2nd Samuel 12
God sends Nathan, the prophet, to confront David's sin. God often does this with us, He sends a friend or family member who rebukes us, but with love. When we hear tough love from those we love, we need to listen and not be quick to discard their words...often it is God who is speaking to us through another believer.
(v.13) Even though David had Uriah killed and made his wife a widow, he says he sinned against the LORD...why? If we remember Joseph in Gen 39:9 he views the act of adultery not as a sin against the spouse, but against God. The word, sin, means to miss the mark, and that is what we do when we fail to live up to God's perfect holiness and purity. We may wrong others, but ultimately, we fail God. That is why we needed a Savior to pay for our sins...God Himself...Yeshua (Jesus)!
(v.14) This is important for all of us to know...even though we may repent, there are still consequences for our actions. David was again walking with God, but the result of David's sin was the death of his offspring from that sin. David showed great remorse and pleaded with God to spare his son, but just like our Heavenly Father, His Son had to pay for our sins.
(v.20) David held vigil at his son's bedside, fasted and prayed for seven straight days. Fasting and praying is good for all of us to do, since it brings us closer to God. However, God is fair and just, so David's sin had to have a consequence.
I marvel at how David reacted to the news of his son's death...he ate and worshipped God! It's hard for me to picture myself worshipping God if I lost a child.
This is a moment to teach our kids this one very important thing...God provided us with the way for salvation in the death and resurrection of His Son. Everything else in life are additional blessings...we need nothing more than Jesus. None of us have the right to assume we, or our loved ones, will live long lives. As the Word in Psalm 90:12 and Prov 27:1 teaches us, we don't know what tomorrow will bring, so make the best of today. If we have that kind of grateful heart for today, then whatever happens tomorrow won't worry us.
(v.23) David teaches all of us about what happens to children when they die. They haven't been born again in the Spirit, nor have they matured enough to fully understand what Jesus did for us. Yet, they are God's children, and they will be in heaven waiting for us when we get there! As best I can tell, there is a time in each of our lives when we are at an age and consciousness of accountability to God. Some say 10 years old, or even as late at 13, but what matters is our heart, and whether we have heard the Good News and accepted it or not.
(vv.24-25) David and Bathsheba name their next son Solomon, but Nathan named him Jedidiah, which in Hebrew means "Beloved by Jehovah"
We will see that Bathsheba also had some other names for Solomon in Prov 30
(v.28) I love Joab! Not only is he a great general, but he loved David and told David to take the city so that he would get the credit, not Joab who did all the work.
This is a valuable lesson to us when we're in the workplace or even the military...it is our duty to honor God, by honoring those in authority over us. We shouldn't seek our own fame and glory, but seek to lift up those in front of us. If we do that, God will surely bless us as well as our superiors.
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