King David’s story is a testament to the complexities of sin, repentance, and divine forgiveness. In our discussion, we reflect on how Nathan’s parable lays bare David’s wrongdoing, eliciting a heartfelt confession and exploration of the enduring consequences of his actions. Discover how God’s unwavering justice and mercy are vividly portrayed, offering us valuable lessons about accountability, the impact of our choices, and the path to redemption.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
SPEAKER 03 :
After David and Bathsheba in yesterday’s chapter 11, we come to chapter 12 of 2 Samuel. And again, this chapter will be read by our guest reader, Vicki Bustos, chaplain of the Ezra Project.
SPEAKER 02 :
2 Samuel chapter 12. And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He and he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel, and drink from his cup, and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him. But he took the poor man’s lamb and Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, Nathan said to David, You are the man. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul, and I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 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. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this son. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the son. David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, The Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die. Nevertheless, because of this deed, you have utterly scorned the Lord. The child who is born to you shall die. Then Nathan went to his house. And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his house stood beside him to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them.” On the seventh day the child died, and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm. But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, Is the child dead? They said, He is dead. Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshipped him. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him and he ate. Then his servants said to him, What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food. He said, While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me that the child may live? But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba and went in to her and lay with her. And she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. and the Lord loved him and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedediah because of the Lord. Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city. And Joab sent messengers to David and said, I have fought against Rabbah. Moreover, I have taken the city of waters. Now then, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name. So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it. And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city a very great amount. And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes and made them toil at the brick kilns. And thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
SPEAKER 03 :
I actually had to take a few deep breaths. and compose myself after listening to this chapter. When the Bible speaks to your heart, it gets emotional for me, and maybe as you listen to this, it got a little bit emotional for you. Back in 1983, I wrote after reading 2 Samuel chapter 12, Nathan uncovers David’s sin. David repents, but God administers punishment. One the sword would not depart from David’s house. Two, his wives would be unfaithful publicly. And three, the child conceived in adultery would die. In 2007, I wrote, the Lord sent Nathan to David. God confronted David through another. Who does God send to speak to me? God reminds David how he became king in Why he is in power? Who’s boss? And in verse 9, God confronts David with these words, Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in his sight? David confesses his sin, and the Lord forgives, but the consequences remain. and the consequences not only impact David, but others, his wife, his son, his family, his kingdom. Sin often appears to be limited to just me, but not so. David and his family will never be the same because of one adulterous affair. Let’s go back briefly and learn a few things from this chapter. First, The Lord sent Nathan to David. How would Nathan have known what happened? Nobody seemed to know, other than David himself and maybe Joab. Nobody knew. You can’t hide sin from God. And so God reveals it to Nathan, and Nathan crafts this amazing story that just pins David right to the wall of his own guilt. If you’ve got sin in your life like this, Confess it to God. He knows already you’re not hiding anything from the Lord. Secondly, God reminds David of who he is and how he got where he is. Verse 7, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel. I delivered you out of the hand of Saul, and I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would have added to you much, much more. David forgot who he was. He forgot how he got where he got. Don’t let that happen to you in your life. Never forget that God is in control of you, the things you have, who you are, and the success that you may be enjoying right now. Next, David, when confronted, did confess. In verse 13, David said to Nathan, I have sinned against Bathsheba? No. Against Uriah? No. Against the Lord. He knew it. So whether you’ve been caught or confronted is not the issue. Like David was with Nathan, the issue is, God knows, confess your sin to him today, right now. Do not let it linger any longer. Then there’s the consequences. Though David received forgiveness, the Lord has put away your sin, you shall not die. Nevertheless, because of this deed, you have utterly scorned the Lord. The child who is born to you shall die. So, forgiveness is one thing, but consequences are another. And the child of Bathsheba, born out of adultery, dies at the hands of the Lord. But God, but God, He’s so merciful. He’s so loving. He blesses Bathsheba with another child, Solomon. Solomon becomes the heir apparent. The next king of Israel. Not any of David’s other children. That’s amazing. That’s God’s love. Tomorrow, we head into chapter 13. More consequences from this sin that David committed. But today, let’s end with this short prayer. Lord, keep me from falling down. Help me avoid sin and its consequences. Though I know you may forgive me, you will forgive me from my sin. But the consequences, the consequences could be very hurtful. Lord, help me avoid it by avoiding sin in the first place. Help me, Lord, protect me. In Jesus’ name, amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. Is the Bible unique or just like the other so-called sacred writings in the world, the teachings of Buddha, the Hindu writings, or the Koran? Many say they all say the same thing and lead people to the same place. I believe that is a statement of ignorance because most people have never read much, if any, of the sacred writings of the world. I have. I picked up the teachings of Buddha in the Buddhist country of Thailand. I got a Koran in the Muslim nation of Malaysia. And like a Bible placed in a hotel by the Gideons that I hoped people would read cover to cover, I read those other books. At EzraProject.net, check out our message called Origins of the Sacred Writings, God’s Word or Man’s. I tell you where they came from, quote from them, and you can decide. They all say the same thing and all lead people to the same place. It’s one of our most popular messages. I know you’re going to enjoy it. I know you’re going to enjoy it. And want to share it with others.
