Introduction

Good morning! Let us examine the eleventh chapter of 2 Samuel. What is this chapter about? Let us contemplate the author's intention. If we grasp the author’s intention, we grasp the theme they are trying to convey. This chapter describes an event, a captivating story of someone’s downfall. Does the author intend to make people stumble? No, but rather to keep people vigilant! Therefore, I've slightly adjusted the theme of this chapter to be to be vigilant and attentive to what displeases God.

Some say: This chapter records David doing what displeased God. That is roughly the idea. I believe that you have all read it many times, and after hearing it, you will feel that the story in this chapter could be made into a play, as it is described so vividly. However, if we only focus on the description of the story, it would be meaningless. Therefore, I will interject some content in between, and we will first discuss the key points and main points.

Staying Vigilant in Victory

One must be especially careful when one is victorious in battle. Think about it. The devil has been fighting with you. After you lose, what tricks will the devil use? Since ancient times, the essence of these tricks has never changed. Does everyone remember the third chapter of Genesis? Adam and Eve saw that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was good, and this time David saw a woman bathing, and it was good as well. Both times, they used their eyes to look, and after looking, they were finished, and the problem was not far away. What looks good to the eye is not necessarily good, because the devil is always using people's eyes.

When you are victorious, if your eyes accidentally see something that you should not see, after seeing it, your heart will itch, and then a series of things will happen. At this time, you need to know what displeases God. If you accidentally fall into it, you will be cursed. Curses are no joke, even if you are David, it is still the same. So, we must be especially careful and stay vigilant in victory.

I tell you all that no matter how victorious a person is, they must be vigilant. In fact, David's judgment of himself was still very positive. He felt that he was a grateful person, that God was with him in every situation, and that God made him comfortable and victorious. In fact, when a person feels that they are doing well, they are finished, and problems will arise. The reason is simple, because they are not vigilant when they are victorious.

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 11:1)

Do you see this situation? The Israelite soldiers went out and were really powerful and invincible! Was that David's credit? No! Why did David stay in Jerusalem? Because he did not need to go to war, Joab and the Israelite soldiers were very powerful. Were the Israelite soldiers powerful? No! It was God who was powerful. As a result, David was not so vigilant.

One day, in the late afternoon, David got up from his bed. He may have drunk too much alcohol the night before, drunk late, and slept until the late afternoon the next day. Some people sleep until the late afternoon because they play mahjong at night. The Bible does not say what David did, but he slept until the late afternoon, after sunset, before getting up. At this time, his mind was dizzy, and he did not know east, west, north, or south. But David's eyes were still working well, so he went to the roof.

David's house could see the skyline of Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem, no matter who they were, could see David's house. David stood on the roof of his house and looked down. He could see everything in the yards of everyone's houses. At this time, his mind was dizzy, and as a result, trouble came! David saw a woman bathing, and you say, how could it be such a coincidence? Because it was all directed in the spiritual realm. Why do I say to pay attention to what pleases God or displeases Him? Because this is very important.

This woman's husband went to the front line to fight. She was standing in their yard, and as long as she looked up, she could see David's house. Do you think that David suddenly got up in the late afternoon on this day? No! In fact, he had been doing this for some time. David was very handsome! Bathsheba saw David getting up at this time every day. People's thoughts are very interesting, and she liked David and wanted to go to the palace and be with David, thinking that it was a great thing.

The next day, Bathsheba estimated the time and bathed at this time. As a result, David looked out and saw that her appearance was beautiful, like a figure in an oil painting! Some say: Could Bathsheba not bathe in the house? But she insisted on bathing in the yard, just to let David see her, move his heart, and then take her to the palace. Can such a thing be done carelessly? Definitely not! David was dizzy and began to play movies in his heart. After inquiring, he learned that her husband was not at home and was still fighting for him on the front line. David's mind was filled with Bathsheba's appearance.

Who would bathe in the yard, in a place where David's line of sight could reach directly? Strange, this farce was directed like this! David's feelings were too strong. After inquiring, he sent someone to bring Bathsheba over. Bathsheba thanked God there, because she had prayed for this matter for a long time and was finally brought to the palace by David.

