ETHICS 101

Ethics cannot be categorized in our lives. People try to use one set of ethics for their professional life, another for their spiritual life and still another at home with their family. This gets them into trouble. Ethics is ethics. If we desire to be ethical, we live by one standard across the board. In other words, there is no such thing as business ethics. This is the heart of Ethics 101.

When leaders find a standard of values to govern their lives, they can be ethical wherever they go. I believe the Scriptures teach that one standard is “The Golden Rule.” This rule is simple: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. (Matthew 7:12). When personal convenience or getting results or winning or rationalizing our decisions or revenge is more important to us than doing what is right, we will act unethically when the going gets tough. This is what happened to one of the greatest leaders in Scripture: King David. He and one of his soldiers, a man named concerning ethics.

Uriah: A Man of Influence Who Possessed Ethics

King David failed as a leader in 2 Samuel 11. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, his most famous sin. The story has been circulated worldwide in history, and even movies have been made about it. It was the worst of times for David.

There is a man, however, who emerged during this episode whose ethics shone brightly and clearly, in stark contrast to David’s. It was Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba. After David slept with Uriah’s wife and she became pregnant, the king sent for Uriah to return home for a few days. David’s hope was that Uriah would spend some time with his wife, and later believe that it was his child in her womb. David planned to deceive his way out of trouble by simply getting Uriah to enjoy a day or two at home.

But alas, that was easier said than done. Uriah proved to be a better man than David on this day. He refused to spend time with his wife. His conscience wouldn’t let him. His ethics were too clear and strong for him to do such a thing.

We learn from both Uriah and David about situational ethics:

1. Uriah’s ethics compelled him to submit to Joab, his authority and commanding officer, even when he didn’t understand his orders (11:6, 7).

2. Uriah’s ethics caused him to sleep with the king’s servants instead of in his own home, choosing humility instead of exercising his personal rights (11:8, 9).

3. Uriah’s ethics prevented him from enjoying the pleasures of intimacy with his wife when his fellow soldiers were sacrificing their lives on the battlefield (11:10, 11).

4. Uriah’s ethics were motivated by his faith in God and his sense of justice. He could not rest while the ark of God’s covenant remained in temporary shelters (11:11).

5. Uriah’s ethics enabled him to obey the king without questioning the situation (11:12).

6. Uriah’s ethics remained even when he was drunk, as he remained with the servants instead of returning home. A drunk Uriah was a better man than a sober David (11:13).

7. Uriah’s ethics kept him from reading or altering the letter he carried back to his commander, a letter that contained his own death sentence (11:14,15)