In the middle of all this sin is the righteous Uriah.

Bathsheba’s husband was off at war, doing what he was supposed to be doing.

When David finds out that Bathsheba is pregnant, he hatches a plan to get Uriah to be with his wife so that they can pretend the baby is his.

Uriah won’t do it. He gives a beautiful speech. “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

David tries really hard to get him to break his word, but Uriah refuses. Uriah is living by his moral standard. He’s thinking of God’s presence and God’s people and not himself. That’s the thing we should all be doing. If you were wondering what you were supposed to be doing so that you avoid the things you shouldn’t be doing, that’s it, loving God’s presence and loving others.

Acknowledging God is ever present with you can be a constant love feast for you as well as constant accountability for how you are spending your time in action and in thought.

David then hatches his new plan to have Uriah killed. He writes a letter to Joab with his instructions about how to get Uriah killed in battle. Uriah carries the letter and delivers it to Joab. He faithfully, dutifully carries his death sentence.

God doesn’t forget Uriah. Uriah gets the honor of being named in Jesus’ lineage in Matthew 1:6.

As Christians we are told to pick up our cross. We’re to carry around our death sentence. It will mean suffering and persecution in some way at some points. It may mean our physical death. But it will also always mean our life, our abundant, grace-filled, blessed eternal life in Christ, that we get to live now and which will continue forever.