Page 86 - Advanced OT Survey Revised

Nathan then pointed to David and uttered the chilling words, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7). David
was the one guilty of this sin, and judgment would be upon his house in the form of ongoing violence.
David repented (see Psalm 51), and Nathan said, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going
to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will
die” (2 Samuel 12:13–14). The child did die a week later, and David’s household experienced further
hardship in later years. In total, four of David’s sons suffered untimely deaths—the “four times over”
judgment David had pronounced upon himself.

In the account of David and Bathsheba, we find many lessons. First, secret sin will be found out. Second,
God will forgive anyone who repents. Third, sin’s consequences remain even when the sin is forgiven.
Fourth, God can work even in difficult situations. In fact, David and Bathsheba’s next son, Solomon,
became the heir to the throne. Even in bad situations, God has a plan that serves His sovereign
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purpose.

Three direct consequences were inflicted upon David:

First: Nathan said the sword would never depart from David’s house (2 Samuel 12:10). This was fulfilled
in the successive violent deaths of at least three of his sons—Amnon (2 Samuel 13:29), Absalom (2
Samuel 18:14), and Adonijah (1 Kings 2:25).

Second: Nathan also prophesied to David that his own wives would be humiliated before all Israel (2
Samuel 12:11). This was fulfilled when Absalom “lay with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel”
(2 Samuel 16:22).

Third: Nathan pronounced the fatal end of the son conceived by David’s sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel
12:14). This was fulfilled seven days after Nathan’s judgment sentence (2 Samuel 12:18). To David,
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the death of his son was a far greater punishment than his own death.

If you decide to sin, be aware of this truth. God cannot hide your sin from God. And, there is always,
always, always a consequence you will pay when you choose to sin.

Practical Application: Anyone can fall. Even a man like David, who truly desired to follow God and who
was richly blessed by God, was susceptible to temptation. David’s sin with Bathsheba should be a
warning to all of us to guard our hearts, our eyes, and our minds. Pride over our spiritual maturity and
our ability to withstand temptation in our own strength is the first step to a downfall (1 Corinthians
10:12).

God is gracious to forgive even the most heinous sins when we truly repent. However, healing the
wound caused by sin does not always erase the scar. Sin has natural consequences, and even after he
was forgiven, David reaped what he had sown. His son from the illicit union with another man’s wife was
taken from him (2 Samuel 12:14-24) and David suffered the misery of a break in his loving relationship
with his heavenly Father (Psalms 32 and 51). How much better to avoid sin in the first place, rather than
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having to seek forgiveness later!

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There is a story about a schoolmaster who lived in the 19 century. He was the teacher at a one-room
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schoolhouse where he taught dozens of students from 1 grade through 12 grade. He had rules that
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