Lesson 9 - 2 Sam. 11:26-12:15 - NATHAN REBUKES DAVID
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in 2 Sam. 11:1-15, we covered the sordid account of David's sin with Bathsheba, which ultimately led to the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite, who was innocent. Up to this point in the story of David, almost everything he did, with Gods help, resulted in good. But from this point, David's sin would prove to be costly, not only for himself but for his entire family. Things would never be the same again. We learned three broad principles of application from the lesson: (1) Success can make you susceptible to sin. Like David, when you make to the top, you're inclined to let your guard down. You make the mistake of believing in yourself, rather than trusting in the Lord. (2) A lack of accountability can lead to sin. David had become all-powerful in his kingship. None of the people under him would dare challenge or question his behavior. (3) There's a big difference between temptation and sin. It's normal for a man to be tempted when he sees an attractive woman who is seductively dressed or naked. If David had immediately sought the Lord and asked for His strength, he would not have sinned and the matter would have ended there. The underlying truth is when you're tempted by sin, flee from it.
This week, in 2 Sam. 11:26-12:15, we see the prophet Nathan go to David and tell him a parable about a rich man who owned huge flocks beyond number and a poor man who owned only one little ewe lamb that was precious to him, like a daughter. A traveler came to the rich man as a guest who, out of common hospitality, he was obliged to feed. But rather than take one of the many animals from his own flock to provide a meal, the rich man took the poor man's lamb, slaughtered it, and fed it to the traveler (vv. 1-4). When David heard this, he was infuriated and said the rich man "deserved to die" (v. 5). Then, Nathan informed David, "You are the man!" (v. 7a).
Read 2 Sam. 11:26-27a - BATHSHEBA BECAME DAVID'S WIFE
26 Now when Uriah's wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for her husband. 27a When the time of mourning was over, David sent servants and had her brought to his house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son.
v. 26: Now when Uriah's wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for her husband." - While the text doesn't reveal Bathsheba's emotional state, it is probable that her grief is genuine. Uriah was a great warrior, a man of honor and commendable integrity. Bathsheba was bound to have good memories of him, so her loss is quite real. We can also assume she observed all the Hebrew practices for mourning: weeping, wearing sackcloth and ashes, fasting, etc.
v. 27a: "When the time of mourning was over, David sent servants and had her brought to his house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son." -The minimum mourning period was seven days but often longer in actual practice (Gen. 50:10). David wasn't so shameless as to bring Bathsheba into his house immediately. We only know that he did this sometime after the mourning period. Yet, he needed to marry her sometime before the baby was born so it would be legitimate and recognized as his.
Read 2 Sam. 11:27b-12:4 - THE LORD SENT NATHAN TO DAVID
27b But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD. 12:1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, "There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 "The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 3 "But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, And was like a daughter to him. 4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."
v. 11:27b: "But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD." -Before this, David had urged Joab not to be displeased, i.e., that soldiers are often killed in battle, so what? (11:25). But it was the Lord's perspective, not Joab's, that is in issue here. David committed acts of adultery and premeditated murder. This has caused a rift in David's relationship with the Lord that wasn't there before. The sad thing is that we see no confession of sin or repentance from David at this stage. His sinful lust and violence has given him a hard heart. He has become spiritually blind.
v. 1a: "Then the LORD sent Nathan to David." -We last heard from Nathan in Chapter 7, when, as a prophet, the Lord told him to tell David that he was not to build a temple but promised to build David a house-a dynasty that would last forever (2 Sam. 7:11-16).
v. 1b: "And he came to him and said, there were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor". - Nathan begins by telling David a story in the form of a parable (Heb. mashal), a story with a surprise 'hook' in its tail, but David has no way of knowing this. As king, David would often preside as a judge, and he probably assumes that Nathan is describing a real life situation that will require some type of judgment.
v. 2: "The rich man had a great many flocks and herds." -In those times, ownership of flocks and herds-sheep, goats, cattle, horses, camels, etc.-was a significant indicator of personal wealth. We might recall that Abraham owned so many flocks and herds that others envied Him (Gen. 26:14). In this rich man's case, his flocks and herds were so large, they were too numerous to count. He certainly could afford to lose a few without any negative effect on his personal wealth.
v. 3a: "But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children." - When the poor man bought this little ewe lamb, it became his most prized asset, perhaps his only asset. It grew up with his children.
v. 3b: "It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, And was like a daughter to him." - Rather than any plan to sell or butcher it, this lamb has become more than a family pet but "like a daughter to him." It even sits on his lap and eats bread from the table and drinks from his cup. This is a little over the top, but I personally understand how close can get to our pets.
v. 4a: "Now a traveler came to the rich man," - This is where things get dark. In ancient Israel people were obligated to show hospitality to travelers-to treat them as honored guests and provide them with food and lodging. Some scholars identify the "traveler" as a Satan-type, someone who tempts the rich man to commit sin.
v. 4b: And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." - Despite the immensity of his own flocks and herds, where the loss of one animal would scarcely be noticed, the rich man takes the little ewe away from the poor man and butchers it to feed his guest. An evil and disgustingly cruel act by any measure. Yes?