If you were writing a novel, you would have to write it very vividly! The timing was also very coincidental. They were only together for one day and she was pregnant! How could it be such a coincidence? Can the devil's direction be anything but a coincidence? When I was studying the Bible, I was thinking: This is quite deadly! God can make me victorious, rich, and have His presence at all times, but whether I am vigilant or not really depends on my own destiny (造化).

So, it is easy for people to have problems as soon as they look. In the Northeast, there is a famous joke. Someone said: What are you looking at? The other person replied: What if I look at you? Then the two started fighting. So, don't look around! When I go to that kind of place, I silently lower my head and don't dare to look at anything! Because it was that kind of dialogue that led to that kind of ending. David could not resist it, who can resist it? Remember, when we are victorious, we must be especially vigilant! There are many stories like this, it is not necessarily seeing this or seeing that. No matter what you see, it is directly related to the lack of vigilance in people. What should we be vigilant about? Knowing what pleases God and what does not please God?

Some people come among us and feel that they can lie down in a victorious church. Some say: In the victorious church, my illness is healed as soon as I pray. You have to be careful! What to be careful about? Be careful of the devil's schemes. David was so smart, did he know to be careful of the devil's schemes? He knew. Did he know to be vigilant? He also knew. Then why was he suddenly confused and made such a farce?

Do Not Think That No One Knows

Never think that no one knows, in fact, things in this world are transparent. People know, ghosts know, and God also knows. As a result, Bathsheba was pregnant, and this matter was related to David. Bathsheba's belly grew bigger day by day, who would not know? Everyone knows! Maybe Bathsheba even advertised everywhere saying: This is my child with David. How honorable it is to be seen by David! What should be done about this? At this time, David even forgot what God did not like; he also forgot that this world and the spiritual world are transparent; he also forgot that all things are directed in the spiritual world, these are the beginning of tragedy.

Bathsheba may still be happy: I can have a son for David! But she still has a husband! Isn't this a mess? She quickly told David that she was pregnant. David heard about this and had an idea: Let Bathsheba's husband come back. Her husband came back from the battlefield, but he did not return to his own home. David was still thinking of taking advantage of the fact that Bathsheba's belly was not yet visible, and at this time, he would let Uriah go home and have relations with Bathsheba. After a period of time, he would talk about the pregnancy, so as to cover up the fact that Bathsheba had relations with him.

In fact, this is also very troublesome. If the child is born and looks more and more like David, isn't this annoying? Will the devil make this child look more and more like David? Yes! No matter how this matter is handled, it will be very troublesome in the end. But Uriah did not go home after returning from the battlefield. This made David very annoyed! If people think that what they do is unknown to anyone, then there is trouble.

In order to cover up a small lie, people must use a big lie to cover up the small lie, and then use a monstrous lie to cover up the big lie; people commit a small sin, use a medium sin to cover it up, and if they don't cover it well, they use a big sin to cover it up. People just don't know that the spiritual world is transparent. Brothers and sisters, you must know, why do you often encounter some things? Because the things you think about are transparent, and the ghosts can play with you.

More than ten years ago, when I was casting out demons, there was a very interesting phenomenon. At that time, I led people to pray. Usually, I said a sentence and they said a sentence. I said: In the name of Jesus Christ, I command the spirit of nitpicking to leave! As a result, the person being ministered to got stuck: I, I, I, after a long time, couldn't say this sentence. But I let him say: In the name of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit fills me! He could say this sentence. He could say anything, but if he said: Command the spirit of nitpicking to leave, he couldn't say this sentence. This was very interesting!

I started to say only the first half of the sentence: In the name of Jesus Christ! As a result, the ghost stuck him, because the ghost knew the second half of the sentence that I was going to say next: Command the spirit of nitpicking to leave! Then I tried again, I said: In the name of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit fills me! He didn't say this sentence either, he could only say: In the name of Jesus Christ! Because the ghost behind knew what people were thinking in their heads. In modern technology language, it is called brain waves.

I have encountered some people who were very accurate at fortune-telling for others since I was a child, so I have some understanding of the things in the spiritual world. Some people are very accurate at fortune-telling, but it is not that the person is accurate, because the spirit on that person knows about future events. Later, I concluded that: In the spiritual world, our world can see many years into the future.

