Punishment for David

2 Samuel Chapter 12

The Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David a story: " There were two men in a certain town. One was rich and one was poor. The rich man owned many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but a little lamb he had worked hard to buy. He raised that little lamb and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man's own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing a lamb from his own flock, the rich man took the poor man's lamb and killed it and served it to his guest."

David was furious." Any man who would do such a thing deserves to die. He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity." said David.

Nathan said, "You are that man! The Lord, God of Israel says, 'I anointed you king and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you his house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah and stolen his wife. From this time on, the sword will be a constant threat to your family, because you have despised me by taking Uriah's wife to be your own. Because of what you have done, I, the Lord, will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man, and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will do this to you openly, in the sight of all Israel.'"

Then David confessed to Nathan his sins against the Lord and Nathan replied that the Lord forgave him, but David had given the enemies of Israel a great opportunity to despise and blaspheme David, so the child of David and Bathsheba would die. And Bathsheba's baby grew deadly ill. David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the ground and refused to get up and eat. On the seventh day, the baby died and David's advisers were afraid to tell him. But David saw them whispering and realized what had happened.

When he was told the child was dead, David got up and washed himself and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. Then he returned to the palace and ate. His advisors questioned him why he wept and refused to eat and now that the baby was dead, he stopped mourning and ate again. And David replied that he fasted and wept in hopes the Lord would be gracious and let the child live. But he would not fast when he was dead because it would not bring him back. David comforted Bathsheba and slept with her and she became pregnant again and gave birth to a son and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child and sent word through Nathan, that his name should be Jedidiah which means "beloved of the Lord".

Meanwhile Joab and the Israelite army were successfully ending their seige of Rabbah, capital of Ammon. He sent word to David that they had captured the water supply and wanted David to bring the rest of the army to finish the job and give David credit for the victory. So David led his army to Rabbah and captured it and removed the crown from the king's head and placed it on his own. It was seventy-five pounds of gold and gems. David plundered the city, made slaves of the people in the city, then he and his army returned to Jerusalem.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: It took great courage for Nathan to speak to a king about his sins and in a way that let David know of his wrong actions. It was a year later and by then David did not even know he was the villain in the story told by Nathan. He had become insensitive over time.
During this time, David wrote Psalm 51, giving insight into his character and offering hope for us as well.
David repented, but his child would die as God's judgment. This was the consequence of David's sin. God could have had both David and Bathsheba die, but he let them live because David still had work to do. And David did not dwell on the death of his son, but returned to God and began life anew.
Solomon was actually the fourth son of David and Bathsheba (1 Chronicles 3:5), so several years had passed betweeen the death of the first child and Solomon's birth.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? Just like David suffered, we must suffer consequences for our wrong actions. God forgives us and restores our relationship with him, if we confess and repent. But he doesn't eliminate the consequences of our wrong doing. We can't apologize to God and think that's it. We must remember there are always consequences that come with the forgiveness.

Think about David's child dying. Perhaps having the child die was the worst punishment for David. Because God did not punish the child's conception out of wedlock, instead God decided it was a judgment on David for his sins. If the child had lived, it may have dishonored God's name among Israel's pagan neighbors. What would they have thought of a God who rewarded murder and adultery by giving David an heir? A baby's death is tragic, but despising God brings death to an entire nation. The entrance into the world of Solomon, shows us God's grace and wonderful forgiveness. This birth will bring a fresh approach to life.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Gabe, Wanda, Janice Long’s parents, and Arlene’s nephew David. Update on Lori: she sheds her back brace soon and can drive. She thanks God for healing her. Please continue to pray for her during recovery. Pray for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life. Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has 90 percent of her speech back and is home from the hospital and having rehab for the paralysis on one side of her body. Continue to pray for her recovery.
Pray for Robert Sargent with lung cancer and Marthaline Sargent with serious health issues. Update on Stella: A photo of her shows a chubby, alert baby. But a lung problem has arisen and she faces surgery again. She continues to have a long road, so prayers are still needed. She has been moved to St. Louis to await her surgery.
Update on Mark: He has some paralysis on one side from the stroke, his eyesight has been impaired too. But he has gone home and his wife cares for him. Soon he will begin therapy. Continue to pray for his healing.
Pray also for my aged friend Elaine who underwent surgery and is home healing slowly.
Update on Craig: he ended up having a stent put in and is back to work. Keep him and his family on your list for prayers. Pray for Carolyn’s friend Margaret and her husband who were in a car accident. As elderly drivers they may face a life change which may cost them their independence. Let’s all raise our voices to God to hear our prayers.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, those who need jobs, those who are about to lose or have lost their homes. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.