May 23, 2021. II Samuel 12:1-12

Posted byJohn Sanzone

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DAY OF ACCOUNTING.  II Samuel 12:1-12. 05/23/2021. #23.

2 Samuel 12:1-12 [New International Version]

Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

5 So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 6 And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 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 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. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”

  1. Story point missed
    1. David feels no guilt for adultery, murder, deception, or guile
      1. David took Bathsheba as wife with no remorse
      1. Bathsheba is a second wife taken from a deceased husband: one by an enemy (Nabol/Abigail) and one by theft
      1. David is quite pleased with himself and very happy
    1. Sin will not produce a sense of guilt when conscience is seared and dulled (Ephesians 4:19)
    1. II Samuel 11:27 “what David had done displeased (grievously disappointed) the Lord
    1. God sends the prophet Nahum to confront David
      1. Nahum’s story is about a rich man who takes a poor man’s ewe lamb (a pet) to feed to a traveling stranger (he presents this as a real situation)
      1. David misses the point altogether, even though the imagery speaks to his exact situation
    1. Someone who becomes use to his sin, denies any guilt
  2. The king’s wrath and judgment
    1. David became very angry at what the rich man did
    1. David pronounces judgment on the rich man
      1. He deserves to die (not “shall die”) = literally “he is the son of death”
      1. He will restore 4 times what he has taken (in accordance to Levitical Law)
      1. David apparently made snap judgments without hearing the full story (Ziba/Mephibosheth issue)
    1. David generates much wrath over a sheep, but not even a tear over Uriah and those who died with him
      1. Sin hardens hearts
      1. Sin makes us deplore sin in others, but we excuse and even rationalize away sin within ourselves
    1. Notice that David pronounces judgment in the name of God
      1. Matthew 7:2 we are judged on how we judge others
      1. David declares that he would judge the rick man because “he had no pity” (unrecognized irony)
      1. Romans 13:1-7 David was responsible for protecting his subjects and judging righteously (II Samuel 5:2)
    1. Nathan declares to David, “You are the man!”
  3. God pronounces judgment
    1. God lists all the benefits and blessings he had given David
      1. He took David from being a poor shepherd to taking the throne of Saul
      1. He had given David wealth, power, wives, fame, a palace, and possessions
      1. Had these blessings been too few for David, God would have given him even more
    1. David had taken Uriah’s wife for his own and had him killed the Ammonites, enemies of God and Israel
    1. God by his own law could have killed David (Genesis 9:6, Leviticus 20:10) for adultery and murder and despising God
    1. God commutes David’s sentence to a miserable life
      1. The sword will never part from your house
      1. David’s neighbor (him son) will take David’s wives and lay with them
        1. b1. David took Bathsheba in secret
        1. b2. David’s wives will be violated in broad daylight (on roof of palace)
    1. The momentary sinful pleasure yields a life of misery
    1. Once we remove God from top priority, our flesh takes over