2 Samuel 12:1-25

2 Samuel 12:1-25

After David’s moral downfall, God sought out Nathan the prophet and sent a message to David through him. Nathan told David a story about a rich man who took a sheep from a poor man. The rich man, who had probably four times more (or maybe more) than the poor man, was expecting a visitor. To welcome the visitor, the rich man decided to prepare a sheep for him, but rather taking one of his own, he took the poor man’s only sheep. When Nathan had finished, David saw the problem in the situation and immediately ordered that this man be punished and the poor man be repaid for all that he had lost in this deal. That is when Nathan pointed out to David that the story had been about him. He was the man who had taken the only sheep, Bathsheba, from Uriah.


As a result, God was upset with what David had done. After all that God had given David, protection from Saul, great riches, and the kingdom of Israel, God was upset that David had turned from Him. As punishment for his sin, God declared that David would find turmoil within his own family in the future. He would lose wives to other men, his own family would rise up against him and there would be great fights within them, and he would lose the child that Bathsheba was carrying. Immediately, David realized what he had done, and he was truly sorry for his sin. It is easy to harp on David in 2 Samuel 11, but to see the turnaround in 2 Samuel 12 shows what kind of a man he was. He did not deny the fact that he had sinned. He did not try to cover it up any longer. He took responsibility for what he had done, and although he asked that God reconsider the punishment so that his child would not die, David understood why God was taking that child from him. David repented of his sins and found forgiveness from God, and David was restored. So while this is really is a tragic story in the life of David, he shows us the right response to our sin. We must accept it, repent of it, receive forgiveness, and move on. Ultimately, it should lead us back to God so that we might grow closer to Him.

David was upset that his child was destined to die, and although he held out hope that God might change His mind, he knew that the child’s death was inevitable. When the child eventually died, David moved on with his life. Instead of entering into a state of mourning and grief, he began anew and allowed the situation to draw him closer to God. We all have or all will go through situations such as this, and it is easy at those times to question God. Why does He allow pain and suffering? For David, it was a result of his sin, but that is not always the case. But instead of blaming God for the pain that we experience, we should turn to God for help. He will comfort us. He will be with us through those tough times, and we should allow those situations to deepen our faith and trust in Him. As for David, in the end, God blessed him again, and gave him another son through Bathsheba. That child was named Solomon.

Matt