Read 2 Sam. 12:7-9 - DAVID'S ANGER BURNED AGAINST THE MAN
5 Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. 6 He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion."
v. 5: "Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. - Nathan has done his job well. The gross injustice of the parable has hooked David's outrage. He goes as far as to make an oath-"As the LORD lives"-that "the man...deserves to die" for it.
v. 6a: "He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold," - Ex. 22:1 provides that a person who steals a sheep must repay four for one. Notice that David is relying on Torah Law-God's standard of justice-to prescribe the penalty to be assessed against this rich man. For many people this could be disastrous-to be forced pay four times the damage for one evil deed. Even in today's legal system, if someone is proven to have acted with "reckless disregard" for the injured party, they can be subject to punitive damages.
v. 6b: "because he did this thing and had no compassion." -The rich man is guilty of two evils: (1) his evil deed against the poor man and (2) his total lack of compassion for him. We can even see that the rich man's absence of compassion was at the very root that motivated his evil deed.
Read 2 Sam. 12:7-9 - YOU ARE THE MAN!
7 Nathan then said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! 9 Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.
v. 7a: "Nathan then said to David, "You are the man!" - Now Nathan delivers the parable's sting: His four words, "You are the man!," uncovers the mystery of the parable. David, for the first time, is allowed to see the enormity of his own evil deeds-adultery with Bathsheba and the premeditated murder of Uriah. Since David has shown himself capable of murder, Nathan must be wondering if he will survive the confrontation.
v. 7b: "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel" -The first gift that God gave David was his anointings-three of them: as a boy shepherd, then as king of Judah, and finally, as king over all Israel.
v. 7c: "and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul." - The second gift was God's sovereign protection from all of Saul's evil schemes to kill him. And when David had the opportunity to murder Saul on two occasions, his godly character prevented him from doing the deed (1 Sam. 24 and 26).
v. 8: "I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care, - The third gift was Saul's house and his wives. In this context, it means Saul's place as king, plus all of his possessions. The mention of the "wives" is curious because there's no record of David taking Saul's wives as his own. Maybe its a another metaphor for all that Saul possessed.
v. 8b: "and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah;" - The fourth gift the Lord gave him was the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. He gave him a nation and all the power and prestige that went with it.
v. 8c: "and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these!" - After recounting these four magnificent gifts, the Lord makes it clear that the Lord would have given David whatever he needed. Because of this, David has absolutely no excuse for taking things that belonged to another.
v. 9a: "Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for Uriah's murder, he was not only committing an offense against them, he was, in effect, despising the Word of the Lord and intentionally committing acts that were evil in the Lord's sight. To despise the Word of the Lord is to despise the Lord Himself. Earlier, when Saul rejected the Word of the Lord, the Lord rejected him as king (1 Sam. 15:26).
v. 9b: "You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon." - God listed his gifts to David; now, He lists the ways that David has been unfaithful: He has murdered Uriah and taken his wife as his own. The "sword of the sons of Ammon" may have completed the deed, but they were unwittingly acting as David's agents. They killed him but David murdered him in cold blood.
Read 2 Sam. 12:10-15 - THE SWORD SHALL NEVER DEPART FROM YOUR HOUSE
10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 11 Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'" 13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die." 15 So Nathan went to his house.
v. 10: "Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'" - The Lord has outlined the gifts He has given David and David's treachery against Him, and now He outlines the penalties (curses) David can expect to face. The first is that "the sword shall never depart from your house." Bathsheba's child will die; David son, Amnon, will rape his sister, Tamar, and his son Absalom will avenge Tamar by killing Amnon. Then Absalom will rebel against David, and Joab will kill him. Later David's son, Adonijah will contest for the throne, and Solomon will have him killed. This echoes the fourfold restitution that David voiced about the poor man's lamb in v. 6.
vv. 11-12: "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'" - This will take place when Absalom tries to usurp David's throne and will publicly -i.e., "before all Israel," defile David's wives (16:15-23).
v. 13a: "Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." - To his credit, David makes no excuses, nor does he lash out at the prophet. This was a crucial moment: If David had persisted in his rebellion, the Lord surely would have brought him to his end.
v. 13b: "And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die." -While David deserved to die twice over (adultery and murder), the Lord forgives him and will not require his life.
v. 14: "However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die." -But even though the Lord does not require his life, David will not escape without penalty: David's child by Bathsheba will die and ultimately, three more of David's son will suffer violent deaths.
v. 15: "So Nathan went to his house." -A prophets' purpose is to speak God's Word, and Nathan had performed the charge God's had given him bravely and well.
APPLICATION-Getting right with God
We get right with God when we've sinned by (1) submitting to Him and (2) accepting how He decides to deal with us. David confessed his sin openly (12:13; Ps. 32, 51) and he submitted to God's discipline (the death of the child and the ongoing tragic consequences in his own family [12:10-23]). The fact is, even though God forgives our sin, He does not erase all the consequences. He often deals severely with us after we've sinned in order to vindicate His own righteousness and to impress upon us the seriousness of what we did. God dealt very severely with David in the immediate death of his newborn son and long-range through multiple family problems. The genuineness of David's confession is seen in the fact that he submitted to God's dealings with him and never shook his fist in God's face. If we are defiant, thinking that God has no right to treat us so severely, then we haven't truly confessed.
