12:1ffAsa prophet, Nathan was required to confront sin, even the sin of a king. It took great courage, skill, and tact to speak to David in a way that would make him aware of his wrong actions. When you have to confront someone with unpleasant news, pray for courage, skill, and tact. if you want that person to respond constructively, think through what you are going to say. How you present your message may be as important as what you say. Season your words with wisdom.
Life Application Study Bible2 SamuelChapter 12
2 Samuel 12
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 480, 481, 482
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122 Samuel 12
Nathan Rebukes David
1So the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. 2The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. 3The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. 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 an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.” 5David was furious. “As surely as the Lor» lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! 6He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.” 7Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. 8I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9Why, then, have you despised the word of the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. 10From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. 11“This is what the LORD says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. 12You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”
David Confesses His Guilt
1313Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the LORD has forgiven you, and you won't die for this sin. 14Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the LORD* by doing this, your child will die.” 15After Nathan returned to his home, the LORD sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife. 16David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. '”The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused. 18Then on the seventh day the child died. David’s advisers were afraid to tell him. “He wouldn't listen to reason while the child was ill,” they said. “What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?” 19When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. “Is the child dead?” he asked.. “Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.” 20Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions,* and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lor. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate. 2tHis advisers were amazed. “We don’t understand you,” they told him. "While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again.” 22David replied, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the LORD will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.” 24Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The LORD loved the child 25and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the LORD”), as the LORD had commanded.*
David Captures Rabbah
2626Meanwhile, Joab was fighting against Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, and he captured the royal fortifications.* 27Joab sent messengers to tell David, “I have fought against Rabbah and captured its water supply.* 28Now bring the rest of the army and capture the city. Otherwise, I will capture it and get credit for the victory.” 29So David gathered the rest of the army and went to Rabbah, and he fought against it and captured it. 30David removed the crown from the king’s head,* and it was placed on his own head. The crown was made of gold and set with gems, and it weighed seventy-five pounds.* David took a vast amount of plunder from the city. 31He also made slaves.of the people of Rabbah and forced them to labor with* saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and to work in the brick kilns.* That is how he dealt with the people of all the Ammonite towns. Then David and.all the army returned to Jerusalem. 2. Turmoil in David’s family
Textual footnotes
- for Gideon; see Judg 6:32.
- 12:14 As in Dead Sea Scroils; Masoretic Text reads the LORD’s enemies.
- 12:20 Hebrew anointed himself, 12:25 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads because of the Lonp.
- 12:21 Hebrew son of Jerub-besheth. Jerub-besheth is a variation on the name Jerub-baal, which is another name
- 12:26 Or the
- 12:27 Or captured the city of water.
- 12:30a Or from the head of Milcom (as in Greek version). Milcom,
- 12:30b Hebrew 7 talent [34 kilograms].
- 12:31a Or He also
- 12:31b Or and he made them pass through the brick kilns.
Life Application Notes 9 notes
12:5,6It was a year later, and by then David had become $0 insensitive to his own sins that he didn’t realize he was the villain in Nathan’s story. The qualities we condemn in others are often our own character flaws. Which friends, associates, or family members do you find easy to criticize and hard to accept? Instead of trying to change them, ask Gad to help you understand their feelings and see your own flaws more clearly. You may discover that in condemning others, you have been condemning yourself.
12:10-14The predictions in these verses came true. Because David murdered Uriah and stole his wife, (1) murder was a constant threat in his family (13:26-30; 18:14, 15; 1 Kings 2:23-25); (2) his household rebelled against him (15:13); (3) his wives were given to another in public view (16:20-23); (4) his first child by Bathsheba died (12:18). If David had known the painful consequences of his sin, he might not have pursued the pleasures of the moment.
12:14David confessed and repented of his sin (12:13), but God’s judgment was that his child would die. The consequences of David's sin were irreversible. Sometimes an apology isn’t enough.
12:14Why did this child have to die? This was not a judgment on the child for being conceived out of wedlock, but a judgment on David for his sin. David and Bathsheba deserved to die, but God spared their lives and took the child instead. God still had work for David to do in building the kingdom. The child’s death was a horrible punishment for David and Bathsheba to bear. It is also possible that had the child lived, God’s name would have been dishonored among Israel’s pagan neighbors. What would they have thought of a God who rewards murder and adultery by giving a king a new heir? A baby’s death is tragic, but despising God brings death to entire nations. While God readily forgave David's sin, he did not negate all its consequences.
12:20-24David did not continue to dwell on his sin. He returned to God, and God forgave him, opening the way to begin life anew. Even the name God gave Solomon, Jedidiah (“beloved of the LORD”; 12:25) was a reminder of God’s grace. When we return to God, accept his forgiveness, and change our ways, he gives us a fresh start. To feel forgiven as David did, admit your sins to God and turn to him. Then move ahead with a new and fresh approach to life.
12:22,23Perhaps the most bitter experience in life is the death of one’s child. For comfort in such difficult circumstances, see Psalms 16:9-11; 17:15; 139; Isaiah 40:11.
12:24Solomon was the fourth son of David and Bathsheba (1 Chronicles 3:5). Therefore, several years passed between the death of their first child and Solomon's birth. Bathsheba may still have been grieving over the child’s death.
12:43During this incident, David wrote Psalm 51, giving valuable insight into his character and offering hope for us as well. No Matter how miserable guilt makes you feel or how terribly you have sinned, you can pour out your heart to God and seek his forgive- Ness as David did. There is forgiveness for us when we sin. David also wrote Psalm 32 to express the joy he felt after he was forgiven.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Personality profile · page 481
Profile: Nathan
This prophet lived up to the meaning of his name, “He [God] has given.” He was a necessary and helpful gift from God to David. He served as God’s spokesman to David and proved himself a fearless friend and counselor, always willing to speak the truth, even when he knew great pain would result. In confronting David's multiple sin of coveting, theft, adultery, and murder in his affair with Bathsheba, Nathan was abie to heip David see his own wrongdoing by showing that he would not have tolerated such actions from anyone else. David's repentance allowed Nathan to comfort him with the reality of God’s forgiveness and at the same time remind him of the painful consequences his sin would bring. Nathan’s approach helps us judge our actions. How often do we make choices that we would condemn others for making? It is helpful to ask ourselves how God and others see our actions. Unfortunately, we have a huge capacity to lie to ourselves. God still provides two safeguards against self-deception: his Word and true friends. In each case, we get a view beyond ourselves. You are holding God’s Word. Let it speak to you about yourself, even if the truth is painful. If you don’t have a friend like Nathan, ask God for one. And ask God to use you as a suitable Nathan for someone else.
• A trusted adviser to David
• A prophet of God
• A fearless but careful confronter © One of God's controls in David's life
Strengths and accomplishments
• His eagerness to see David build a temple for God in Jerusalem made him speak without God’s instruction
Weakness and mistake
• We should not be afraid to tell the truth to those we care about
• A trustworthy companion is one of God’s greatest gifts © God cares enough to find a way to communicate to us when we are in the wrong
Lessons from his life
Vital statistics
• Occupations: Prophet, royal adviser
• Contemporaries: David, Bathsheba, Solomon, Zadok, Adonijah
“So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the LornD had said” (2 Samuel 7:17).
Key verse
Nathan’s story is told in 2 Samuel 7—1 Kings 1. He is also mentioned in 1 Chronicles 17:15; 2 Chronicles 9:29; 29:25.
When God forgives us and restores our relationship with him, he doesn’t eliminate all the consequences of our wrongdoing. We may be tempted to say, “If this is wrong, I can always apologize to God,” but we must remember that we may set into motion events with irreversible consequences.
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