David's Colossal Failure

Discussion Questions:

1. What is sin? How would you define it? What is the difference between being tempted and sinning? 

2. As a group, come up with a general list of the consequences of sinning. How does sin affect you personally? How does sin affect others in your life? How does sin affect your walk with God? 

3. Knowing that sin affects you, your walk with God, and other people, discuss why we still choose sin in our lives. What draws us toward sinning even though we know it has negative effects in so many areas of our lives?

4. Read 2 Samuel 11:1-13 together. 

-How did David’s idleness affect his decision making and make him vulnerable to temptation? 

-From the first 13 verses, what are the three things that tempted David? 

-From the passage, who was affected by David’s sin both directly and indirectly? 

-Discuss how laziness in your own life makes you vulnerable to temptation and bad decision making.

-Share some ways you’ve seen your own sin affect you, your walk with God, and your relationships with other people.

5. Look again at verses 6-13. 

-How did David attempt to cover up his sin? 

-From the passage, what do you see about Uriah and the way he handles the situation although he knows nothing about the sin that had been committed. From the passage, what can we learn from Uriah? 

-Why is it our tendency to cover up our sin, avoid it, or blame other people for it? 

6. Read 2 Samuel 11:14-27.

-How did David try to cover up his sin after his first failed attempt?

-Discuss how the progression of trying to hide and cover up sin leads to more sin. How have you seen this true in your own life? 

-Read James 1:13-15 together. How does this passage relate closely to what we are reading about David?

-Look again at 2 Samuel 11:25-27. What do these verses reveal about David spiritually in this moment? 

-Read Psalm 41:4. How should we approach God with sin in our life? Share with each other how you approach God personally when you fall to sin.

7. Read 2 Samuel 12:1-15. 

- Retell this passage using your own words. What did Nathan tell David to reveal the evil of sin against another individual?

-How did David disassociate from the fact that this story was an image of what he had just done?

- Talk about why we often notice the sin in others much easier than we can notice the sin in our own lives.

-Look again at 2 Samuel 12:13-14. What do these verses reveal about how David is doing spiritually in this moment? How does this differ from what we read in 2 Samuel 11:25-27?

8. How does what we read in these passages tonight apply directly to our lives personally? 

9. How does David's story remind us of the importance of confessing our sin and seeking forgiveness? 

10. How does this passage affect how we treat others? 

11. End the night by having everyone close their eyes and then have 1 person read Psalm 51 out loud. During a dark season in David’s life he penned these words, tonight in this moment of silence and solitude, allow these words to serve as a reminder of God’s goodness and reflect on all we’ve discussed tonight. End by praying together.