People are transparent in the spiritual world. Don't play tricks with ghosts. The key is to be in accordance with God's heart and do things that please God. If the thing we are thinking about, after thinking about it, we conclude that it does not please God, then don't do it. Because if you do a small one, you have to do a medium one, and then it will develop into a big one, then there will be trouble! If a ghost wants to trick me, it seems to take a little effort. Although I can't compare to David, I still have to be vigilant, because in terms of victory, I am far behind David. Someone gave himself a name called Victorious David, then I will give myself a nickname, called Not Victorious David, so that I can stay vigilant at all times. If a person spends his whole life pursuing to please God, then it will be great, and the ghost will have no way to deal with you.

Apostle Paul said, I live to please God alone. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Jesus Christ. Do not think that your actions are done in secret; in reality, everything is transparent. Will you be vigilant? Even if God is there, watching with His own eyes, He cannot make the choice for you, because the decision rests with you.

Recently, a phrase has been constantly on my mind: God wants to make many of our brothers and sisters increasingly wealthy, followed by: When you are wealthy and do not serve the Lord your God with a cheerful heart, you will serve the demons sent to you by the Lord God. This statement resounds like thunder in my ears. I wonder, why is it that when people become wealthy, they cannot serve the Lord God with a cheerful heart? I see this person serving God, but they have an internal problem: they do not serve God with a cheerful heart. So who are they serving? They are serving money, and thus money is a great temptation.

If God suddenly gives you a hundred million, fulfilling one of your small goals, you will think: If it becomes fifty million next year, I am ruined! Therefore, you will devote a lot of time to your investment portfolio, and when it comes to serving God, you will try to squeeze in time. No time today, no time tomorrow. Serving God requires time, but you have no time; all your time is given to money. I think this person is quite interesting. It is God who gives you victory, it is God who makes you wealthy, but when you become wealthy, you do not serve your God with a cheerful heart. It is not that you do not serve, but that you do not serve God with a cheerful heart, squeezing God to the side.

Many people usually put family first, business second, and serving God third. This is a common phenomenon. Once, a pastor, after I ministered to him for a period of time, repented with tears streaming down his face. After repenting, he said something very interesting: In the past, because I was too focused on serving God, I neglected my family. Actually, he had never neglected them! He said: From now on, I will put serving God first, my family second, and ministry in the church third, still putting God in third place! I thought he would say: From now on, I will put my family first, but he did not say that.

He was just playing a deceptive game, still claiming to put God first, invoking God's name. Can he please God this way? He is only trying to please people wholeheartedly, either pleasing his children or pleasing his wife. As for God, so be it! You say he does not serve? He does serve. He feels that serving is enough: God, what more do you want from me? Have I not served? I have served, but that is the attitude.

We must never think that our actions are done in secret; we must always feel that everything is transparent in the spiritual world. No matter how reasonable your thoughts and ideas seem, they are useless. Did you think that by bringing Uriah back to sleep with his wife, no one would know? That the child born would have no relation to you? Of course, there is a relation; the child will look more and more like you! That can lead to death, so never think you are clever, thinking you can cover things up.

Be Vigilant of the Devil's Chain of Schemes

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. (2 Samuel 11:2-4)

The devil's chain of schemes is very powerful. The first scheme is to let your eyes see a woman bathing. That woman is beautiful, like a beauty from an oil painting. As a result, David took one look, and after seeing her, he began to inquire about whose daughter she was. After inquiring, he found out she was the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah. David thought: Oh no! She is already married. What should I do? His mind was filled with wild thoughts. David was the king of Israel and had authority, so he ordered someone to bring her to him. Initially, what his eyes saw was just a small sin, but when he had relations with her, he committed a medium sin.

After David committed a medium sin, he thought that was the end of it. As a result, Bathsheba became pregnant. Isn't that a coincidence? Some people want to get pregnant, pray to every deity, but still cannot conceive, while they become pregnant at once. What to do? David said: It's okay, I will give Uriah a vacation and let him go home.

But this Uriah said: The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? So he stayed at the entrance of the palace. David then wrote a letter and had Uriah carry it to Joab, instructing him to have Uriah killed in battle. Being killed in battle is easy, but the sin of shedding blood had a direct connection with David. Therefore, be vigilant of the devil's chain of schemes.

