2 SAMUEL 12

12.1 And the Lord sent Nathan unto David.

·      Between 11:27 and 12:1, it is estimated that approximately 1 year has gone by since David sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Urijah. For nearly a year, David kept his sin hidden within his heart.  There is no record of him telling anyone about.  Some of the servants knew.  Worst of all David knew and he knew that God knew!

·      Psalm 32 & 51 are written about this period of time in the life of David. Even though he was the most powerful man in the kingdom, the months following David’s sin with Bathsheba were not a carefree time of love, happiness and peace.  No, those days were days of suffering for David. The guilt must have been unbearable.

·      Guilt in the conscience is the God given “check engine” light of the soul. When that light goes on, you can either ignore it (to your own demise), or you can heed it, and receive the forgiveness of God.

·      The Lord, through Nathan, becomes actively and directly involved in confronting David about his sin in this very well known parable…..

·      How do you hear Nathan speaking to David? What picture do you have in your mind when you read this account? I am more inclined to think now that Nathan may have said those words with tears coursing down his cheeks. I think his heart was broken over having to confront his friend.

·      It is inevitable that in our walks with Jesus, there will be times that people will (including yourself) need to be confronted because of some unrepentant sin. It is never easy, never. But when we must confront, we must do it in a spirit of love and with a broken heart; realizing that were it not for the grace of God it could be you who was being confronted, Gal. 6:1-2

And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich (David), and the other poor (Urijah).

12.2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: 12.3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb (Bathsheba), which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

12.4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared (refused) to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress (prepare) for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

·      The sin Nathan describes is theft. There is a sense in which David stole something from Uriah. Adultery and sexual immorality are theft - taking something that does not belong to us.

12.5 And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die (deserves to die):

·      David’s evaluation of the sin that he was guilty of was far worse when someone else committed them. A sure sign of our depravity lies in the fact that we really do not believe how self righteous and wicked we are apart from Christ.

12.6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

·      John MacArthur writes: “According to Ex. 22:1, the penalty for stealing and slaughtering an ox or a sheep was not death, but restitution. However, in the parable, the stealing and slaughtering of the lamb represented the adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah by David. According to the Mosaic law, both adultery (Lev. 20:10) and murder (Lev. 24:17) required punishment by death. In pronouncing this judgment on the rich man in the story, David unwittingly condemned himself to death”.”

·      Bob Caldwell: David of course is acting as a hypocrite, pretending to care about honoring God's Law after he had taken Bathsheba by way of adultery and murder.

·      Exodus 22:1 demanded that a fourfold restitution for the stealing of sheep be given. Ironically, as we will see in a moment, David is going to end up paying a fourfold penalty for what he had done. He would lose the baby he conceived with Bathsheba, as well as his sons Absalom, Amnon, and Abijah.

·      As important and necessary it is for us to read, meditate and study God’s Word daily. Let us never forget that the purpose of reading, study and meditation is that we be doers of the Word. David's sin and hardness of heart did not diminish his knowledge of the Bible. He immediately knew what the Bible said about those who steal sheep. He knew the words, but His sin had distanced Him from His God.

12.7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.

·      When confronted with sin, the typical response of kings would be "Off with their head," like when John the Baptist rebuked Herod. David shows that God was working on his heart all along, and Nathan's confrontation was just the last piece of that work.

Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

12.8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom (into your keeping), and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things (I would have given you much more).

·      God in His providence had given David, as king, everything that was Saul’s. There is no evidence that he ever married any of Saul’s wives, though the harem of eastern kings passed to their successors.

·      God tells David that his sin began with the sin of ingratitude and discontent with the blessings God had bestowed upon him. Being unthankful is the same sin that is mentioned in Romans 1 as the beginning of reprobate thinking and living. 

12.9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

12.10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised Me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

·      The house of David would be continually plagued by violence. These words anticipated the violent deaths of Amnon (13:28–29), Absalom (18:14–15), and Adonijah (1 Kings 2:24–25).

·      Beloved, whenever we despise any of God’s commandments, we are essentially despising Him, and we cannot have fellowship with Him and despise Him at the same time.

12.11 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil (adversity) against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he (Absalom) shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

·      This is a prophecy of the evil that would take place in his own family. Amnon’s would rape his sister Tamar (13:1–14). In revenge, Absalom would murder Amnon (13:28–29). Lastly, Absalom, would lead a rebellion against his father against David (15:1–12).

·      He shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. This prediction was fulfilled by Absalom’s public appropriation of David’s royal concubines during his rebellion (16:21–22).

·      "Absalom abused his father's concubines on the house-top: and haply on that same terrace from whence he first looked, liked, and lusted after Bath-sheba." (John Trapp)

·      No one sins in a vacuum.  You might think that what you do affects no one but yourself.  You are dead wrong!  When you sin, your sin and the ripples it causes touch everyone around you.  When you sin it touches your family, your church, your work, your school, your community, your friends, everything!  God will forgive the sin when it is repented of and confessed, but that which was started in motion will play itself out in your life and in the lives of those touched by it.  Pastor Alan Carr

12.12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

12.13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

·      Note that The Lord has forgiven David of his sin, but The Lord did not cover up his sin.

·      I have sinned. It wasn't a mistake, an error, a mess-up, an indiscretion, or a problem.David had to admit and condemn his own sin before he could find forgiveness.

