The Consequences of David's Sin (2 Samuel 12)
It';s likely that once Uriah was out of the way David thought he had gotten away with something. But as you can see throughout the Bible, there is nothing that escapes God';s notice, particularly when it comes to his servants falling into sin.
God sent Nathan, a prophet of Israel, to see David and to tell him the story of two men — one rich and one poor — who lived in a certain town. The rich man had all the sheep and cattle he could want, while the poor man had one lamb that he and his children treated like a member of the family. One day the rich man had a guest he wanted to feed, but instead of killing one of his many animals for dinner, he took the poor man';s lamb, killed it, and cooked it for his guest (2 Samuel 12:1–4).
David was furious to hear of such an injustice and vowed to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity” (2 Samuel 12:5–6).
Psalm 51, one of many written by David, is his psalm of confession and penitence for what he had done in committing adultery with Bathsheba and murder against Uriah. The fourth verse of that psalm reads, “I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.”
But what David didn';t realize at that moment was that Nathan was talking about him and his sin against Uriah. “You are that man!” Nathan said. “The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master';s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife” (2 Samuel 12:7–9).
But this harsh word from God wasn';t all King David would have to face because of his sin. In addition, he would face the following consequences:
his family would “live by the sword” (2 Samuel 12:10)
his household would rebel against him (12:11)
his wives would be taken by another man (12:11)
all of Israel would know about the consequences he faced because of his sin (12:12)
There was nothing else David could do but confess his guilt, which he did. And when he did that, Nathan assured him that God had forgiven him for his sin and that he wouldn';t die. However, there was one additional consequence for David';s sin — that the child he had fathered with Bathsheba would die. And though David begged God to spare the child, it died.
David then comforted Bathsheba, who was now his wife, and they slept together, again resulting in pregnancy. This time the child born to David would live and grow to be a healthy boy and the next king of Israel: Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24–25).
Study Questions
Have you ever committed what you thought was a harmless sin only to see its consequences mushroom?
What can you learn from Psalm 51 in terms of your attitude toward God and others in repentance?
