2 Samuel 12

 

The Lord sent Nathan to show David his sin

 

1 And the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came and said to him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds: 3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb that he had bought up and nourished: and it grew up together with him, and with his sons; it ate his own food, drank from his own cup, lay in his bosom, and was like a daughter to him. 4 A traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock and of his own herd, to prepare for the wayfaring man that came to him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that came to him. 5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD lives, the man that has done this thing will surely die: 6 And he will restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. 7 And Nathan said to David, You are the man. The LORD God of Israel says this, I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul; 8 And I also gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have given you many more things like this.

 

  • God takes sin personally because it is all done in His presence.

 

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, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10 Now therefore the sword will never depart from your house because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.

 

  • Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being.
  • Psalm 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight
  • Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me.

 

11 The LORD says, 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 will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 You did it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 13 And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said to David, The LORD also has put away your sin; you will not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to scorn, the child also that is born to you will surely die.

 

  • God has put away our sin.
  • He preserves our eternal lives.
  • Our sins give God’s enemies ammunition.
  • Notice the sin is forgiven.
  • David continues in God’s purpose in his life.
  • But there is a painful consequence.
  • The precious little one that came of his union with Bathsheba will not be known or enjoyed by either of them in this life.
  • Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
  • Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that is what he will reap.

 

15 And Nathan went to his house. And the LORD struck the boy that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it was very sick. 16 David sought God for the child; and David fasted a fast, and went in, and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the ground: but he would not, neither did he eat food with them. 18 And on the seventh day that the child died. And David’s servants feared to tell him that the boy was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him, and he would not listen to our voice: how then can we tell him that the child is dead, he might do himself harm? 19 When David saw that his servants whispered, David understood that the boy was dead: therefore David said to his servants, is the boy dead? And they said, He is dead. 20 Then David got up from the ground, washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, and came to the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, What thing is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the boy, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, you got up and ate food. 22 And he said, While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.

 

  • God took the child to be with Him (2 Corinthians 5:8).
  • Philippians 1:23 For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

 

The LORD loved Solomon

 

24 And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, 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. 25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah/beloved of the Lord, because of the LORD. 26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city. 27 And Joab sent messengers to David and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters. 28 Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, camp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.

 

  • Man’s love comes and goes.
  • God’s love is always the same—complete, infinite, and intense.
  • Remember the Bathsheba incident began with David staying home while the army went to war. Joab had done all the work and then called David to come finish and receive the glory.
  • Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD has appeared of old to me saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you.

 

29 And David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it. 30 And he took their king’s crown from off his head, its weight was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David’s head. And he brought out the plunder of the city in very great abundance. 31 And he brought out the people that were in it, and put them under saws, under harrows of iron, under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick kiln: he did this to all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

 

  • Remember that God only desires to bless mankind (Genesis 1, 2).
  • When horrible things happen to nations it is a result of idolatry.
  • God does not want hard things for man.
  • God does give mankind to reap what it sows in hopes that they will turn away from their sin and seek Him.
  • Lamentations 3:33 he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

 

                                         2 Samuel 13

 

1 And afterward, David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar; and Amnon, another of David’s sons loved her. 2 Amnon was so distressed that he fell sick because his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her.

 

  • Amnon was David’s firstborn.
  • Tamar was Amnon’s half-sister.
  • He was born of Ahinoam of Jezreel (2 Samuel 3:2).
  • Tamar and Absalom’s mother was Maacah daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur (2 Samuel 3:3).

 

3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 4 And he said to him, Why are you, being the king’s son, so puny from morning to morning? Tell me! And Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister. 5 And Jonadab said to him, Lay down on your bed. Pretend to be ill: and your father will come to see you; say to him, Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand.

 

  • Royal households have always been in danger of poisoning through their food.

 

6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill: when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, Please let Tamar my sister come, and make me two cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand. 7 Then David sent home to Tamar saying, Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.

 

  • David summoned Bathsheba to his home.
  • David now sends Tamar to Ammon’s house (2 Samuel 11).

