Reflections on 2 Samuel 12

2 Samuel 12 (Contemporary English Version)

1. and he sent Nathan the prophet to tell this story to David: A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town.
   
2. The rich man owned a lot of sheep and cattle,
   
3. but the poor man had only one little lamb that he had bought and raised. The lamb became a pet for him and his children. He even let it eat from his plate and drink from his cup and sleep on his lap. The lamb was like one of his own children.
   
4. One day someone came to visit the rich man, but the rich man didn't want to kill any of his own sheep or cattle and serve it to the visitor. So he stole the poor man's little lamb and served it instead.
   
5. David was furious with the rich man and said to Nathan, "I swear by the living LORD that the man who did this deserves to die!
   
6. And because he didn't have any pity on the poor man, he will have to pay four times what the lamb was worth."
   
7. Then Nathan told David: You are that rich man! Now listen to what the LORD God of Israel says to you: "I chose you to be the king of Israel. I kept you safe from Saul
   
8. and even gave you his house and his wives. I let you rule Israel and Judah, and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much more.
   
9. Why did you disobey me and do such a horrible thing? You murdered Uriah the Hittite by having the Ammonites kill him, so you could take his wife.
   
10. "Because you wouldn't obey me and took Uriah's wife for yourself, your family will never live in peace.
    
11. Someone from your own family will cause you a lot of trouble, and I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes. He will go to bed with them while everyone looks on.
    
12. What you did was in secret, but I will do this in the open for everyone in Israel to see."
    
13. David said, "I have disobeyed the LORD." "Yes, you have!" Nathan answered. "You showed you didn't care what the LORD wanted. He has forgiven you, and you won't die. But your newborn son will."
    
14. (SEE 12:13)
    
15. Then Nathan went back home. The LORD made David's young son very sick.
    
16. So David went without eating to show his sorrow, and he begged God to make the boy well. David would not sleep on his bed, but spent each night lying on the floor.
    
17. His officials stood beside him and tried to talk him into getting up. But he would not get up or eat with them.
    
18. After the child had been sick for seven days, he died, but the officials were afraid to tell David. They said to each other, "Even when the boy was alive, David wouldn't listen to us. How can we tell him his son is dead? He might do something terrible!"
    
19. David noticed his servants whispering, and he knew the boy was dead. "Did my son die?" he asked his servants. "Yes, he did," they answered.
    
20. David got up off the floor, he took a bath, combed his hair, and dressed. He went into the LORD's tent and worshiped, then he went back home. David asked for something to eat, and when his servants brought him some food, he ate it.
    
21. His officials said, "What are you doing? You went without eating and cried for your son while he was alive! But now that he's dead, you're up and eating."
    
22. David answered: While he was still alive, I went without food and cried because there was still hope. I said to myself, "Who knows? Maybe the LORD will have pity on me and let the child live."
    
23. But now that he's dead, why should I go without eating? I can't bring him back! Someday I will join him in death, but he can't return to me.
    
24. David comforted his wife Bathsheba and slept with her. Later on, she gave birth to another son and named him Solomon. The LORD loved Solomon
    
25. and sent Nathan the prophet to tell David, "The LORD will call him Jedidiah."
    
26. Meanwhile, Joab had been in the country of Ammon, attacking the city of Rabbah. He captured the royal fortress
    
27. and sent a messenger to tell David: I have attacked Rabbah and captured the fortress guarding the city water supply.
    
28. Call the rest of the army together. Then surround the city, and capture it yourself. If you don't, everyone will remember that I captured the city.
    
29. David called the rest of the army together and attacked Rabbah. He captured the city
    
30. and took the crown from the statue of their god Milcom. The crown was made of seventy-five pounds of gold, and there was a valuable jewel on it. David put the jewel on his own crown. He also carried off everything else of value.
    
31. David made the people of Rabbah tear down the city walls with iron picks and axes, and then he put them to work making bricks. He did the same thing with all the other Ammonite cities. David went back to Jerusalem, and the people of Israel returned to their homes.
    

    ---

    Months had passed since David had the affair with Bathsheba, killed her husband, and made her his wife. The baby with which she had become pregnant from their affair had by this time been born. Publicly it may have appeared that David had merely taken another wife. David, being of the character he was, likely suffered from a guilty conscience during this time, but he may also have thought nothing more was to become of it. If so, he was wrong.
    
    After the child was born, the prophet Nathan paid him a visit and told him of a rich man who had stolen a lamb from a poor man who had nothing else. David was indignant at this proclaiming that the rich man deserved to die and the poor man repaid four-fold. To this, Nathan replied, "You are the man!" David immediately repented, confessing, "I have sinned against the LORD." (12:13) He had wronged Uriah by taking his life, but his sin was against God whose creation he had destroyed. Once David had repented Nathan told him that "The LORD has taken away your sin; you will not die." (12:13) But there were consequences from his sin that he would not avoid.
    
    David's consequences were related to his sin. He had taken another man's wife and so his wives would be taken from him. He had sinned in private but his wives would be taken in public. David's pronouncement against the rich man in Nathan's story declared four-fold restitution. This was a part of David's consequences. He took a wife and lost multiple wives. He would also loose four sons, the baby born of Bathsheba, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah.
    
    Soon after Nathan's visit to David the son born to Bathsheba fell ill and died within a week. During the week-long illness, David fasted and mourned and pleaded with God for the boy's life. However, when the child died he washed and ate and worshipped the Lord. This seemed strange to his servants who expected that the mourning should have come after the child died. But David explained that, "While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.'" (12:22) Furthermore, he said, "now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again?" (12:23) David faith in God's mercy never wavered. Even though he had sinned and though he knew a consequence of his sin was the loss of this child, nevertheless, he prayed for the child's life thinking the Lord might show mercy.
    
    With the sin addressed life moved forward and God blessed. David and Bathsheba had another son, Solomon, who would be a great blessing to them, and David had victory over his enemies, the Ammonites.