Seemingly out of the blue, Nathan comes to David in the wake of David’s sin. Nathan was a prophet during David’s reign that advised and helped him during his reign. In chapter 7 of II Samuel, Nathan and David had an interaction where Nathan eventually advises David that he should not build the temple, and then God establishes the Davidic covenant with David. At this time, God sends Nathan to David to make him aware of his duplicity and the depth of his sin with Bathsheba.
Nathan’s story of the rich man taking advantage of the poor man arouses in David an anger and indignation that will soon be turned upon himself. Let us look at elements of the parable that are meant to make David feel the brunt of his sin:
- The rich and poor men’s descriptions show the wide gap of power and stature between David and Uriah, underscoring how David used his power to take advantage of someone weaker
- Although not explicitly represented in the parable, the insult David added is the fact that Uriah was wholly loyal to David, making it a true betrayal
- The poor man truly loved and cared for his ewe lamb, and the rich man used it without thought or care despite having his own flocks to pick from. Such was David’s attitude towards Bathsheba: selfishness and entitlement
After hearing the parable, David says in verses 5 and 6, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
David’s obtuseness here serves as a mirror for us and our sin. How much do we willfully ignore our sin, creating a convenient blind spot that allows for sin to continue? In most cases, it is likely that we know of our desire to ignore our sin, and we feed it in dark places while practicing righteousness in the light where others can see. David’s attitude here is a great moment for us to dwell on and ask ourselves if there is any sin in our lives that we are not addressing.
Nathan’s response in verse 7 is one that we do not forget easily: “You are the man!” Nathan then goes on, speaking the words of God to pinpointedly outline each step of David’s sin and the drastic nature of his betrayal. Through Nathan, God also tells David that he had more than he could ever want, and all that too was provided by God. God’s punishment to David is warranted and severe in verses 10-12: “ ’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 adversity against you from 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 sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”
Not only would worse be done to David than David did to Uriah, but it would also be done openly, with all of the kingdom of Israel and the surrounding kingdoms as witness. The interaction between them ends in David admitting his sin and Nathan advising David that his sin will be put away, but that the child born to David and Bathsheba will die. During these remarks, Nathan reveals another consequence of David’s sin that is of great shame to him and Israel: David’s actions as a man who followed the one true God gave occasion to God’s critics to question God’s authority and power: If David, God’s great hero of the time, could not maintain goodness and righteousness even among his own people, how truly powerful is this God? This consequence makes us see how important it is to God that we exemplify His attributes and follow His Word for all the world to see. When we fail in this regard as David did, we lose credibility and opportunities to teach and model Christ to the lost.
Verses 15-23 tell the drama of the death of David and Bathsheba’s son. God causes the child to become sick and David laments in supplication to God, fasting and sleeping on the ground. When the child dies, David rises, washes himself, and eats. David knew that God had made His choice to end the child’s life. No amount of further prayer or grieving would avail anything at all, so David continued on. David comforts Bathsheba since she was grieving the loss of the child. They have another child together, Solomon. Verse 25 tells us that God gave Solomon the name Jedidiah, which means “Beloved of the Lord.” This approval from the Lord represents God’s forgiveness of David and Bathsheba for their acts.
The final verses in this chapter tell the story of the capture of the Ammonite city of Rabbah. Joab, like Uriah, was fiercely loyal to David. He tells David, “I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city’s water supply. Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name.” God had surrounded David with fiercely loyal generals and subjects.
The chapter ends with David in triumph, returning to Jerusalem having put all of Ammon into subjection. David was doing okay for now, but the promise of sin’s consequences awaits him as time progresses.
As we end this chapter, let us reflect on the corruptive nature of sin. We see how deceptive and weakening it can be. We may fool ourselves into thinking that we got away with something, but in reality, God sees all and the idea that we “got away with it” is just another of the devil’s lies. Do not be fooled.
Numbers 32:23: “…take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.”
I Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
Monday Night Bible Study 