David has made some choices in his life that will lead to an epic explosion in his life. He has slept with another man’s wife. He ignored the signs that told him to stop, but he ran the lights and ends up using her for his own pleasure. But as many stories of desire gone unchecked David is about to get a wake up call and instead of manning up and confessing his sin, he looks for a scapegoat to take the fall. He takes step #4: Find a Scapegoat to Blame.
The story goes like this…
But Bathsheba became pregnant and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.“ So David sent a message to Joab: “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.“ And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were, and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go home and rest.“ So Uriah left the palace, and the king sent a gift to him. But Uriah did not go home. Instead, he slept outside the door of the palace as all the king’s officers did. The officers told David, “Uriah did not go home.“ Then David said to Uriah, “You came from a long trip. Why didn’t you go home?“ Uriah said to him, “The Ark and the soldiers of Israel and Judah are staying in tents. My master Joab and his officers are camping out in the fields. It isn’t right for me to go home to eat and drink and have sexual relations with my wife!“ David said to Uriah, “Stay here today. Tomorrow I’ll send you back to the battle.“ So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. Then David called Uriah to come to see him, so Uriah ate and drank with David. David made Uriah drunk, but he still did not go home. That evening Uriah again slept with the king’s officers. 2 Samuel 11:5-13 (NCV)
Uriah is summoned home and send to see his wife. David needed to escape his bad decision and he was plotting and hoping Uriah would take the bait and be his scapegoat. We need to understand that in our lives at different times some people will look to make us a scapegoat for their failures. We need to follow Uriah’s example and be a bad scapegoat. David has a fool proof plan. He just chose the wrong goat.
Genuine integrity. Uriah came back to Jerusalem to see the king who should have been fighting with him. He is doing what he is supposed to do and yet David is home sleeping with his wife. Uriah came straight to palace, he didn’t stop buy and see the wife. He was committed to his duty. He knew what he was assigned to do and he was going about his business. We have to make sure we stay true to what our calling is and that we commit to it with all we’ve got so our integrity cannot be questioned. Uriah could have dropped by the house for a well deserved “moment” with his wife, but he didn’t.
Obligated to serve others. Uriah refuses David’s invitation to spend a night at home simply because the Ark and his commander are sleeping in tents and doing their jobs. He so believed in his friends and leaders that he would not take advantage of his lucky situation. He was not, even with the king’s blessing, letting his commitment to those fighting with him be compromised. He could not let down those whom he served. Our commitment to others must be so strong that no one could ever accuse us of using anyone else. It is simply by serving others that we can rise above any accusations of wrong doing.
Act according to your beliefs. Uriah didn’t just talk about having some beliefs that shaped his life. Instead, he lived them out with all his heart. He believed that if others were fighting he could not be sleeping in luxury. He slept with the soldiers and even a little drinking couldn’t get Uriah to act differently than his beliefs. If we talk the talk, we need to walk the walk. Uriah does just that. He does not go home, he stays dedicated. Have we decided that our beliefs will be the guide to our lives? Will what we say be what we live?
Temptation has no hold on our heart. Uriah came home and no one would have blamed him for spending time with his wife. It would not have even been sinful. He could have even snuck one in if he wanted. Instead, he didn’t let temptation pull him into a situation that could have compromised him. He said no to himself so that he could say yes to a better way. If we fight temptation then we cannot be thought of as a scapegoat. If you don’t do wrong then it is hard to accuse you of it.
Uriah ruins David’s plan because he would not be a perfect scapegoat even though he was the best way to make this all disappear. We need to decide that we will live in such a way that no one would consider using us as a scapegoat for their sin. Uriah gives us the perfect example of someone who lived so well that you could not trick him into anything.
One final question: Are you scapegoat material, or are you someone who lives in such a way that you could never be considered a goat?