 

God gave to David as David gave to Uriah

 

8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was laid down. And she took flour, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. 9 And she took the baking pan and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat. Amnon said, Have every man go away from me. So every man left him. 10 And Amnon said to Tamar, Bring the food into the inner room, that I may eat from your hand. So Tamar took the cakes that she had made, and brought them into the inner room to Amnon, her brother. 11 When she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her, and said to her, Come lie with me, my sister. 12 And she answered him, No, my brother, do not humble me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not do this foolishness. 13 And I, where will I cause my shame to go? And as for you, you will be as one of the fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not withhold me from you. 14 But he would not listen to her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.

 

  • David’s summon to Bathsheba was equal to rape because he was the king with the power of life and death.
  • Tamar’s words, ‘no such things should be done in Israel,’ show that she understood God’s ways and that Israel was to be God’s light to surrounding nations.
  • Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatever you would that men do to you, do that to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
  • Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked: whatsoever a man sows, that is what he will reap.

 

God is our completeness


15 Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. Amnon said to her, Get up, go! 16 And she said to him, No! For this evil is greater than the first one you have done to me, to send me away. But he would not listen to her. 17 He called his young man attending him and said, Send this one out from me now, and bolt the door after her. 18 And she had on a long tunic: for the king’s daughters who were virgins wore such robes. Then his attendant brought her outside and bolted the door after her. 19 And Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore the long tunic that she wore and laid her hand on her head, and left crying out. 20 And Absalom her brother said to her, Has Amnon your brother been with you? But keep silent my sister: he is your brother; do not set your heart on this thing. So Tamar stayed in her brother Absalom’s house but was desolate.

 

  • This incident explains about the obsession of stalkers.
  • They think that the object of their obsession can make them happy.
  • Amnon felt the emptiness of lack of God in his life and tried to fill it with something else. God made us for a relationship with Himself.
  • Colossians 2:10 And you are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

 

21 When king David heard of all these things, he was greatly angry. 22 And Absalom spoke to his brother Amnon neither good nor bad: for Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar.

 

  • Rape was a capital crime in Israel punishable by death (Deuteronomy 22).
  • David knew, but did nothing.
  • He had received God’s mercy in the matter of Uriah.
  • Absalom waited for justice and blamed David for injustice in not addressing this matter.

 

23 After two full years it happened that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal-hazor which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 24 Absalom came to the king and said, Look, your servant has sheepshearers; Please let the king and his servants go with your servant. 25 And the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let’s not all go now, lest we be burdensome to you. And he pressed him: however he would not go, but blessed him. 26 Then Absalom said, If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said to him, Why should he go with you? 27 But Absalom pressed him, so that he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. 28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants saying, Watch, and when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and I say to you, Strike Amnon; then you are to put him to death, do not fear: have I not commanded you? Be courageous, be valiant. 29 And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons got up, and each man rode on his mule, and fled.

 

  • In the middle of feast with all the kings sons, Amnon was executed, like Uriah, at the hand of others.
  • This mirrors David’s murder of Uriah. God foretold this violence to David:
  • 2Samuel 12:10 Now therefore the sword will never depart from your house; because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.

 

30 And as they were on the way, the report came to David saying, Absalom has struck all the king’s sons, not one of them left. 31 Then the king rose up, and tore his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn. 32 But Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, Do not let my lord say that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons; only Amnon is dead: for by the appointment of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.

 

  • It was this same Jonadab who told Amnon how to arrange the rape of Tamar.


33 Now therefore do not let my lord the king take the thing to heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead: only Amnon is dead. 34 And Absalom fled. And the young man that kept watch lifted up his eyes, looked, and saw many people coming along the highway behind him. 35 And Jonadab said to the king, See, the king’s sons are coming: as your servant said, so it is. 36 And as soon as he finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted up their voices and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept with a very great weeping. 37 But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.

 

  • Talmai, king of Geshur, was Absalom’s grandfather (2 Samuel 3:3).

 

38 So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 And the soul of king David longed to go to Absalom: for he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he was dead.

 

  • God remembers the victim. In this God remembered Uriah and Bathsheba.
  • Let’s not feel sorry for criminals but for their victims.
  • The criminals have taken what belonged to others.
  • Psalm 9:12 When he makes inquisition for blood, he remembers them: he does not forget the cry of the humble.
  • Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
  • Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; he will give you the desires of your heart.

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY: 2 Samuel 12-13

 

  • The LORD sent Nathan to show David his sin
  • God takes sin personally because we all live in His presence
  • The LORD loved Solomon
  • God gave back to David as he had given to Uriah
  • The LORD is our completeness