held accountable for this sin? (2 Samuel 11:14–17.) Explain that although David did not kill Uriah himself, his intent was to have Uriah killed. Why do you think we need to control our thoughts and our words as well as our actions? (Mosiah 4:30.)
•Why did Nathan tell King David the parable of the ewe lamb? What did David realize after hearing the parable? (2 Samuel 12:13.) Explain that David did not escape punishment even though he tried to conceal what he had done (see footnote 13b and D&C 132:39).
39 David’s wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord.
•When we break any of the Lord’s commandments, we invite unhappiness into our lives (see Alma 41:10). What can we do if we have done something wrong? During this discussion help the children understand that Heavenly Father loves us even when we do wrong, and he still wants us to stay close to him through prayer. Although David had committed a terrible sin, he still prayed to God. And although David suffered much unhappiness as a result of his sins, God did not forget him. How can prayer help someone who has done wrong?
•What does it mean to endure to the end? Help the children understand that we must each work to remain faithful throughout our lives. The good works and blessings of David’s earlier life did not prevent later temptations. King David still needed to work to keep his thoughts and heart pure. What gift has the Lord promised members of the Church who keep his commandments throughout their lives? (D&C 14:7.)

Enrichment Activities

You may use one or more of the following activities any time during the lesson or as a review, summary, or challenge.

1. On the chalkboard or a piece of paper draw a simple figure of a person standing at the top of a tall cliff. Tell the children that when we allow ourselves to entertain bad thoughts, we are on the brink of falling to temptation. Improper thoughts can lead to improper words and actions. Draw a protective railing between the person and the edge. Explain to your class that pure thoughts are like a guardrail by the edge of a cliff. We should not step over the guardrail by thinking bad thoughts, but we should replace bad thoughts with uplifting ideas.
2. Show a seed or a package of seeds and a fruit or vegetable (or a picture of one) of a different variety. Ask the children if the seed could produce that particular fruit or vegetable. Emphasize that seeds only produce their own kind. Have the children read3 Nephi 14:16–18. Explain that the thoughts we plant in our minds produce the words we say and the things we do.
3. Discuss some ways the children can interrupt impure thoughts that may come to them (turn away, leave the situation, replace the bad thoughts with good thoughts and actions, say a prayer, think of an uplifting song or verse of scripture, recite the thirteenth article of faith, and so forth). Challenge the class members to be prepared in advance with a specific replacement for an undesirable thought. Allow them a minute to choose something uplifting they can think of instead. To help the children practice what they will do when a bad thought comes into their mind, play the following game.
- What Should You Do?
Think of situations, such as the following, that the children might find themselves in (you need enough situations so that each child can have at least one turn). Toss a beanbag to a child, describe one of the situations, have that child explain what he or she could do to avoid the bad thoughts, and have the child return the beanbag to you.
- • You hear someone swear. The thought comes into your mind to swear also.
- • Someone tries to show you pictures of people who are immodestly dressed. You are tempted to look.
- • Someone starts to tell a dirty joke or story. You want to listen.
- • A friend tells an unkind story about someone. The thought comes into your mind to spread the gossip.
- • You are watching a television program that shows immoral behavior. This program is popular with your friends and you want to watch it.
- • You are angry with someone and feel like punching him or her.
- • You see your favorite candy bar at the store. The thought comes into your mind to steal it.
4. Ask the children why they think we are warned not to covet something that belongs to someone else. Explain that when we allow ourselves to think about having something that belongs to another person, we may be tempted to do something wrong in order to get it. Mention that this type of coveting can lead to stealing, lying, and even murder. It can also lead us away from the gospel of Jesus Christ.
One way to avoid wanting the belongings of others is to notice and be grateful for our own blessings. Pass out pieces of paper and pencils and ask the children to list or draw some of the things they enjoy and appreciate. Invite the children to share their ideas with the class. Suggest that the children record in their personal journals a “thank-you” letter to their Father in Heaven for their blessings.
5. Help the children act out the prophet Nathan’s parable of the ewe lamb. Have the children take the roles of the poor man, the ewe lamb, the rich man, the traveler, and the rich man’s sheep. Ask the class members to explain how this story relates to the actions of King David. Ask them how this can apply to us today.
6. Sing or read the words to “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, p. 146) or “I Am Glad for Many Things” (Children’s Songbook, p. 151).

Conclusion

Testimony

Testify to the children that pure thoughts lead to clean lives, and that clean lives lead to happiness. Invite the children to look for the Lord’s blessings in their lives and be content with what they have. Promise them that they will be further blessed as they keep the commandments and endure to the end.

Suggested Family Sharing

Encourage the children to share with their families a specific part of the lesson, such as a story, question, or activity, or to read with their families the “Suggested Home Reading.”