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Nathan Condemns David II Samuel 12:1-9, 13-15 (KJV)
and such things.
9. Wherefore hast thou
despised the command- ment 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 chil- dren of Ammon.
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.
14. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the ene- mies of the Lord to blas- pheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
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.
Introduction
King David had been cho- sen by God and blessed by Him in many wonderful ways, but David was still susceptible to temptation and sin. David’s most notable failure was his sin of adultery. David allowed seeing a woman, Bathsheba
bathing to cause him to lust after her. Instead of resisting temptation in the power of God, he yielded to lust and had Bathsheba brought to him so that he could have a physical relationship with her. In this week’s lesson, we see how God, through the prophet Nathan condemned David and his sin, and how it led to his confession of guilt.
A Rich Man And A Poor Man
(II Samuel 12:1-3).
It’s interesting that “David” himself eventually lost four of his sons, the first son of Bathsheba (see II Samuel 12:14, 18), Amnon (see II Samuel 13:28-29), Absalom (see II Samuel 18:14-15), and Adonijah (see I Kings 2:24-25) leading some commentators to see that their deaths were a “fourfold” restitution by “David” for taking Uriah’s wife and killing him. However, this is mere speculation, but quite thought provoking.
David’s Sin Is Revealed (II Samuel 12:7-9)
Verses 10-12 are not part of our printed text, but in those verses, Nathan told David that since he was responsible for
“Uriah” being killed by “the sword,” likewise, “the sword” would never depart from his family for David had despised the LORD and taken Uriah’s wife to be his own (see II Samuel 12:10). God also de- clared that He would stir up evil in David’s own house and take his wives and give them to someone close to him who would lay with David’s wives in broad daylight (see II Samuel 12:11; 16:20-23). David committed his sin in se- cret, but God said that He would do what He said in front of all Israel (see II Samuel 12:12).
Nathan Reveals The Consequences Of David’s Sin (II Samuel 12:14-15).
Some people may think that they can sin without there being any consequences. God forgives sin, but that does not mean that He cancels out all its consequences. The results of sin may not be seen for years even though they flow from the events set in motion by our disobedient acts. Con- fession to God brings forgive- ness (see I John 1:9), but not necessarily freedom from the effects of our sin. For exam- ple, God will forgive the per- son who repents of the sin of drunkenness (see Romans 13:13; Galatians 5:21), but that person may still come down with liver disease. As previously noted (see verse 9), there would be other tragedies in David’s family that could be directly attributed to his sin with Bathsheba.
True to God’s word, “David” and Bathsheba’s “child” soon became “very sick.” We are not told what the child suf- fered from, but II Samuel 12:18-19 says that seven days after he took ill, the child died. Yes, sin does have conse- quences!
This week’s lesson leaves us with the solemn reminder that regardless of how godly a person may be, no one is im- mune to sin. It also reminds us that when sin is not faced hon- estly it leads to more sin.
Finally, we learn that sin often has consequences that continue even after God has forgiven the sinner. Regard- less of what we may think, sin is not manageable. We de- ceive ourselves if we think that we can manage temptation and control how deeply we will fall. David learned what we all should know and that is sin has consequences. Let us take a stand against temptation early and think seriously about the long-term devastation that can be the result of short-term pleasure.
The Scriptures
1. And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2. The rich man had ex- ceeding many flocks and herds:
3. But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, 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 daugh- ter.
4. And there came a trav- eler unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the way- faring man that was come
unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
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:
6. And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and be- cause he had no pity.
7. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
8. And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, 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
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