“Why does the Bible say David did what was right?”

January 2023 – Grace & Truth Magazine

QUESTION: Why does the Bible say in 1 Kings 15:5 that “David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite” (KJV), when he committed other sins which I think are worse than that?

ANSWER: We should always remember that the Bible is God’s holy Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Remember too that God, being God, does not owe us any explanation for what He says or does. We know that all He says or does is absolutely right. He needs no correction or criticism from human beings – His creatures. In grace God often plainly states why He is doing what He does or is about to do, especially when it is a matter of sin and the resulting judgment. In fact, through the prophet Amos He has told us, “Surely the Lord G OD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (3:7 NKJV ).

It is well to read very carefully what He says in His Word. When using an older translation, sometimes it is helpful to check a reputable contemporary translation, for the meanings of words sometimes change in the course of the years. A good example of this is the word “prevent” in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 in the King James Version. More than 400 years ago this word meant “to go before,” which is the meaning of its Latin root. Today “prevent” ordinarily means “to keep something from happening.”

First Kings 15:5 (NKJV) reads: “Because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.” This does not say that everything that David did was right or perfect before God. David had many wives and at least ten concubines. This is certainly not God’s ideal for marriage (see Gen. 2:24), but it was not specifically forbidden by God at that time, except for kings (Dt. 17:17).

The Lord Jesus, answering a question about divorce that was put to Him in Matthew 19:3, referred the Pharisees questioning Him to God’s plan from the beginning for marriage. When asked why the law given by Moses permitted divorce, He declared that for the hardness of men’s hearts God gave the law about divorce. In Old Testament times God bore with man’s marring what He wanted marriage to typify so beautifully as well. God’s intention for marriage is that it picture the lovely relationship between the Lord Jesus and the Church (or more correctly, the Assembly) for which He gave His life at Calvary (see Eph. 5:22-33).

“The matter of Uriah the Hittite” was a most serious violation of the law God had given Israel. In 2 Samuel 11 David had seen Uriah’s wife Bathsheba, a beautiful woman, bathing and had sent for her and taken her for himself – a clear violation of the commandments, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” and “You shall not commit adultery” (Ex. 20:17,14). Subsequently, when Bathsheba became pregnant and David did not succeed in his attempt to cover up his sin, he arranged to have Uriah, one of his mighty men (2 Sam. 23:39), killed in battle against the Ammonites, thus also violating the commandment, “You shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13).

God’s Word presents sin in all its ugliness. This sin of David’s was also a transgression of God’s law. Faced with his sin, David confessed it, and God forgave him. God forgave his guilt; God will also forgive our sins when we confess them to Him (1 Jn. 1:9).

Governmental consequences of David’s sin, however, stretched out for years. The punishment God had pronounced, when Nathan confronted him at God’s direction, was visited upon David in the years that followed. So, we too must often reap the consequences of our sins. Psalms 32 and 51, both of them written by David, are directly associated with this episode in his life.

Yes, David committed other sins too, serious sins. This one he attempted to cover up; other sins we find him confessing. God termed David a man after His own heart no doubt because he confessed his sins and sought to live according to God’s commandments.

May the Lord help us to learn lessons from David’s experiences.

Answered by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.