Once a person is under a curse, do not think that the curse will be okay. How many Christians commit sin and repent, repent and then sin again, repent and then continue to sin. People need to know that there is a price to pay for sin, but many Christians do not know this. A non-Christian said: You Christians are the worst, and your God is also the worst. I said: How so? He said: You Christians commit sin and then repent, and after repenting everything is fine; after everything is fine, you sin again, and after repenting everything is fine again. He only knows that the blood of Jesus can cleanse our sins, but forgets that there is a price to pay for sin. I explained this to the non-Christian, and after explaining, he was happy! There is also a price to pay for Christians who sin.

I let him slowly observe for himself. If Christians do not please God all day long, will God not discipline them? If they are not disciplined, will they not pay a price? They will also pay a price! Because whoever sins must pay the price, and David is no exception. In the Old Testament, Moses, when leading the Israelites, found those people annoying. God told Moses to strike the rock slightly, and water would come out, but Moses lost his temper and struck the rock hard. Why did Moses' temper flare up all of a sudden? Because he discerned good and evil! As a result, because of this small matter, God did not allow him to enter the Promised Land.

So this matter is the devil's chain of schemes. Why did Uriah not go home? Do you think he was loyal? Maybe he was loyal. But at this time, what was in his mind was beyond imagination, because people's thoughts and ideas are often controlled by things in the spiritual realm. Uriah and Bathsheba were just a farce that caused David to sin, offend God, and do things that did not please God.

There are two kinds of people in this world: one that does what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and one that does what is evil in the eyes of the Lord. One that pleases God, and one that provokes God's anger. It all depends on what is in a person's mind. If what is in a person's mind is caught in the devil's trap and schemes from the beginning, that is devastating! If you live your life like this, you will end up with the devil. So everyone should do things that please God; do not do things that God does not like, because things that God does not like often carry the devil's trap. Actually, this matter has had a deep impact on me. I must always be vigilant and do things that please God, because I can easily forget what God does not like; forget that we can live such a life now, all thanks to God's grace.

Pay Attention to Things That Displease God

When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. (2 Samuel 11:26-27)

If David had thought from the beginning: The most important thing is that this matter displeases God; what I like is not important, and I should not inquire about it. As a result, David brought Bathsheba into his palace. David forgot that God did not like this matter, and after doing it, things turned out worse because Bathsheba became pregnant. This series of events all stemmed from one thing: David forgot that God did not like this matter.

If Uriah did not go home and Bathsheba became pregnant, it would have been better to let the matter be exposed sooner. He should have directly told Uriah: I am really sorry, your wife is pregnant because of me. Quickly go home. This matter is only known to the two of us. I can promote you and make you rich, but what I did that day was foolish. Yesterday, I really wanted to write a letter and have you sent to the front line to be killed by the enemy. But David could not say it, and as a result, it became more and more troublesome, and he even forgot that God did not like this matter.

What would Uriah say if he knew? I am fighting for you on the front lines, and you are sleeping with my wife behind my back. You are too unfair to me! If David could have decisively said to Uriah at this time: I have already done it. What is the use of saying sorry? From now on, I will make it up to you. If you want to beat me up, just beat me up. Anyway, I was wrong! It would have been so much better if David had handled it this way! We must know that the sin of shedding blood is not a joke; it is a very deep curse. So if people forget things that displease God, it will be troublesome! Since you have already done it, you should say: Uriah, just show your loyalty one more time, and your wife's matter will become a small matter, right?

Of course, I am just talking nonsense. The key is not to do things that increasingly displease God. If you do things that increasingly displease God, it will be troublesome. David encountered many things after doing this, and the sword never left his house. Although he killed Uriah, David still cut his losses in time, woke up immediately, and could repent in time. As a result, he was still a David who pleased God! Therefore, when you are winning, be vigilant. Paying attention to things that displease God is key.

I believe that God will make our brothers and sisters increasingly wealthy day by day, but if you become wealthy, will you really pay attention to things that please God? This is the question I leave for everyone to ponder. Do not wait until you are wealthy and let wealth become your burden; do not wait until you have won and let victory become your burden. May God bless everyone!