·      I have sinned against The Lord-His sin against Bathsheba, against Uriah, against Ahithophel, against his wives and children, and against the nation were great. But his sin against the Lord was greatest of all. There are no small sins against a great God, and great sins are even greater. David Guzik

·      His words were few, but they were sincere and from the heart. Psalm 51 records David’s words of repentance after being confronted by Nathan over his sin with Bathsheba.

·      The Lord has put away your sin-That phrase means “to take away, to pass over.”  God took David’s sins and took them away from him.  As far as David and God were concerned they were gone forever.

·      You shall not die- As soon as David confesses He is told that his sins have been forgiven and that he will not be put to death as the Law demanded, Lev. 20:10.  Instead of justice, David has received mercy and grace.  He has been forgiven and he has been pardoned! The time of alienation from God is over!  He is restored! Here is what David said happened when he dealt with his sins, Psalm 32:1-5.

12.14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

·      One of the many unfortunate consequences of the sins of God's people is that those that oppose God and the gospel of Jesus Christ are emboldened look on and feel that they have reason to mock Him because of their sinful or hypocritical behavior. See Romans 2:24.

12.15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.

·      The Lord Himself struck the child with a severe illness. The child wasn’t the sin, but in this instance, the consequence of the sin was the illness and ultimately the  death of this child.

12.16 David therefore besought (pleaded with) God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth (ground).

12.17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.

12.18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared (were afraid) to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself (do harm to himself), if we tell him that the child is dead?

12.19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

·      The outcome of this situation shows that extraordinary prayer and fasting does not change God's mind. Prayer and fasting are not tools to be perceived as tools to get whatever we want from God. Prayer and fasting are meant to align our hearts in order that we might accept His will and purposes, which we will see in the next verse David did.

12.20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required (requested), they set bread before him, and he did eat.

·      He worshipped-This was a tremendous act of faith and trust in the Lord's grace. At the same time, it was an act of acceptance of God's judgment.

·      Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither; the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. Job 1.20-22

12.21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.

12.22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?

12.23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

·      David would someday join his son after his own death (cf. 1 Sam. 28:19). Here is the confidence that there is a future reunion after death.

·      1 Corinthians 7:14 is an additional promise of assurance that the children of believers are saved, at least until they come to an age of personal accountability.

12.24And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him.

·      He went in to lay with her- This shows that God did not command that David forsake or leave Bathsheba, even though his marriage to her was originally sinful. He was to honor God in the marriage commitment he made, even though it began in sin.

·      Solomon means peace. Remarkably it is this son - the son born out of a marriage that began in adultery - that will be heir to David's throne. Oh the depth of the grace and forgiveness of God.

·      As you look into the genealogies recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke 3, we learn that Jesus was born of the line that came from David and Bathsheba. No one should ever feel that his or her background disqualifies him or her for useful service for God.

12.25 And he sent (sent word) by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah (beloved of The Lord), because of the Lord.

·      Jedediah or Solomon was loved of The Lord in the sense of being chosen by the Lord to be the successor to David’s throne.

12.26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.

12.27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters (taken the cities water supplies).

12.28 Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.

12.29 And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.

12.30 And he took their king's crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold (approx. 75 lbs) with the precious stones: and it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.

12.31 And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.

·      This tragic episode of adultery and murder began with David pampering himself at home, but it ends with him taking his rightful place on the battlefield and leading the nation to an important victory.

·      It is encouraging to see how God was willing to use David again in spite of his sins and the consequences of them. Because David had confessed and repented of his sins; God had forgiven him; now he could fight for the Lord again.

A practical application regarding sin and genuine repentance

David’s confession is an example for each of us. He placed the blame squarely on his own shoulders. He did not minimize his offence. David realized that he especially sinned against God. In the original Hebrew, David’s statement I have sinned against the Lord amounts to only two words: hata al-Yahweh.

"The words are very few, but that is a good sign of a thoroughly broken spirit. There is no excuse, no hiding, no concealment of the sin. There is no searching for a loophole, no pretext put forward, no human weakness pleaded. He acknowledged his guilt openly, candidly and without any denial of truth." (Keil and Delitzsch)

·      Proverbs 28.13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

·      Daniel 9.9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness’s, though we have rebelled against Him.

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. This is a exhortation to be alert and watchful. Every single person here tonight has the capacity to be David or Bathsheba. Satan is no respecter of persons. If there is anything that I want each and every one of us to take into our hearts from this study tonight it is this; sin is horrible. Sin destroys everything and everyone it touches. Sin has destroyed families, ministries, and countries. What we need to know is that when we commit sin, we are starting a process that may continue for years and that may touch many people before it ends.  Is that really a chance you want to take?

There may come a time when you will hear God say to you, “Thou Art The Man!” That time may be today! If there are issues in your life that need to be dealt with today, now is the time to bring them to Him.  Do not allow another second of guilt and condemnation weigh you down beloved.

And that brings me to my closing point. By God’s grace, through the shed blood of The Lord Jesus Christ, there is the power to forgive all and any sin. Thank God for His incredible mercy and grace in the blood of Jesus that restores, heals, cleanses and wipes the slate of sin clean!!  If you have never trusted Jesus as you Savior, you are in the greatest trouble of all.  Come to Jesus now and be saved.  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Christ died for the ungodly. Trust Him tonight and be made whole….

·      Psalm 86.5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee

I think of the woman with a horrible past who came to Jesus in tears of adoration, to whom Jesus said, And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgives sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. Luke 7.48-50