11. 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 will lie with your wives in broad daylight.
12. Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and under the sun.
13. Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "the LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die".
14. 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.
15. So Nathan went to his house. Then the LORD struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David so that he was very sick
16. David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.
22. 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'.
23. But now that he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again?
I was reading this passage as a part of my, as of yet, unfinished devotion this morning. I must admit I'm lacking lately in my devotion, to my devotion in the reading of scripture. Though I was not left unimpacted by the greatness of the Most High God in Heaven. I'm writing this to expound the scripture in the way I recieved it. I offer it to you for thought, reflection, worship and testing.
We pick up in the scripture after most of the comic book bibles end the story. We pick up where God is announcing the thing that he will do.
11. 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 will liie with your wives in broad daylight.
The implications here are fascinating. No matter what you think about God, you cannot deny that by the mouth of the prophet Nathan, God himself is declaring that he will bring forth this evil upon David. This evil that he will be bringing is a righteous response to David's sin. Yet, it is evil none-the-less. What evil does He promise? The future scripture reveals several evils that we can only surmise this passage is to account for; namely David's brother luring Ammon into raping Tamar, Absolom killing Ammon, David's refusal to punish Ammon for the rape, David's unwillingness to forgive Absolom publicly; but then He goes further. He will even take David's wives and give them to someone else, ostensibly while David is yet living so that they can be violated. How seriously God takes sin!
God makes clear that He's so definite about His plan that He will accomplish this in broad daylight and in the sight of Israel. I presume this to mean that David will suffer the loss and humiliation of the people knowing that God is against him, in this way.
13. Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "the LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die".
David had said previously that the man in the story deserved to die. Interestingly enough, this is different than what Saul said, that the man in question would surely die, speaking of his son; and then he did; just an interesting thought about the meaning of words regardless of intent.
David repents; he recognizes his sin; perhaps for the first time. In so doing Nathan reassures him with the most blessed words a man can possibly hear; "the LORD has taken away your sin; you shall not die". This just struck me as beyond gracious. Beyond all comparison and beyond words befitting the description necessary for their cause. God has taken away David's sin. In so doing we know that God alone is the one who imputes sin and does not David remind us of this when he offers in the Psalm, "Blessed is he whom God does not impute sin!".
14. 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.
I don't know specifically if the age, even generally is known by scholars. My expectation is that the child is most probably less than 3 years old and probably not an infant. Everything about the story as I read it, gives me the sense that this string of events was not in a 5 minute period of time. I draw this conclusion from the start of the chapter where the whole story begins. I'm also not convinced it matters much, just to say that David knew this child and was imtimate with him. You can draw that from the text.
One thing that is clear that God required the life of the child as payment for David's sin. This should make us wonder why God would take account of any man; how much more that He would sacrifice anyone on our account; how much more the blameless Christ, His only begotton Son?
16. David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.
When I've read this in seasons past, I may have believed David to be selfish and insolent. He KNEW that God required the life of the child, yet what was His response?
This is of course a completely wrong understanding of the text. David's fasting and weeping could very well be worship of God. The text reveals clearly that it is once the child dies. For David get's up, cleans himself, eats and explains to those who did not understand David's actions.
22. 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'.
David trusted that God would be gracious and he sought His face. He prayed, he wept, he fasted and he lay prostrate on the ground. David did these things in absolute faith that his Father in Heaven would do what was good in His sight. When David finally understood that the death of the child was a decree and required, he accpted with joy the Father's decision. How do I say with Joy? David did not idly consider for one moment what could have been different, nor did he lament the death of the child but understood with stern recognition that it was the will of the Father to take Him and that it is the will of the Father for David to come to the child and not the reverse.
Immediately David cleansed himself and ate food. This case can be made obviously in David's calm response to his servants. They expected him to fly off the handle. Yet, he responds with the peace and contentment given to the servants of God when His will is accomplished.
23. But now that he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again?
I will go to him, but he will not return to me.
In summary, There was a high cost for the sin, but the ulimate result is a measure of what is in the heart...not the sin. David's sin led to his face being on the ground in worship of God; this is how we know we're sons of God. This is how we know that we serve the Most High God and that He is gracious beyond all comparison.
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