BIG IDEA:
THE BLESSING OF GOD CAN SPRING FROM THE SOIL OF SINFUL FAILURE – BUT NOT WITHOUT SORROWFUL CONFESSION AND PAINFUL CONSEQUENCES —
THE FOUR STEPS IN THE CYCLE OF JUDGMENT AND RESTORATION FOR A FALLEN LEADER
INTRODUCTION:
The pleasure of sin is but for a moment (“the fleeting pleasures of sin”) when weighed against the pain of its consequences. The fuller confession of King David is found in Psalm 32 and 51. But here we see the grace and mercy of the Lord in bringing something good out of the ruins of a fallen spiritual leader.
St. Augustine: David’s fall should put upon their guard those who have not fallen, and save from despair those who have.
Note: Blaikie explains that the sequence of events in these chapters in 2 Samuel are probably not presented in chronological order. In that case the cycle discussed here is presented in logical order . . . not chronological. That might explain David’s cruelty to his enemies – exacted at a time when David’s heart was still in a cold and backslidden condition. (The other reading of the text here would be that David subjected his enemies to various forms of slave labor.)
I. (:1-15a) STEP#1: GUILTY VERDICT — NATHAN CONFRONTS DAVID WITH HIS SIN
A. (:1-6) Parable of Contemptible Exploitation –
Rich Man Taking Advantage of Poor Man (Stealing his only resource)
1. (:1a) Confrontational Mission
“Then the Lord sent Nathan to David, And he came to him, and said”
Certainly a difficult mission for Nathan.
2. (:1b-3) Materialistic Contrast Between the Rich Man and the Poor Man
“There were two men in one city; the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, And was like a daughter to him.”
A story that a former shepherd could relate to easily.
Speaks to how precious Bathsheba was to Uriah.
3. (:4) Contemptible Exploitation
“Now a traveler came to the rich man, And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
4. (:5-6) Passionate Condemnation
“Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. And he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.’”
B. (:7-12) Prophecy of Condemnation
1. (:7a) Exposing the Perpetrator
“Nathan then said to David, ‘You are the man!’”
2. (:7b-8) Recounting the King’s Past Blessings – all attributable to Divine Providence – the gracious favor shown by the Lord
“Thus says the Lord God of Israel”
a. Divine Coronation as King
“It is I who anointed you king over Israel”
b. Divine Protection from the Attacks of Saul
“It is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul”
c. Unlimited Prosperity, Power and Prestige
“I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these!”
Deffinbaugh: David’s problem is that his possessions have come to own him. He is so “possessed” with his riches that he is unwilling to spend any of them. He wants “more” and “more,” and so he begins to take what isn’t his to take, rather than to ask the divine Giver of all he has.
3. (:9) Redressing the King’s Incomprehensible Transgressions
a. Affront to God’s Graciousness, God’s Word, and God’s Holiness
“Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight?”
b. Guilty of Gross Adultery and Murder
“You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.”
4. (:10-12) Prophecying the Coming Judgments on David’s Family
a. (:10) Family Condemned to Violence
“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.”
Ryrie: These predictions of judgment were fulfilled in the violent deaths of Amnon (13:28-29) and Absalom (18:15), and in Absalom’s public appropriation of David’s royal concubines (16:22).
b. (:11) Family Condemned to Incestuous Evil of the Most Disgraceful Variety
“Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your companion, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight.’”
c. (:12) Public Humiliation
“Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel; and under the sun.”
C. (:13) Penitence of Confession – Essential to repent and come clean
“Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’”
Study Psalm 51
You don’t find the attempts at feeble excuses and self justification that you see on the part of King Saul (1 Samuel 15)
D. (:13b-14) Pain of Consequences – Softened by Forgiveness
1. (:13b) Granted Forgiveness
“And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord has taken away your sin
2. (:13c) Spared Personal Death
“ you shall not die.’”
3. (:14) Disciplined with Family Tragedy
“However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.”
E. (:15a) Message Delivered – No Debate
“So Nathan went to his house.”
II. (:15b-23) STEP #2: PAYING THE PRICE — DAVID WRESTLES WITH THE LORD FOR THE LIFE OF HIS NEWBORN SON
A. (:15b-17) Pleading for Mercy
1. (:15b) Judgment Initiated
“Then the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s widow bore to David, so that he was very sick.”
2. (:16-17) Last Ditch Intercession
“David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them.”
B. (:18-19) Facing the Finality of Death
1. (:18) Impossibility of Denying Reality
“then it happened on the seventh day that 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 still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!’”
2. (:19) Wisdom of Accepting Reality
“But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, ‘Is the child dead?’ And they said, ‘He is dead.’”
C. (:20-23) Resuming the Responsibilities of Life
1. (:20a) Priority of Worship
“So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped.”
2. (:20b) Necessity of Nourishment
“then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate.”
3. (:21-23) Explanation of Mindset
a. (:21) Depression and Despair Anticipated
“Then his servants said to him, ‘What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.’”
b. (:22-23) Faith and Realism Explained
1) (:22) Aggressively Seeking a Miracle
“And he said, ‘While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’”
Ryrie: While the verse may lend support to the view that infants who die are taken to heaven, the emphasis here is not on existence after death, but on the inevitability of death. The child could not return to life, but David would someday join his son in death.
Deffinbaugh: I simply do not find this explanation to be an adequate explanation for David’s comfort and conduct. I believe that David is looking beyond the grave, to his reunion with this child at the resurrection..
2) (:23) Submissively Accepting God’s Will
“But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
Futility of prayers offered for the dead
III. (:24-25) STEP #3: RESTORATION — THE LORD BLESSES DAVID AND BATHSHEBA WITH SOLOMON = THE BELOVED OF THE LORD
A. (:24a) Comforting Conception – Birth of Solomon
“Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon.”
MacArthur: [Signif. of name] – either God is peace, or His replacement – both were true of Solomon
B. (:24b-25) Loving Label — Renaming of Solomon
“Now the Lord loved him and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the Lord’s sake.”
IV. (:26-31) STEP #4: REBUILDING HIS REPUTATION — JOAB ENCOURAGES DAVID TO RESUME HIS KINGLY RESPONSIBIITIES
A. (:26-28) Encouragement by Trusted Subordinates
1. (:26) Victory Secured by Joab
“Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and captured the royal city.”
2. (:27) Victory Reported to David
“And Joab sent messengers to David and said, ‘I have fought against Rabbah, I have even captured the city of waters.”
3. (:28) Credit Appropriate for the King
“Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and camp against the city and capture it, lest I capture the city myself and it be named after me.”
B. (:29-31) Initiative to Resume Leadership Responsibilities
1. (:29) Military Conquests
“So David gathered all the people and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and captured it.”
2. (:30) Spoils of Victory
“Then he took the crown of their king from his head; and its weight 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 in great amounts.”
A talent weighed about 75 lbs.
3. (:31) Execution of Justice (but with unexplained cruelty)
“He also brought out the people who were in it, and set them under saws, sharp iron instruments, and iron axes, and made them pass through the brick kiln. And thus he did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.”
2 Views – based on slight differences in the Hebrew text: Davis
Difference of a Hebrew consonant
1) The first view considers the implements mentioned as instruments of torture and death – “he sawed them to pieces with the saw and with iron harrows”
Made his captives pass through the brick kiln;
Cf. 1 Chron. 20:3 which takes this translation – probably consistent with some of the practices of that day – but would that be out of place for David??
2) Hebrew text should remain as it is in Samuel = “he appointed to labor with saws” —
Ammonites put to various forms of slave labor; made them work at brickmaking
Study Genuine Repentance – 2 Cor. 7