One of the saddest, most tragic events recorded in scripture is the death of Uriah the Hittite due to David’s attempt to cover his own sin.  The account is given in 2nd Samuel chapter eleven. Below are seven observations about Uriah based on Samuel’s account.  I believe every member of God’s kingdom would do well to emulate him.

 

1. Though he was a foreigner and a stranger, Uriah associated himself with the people of God.  Uriah was a Hittite, a people once enemies of Israel.  Why he left the heathen pagan ways of his own people to align himself with Israel, we do not know.  But we know that he did.  In the same way, those who would follow Christ, must first leave the world to do so, 2nd Corinthians 6;17. 

 

2. Uriah used his abilities for God’s kingdom.  He was a soldier, and a valiant soldier at that.  He was even included in the list of David’s mighty men, 2nd Samuel 23:39.  Jesus teaches us to ‘let our lights shine’ with good works so that God will be glorified in us, Matthew 5:16.  In fact, we are created in Christ Jesus specifically for good works, Ephesians 2:10.

 

3. Uriah was not ruled by his flesh.  He had a beautiful wife, but when called back to Jerusalem did not go in to her out of respect for his fellow soldiers in the field.  Christians are taught to walk according to the Spirit of God so that they will not fulfill the desires of the flesh, Galatians 5:13-26.

 

4. Uriah honored God in his behavior.  Another reason he would not enjoy the pleasures of his home was because the ark of God was in the field as well as his fellow soldiers.  A Christian is not to adjust his behavior simply to satisfy a religious teaching, but rather because we are to do everything with a mind towards God, Colossians 3:17.

 

5. Uriah was faithfully committed to his fellow soldiers.  The fact that he took no advantage over them, even though encouraged by the king to do so, shows amazing solidarity with those who were with him in the trenches.  Jesus said that the unity of the church would be the means by which the world would know that he was the son of God, John 17:23.

 

6. Uriah resisted strong temptation.  Even though the king himself made Uriah drunk (2nd Samuel 11:13), Uriah stuck to his conviction of what was right.  Jesus, having been tempted, is able to come to our aid when we suffer the same, Hebrews 2:14-18. 

 

7. Even though ‘poor’ (2nd Samuel 12:1-6) Uriah left a legacy of honorable, faithful service without any known cause for blame.  God still offers a way of life that completely fulfills without any dependency on the temporal, material things of this world, 2nd Corinthians 4:16-18.