2 Samuel 12:1-8
As we have been studying these last few weeks concerning King David’s sin’s which involves lust and adultery with Bathsheba and the deceiving dealings of Uriah and his murder. We are now at the point of the events where David, who had been covering his sins for over nine months is now confronted by the prophet Nathan who was sent by God to expose David’s sins and more. The last verse of chapter 11 tells us very clearly why the Lord sent Nathan to David, 2 Samuel 11:27 “But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.”
The Story That Exposed David’s Sins,
2 Samuel 12:1-6
1 The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.” 5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
Nathan by telling this story to David, which was a spiritual allegory directly relating to David’s sins, was positioning David emotionally and spiritually for dealing with his unconfessed sins.
David from his experience in his younger years as a shepherd, could easily relate to the relationship of the poor family and the ewe (yoo) lamb or young female lamb. Verse 3b establishes the affectionate bond that the family had with the ewe lamb but it also touched David’s emotions. “He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.“
David not knowing that Nathan’s story was a spiritual allegory that directly related to him and his sins, became emotionally involved with the story. As we see in verses 5 and 6 David insisted to see that the poor family was given justice.
At this point, when reading scripture such as with this event, it is important to always recognize the spiritual principles or morals that can apply to our lives today. These will be indicated with italics. As with Nathain’s story told to David, God knows when and how to speak to us in order to get our attention when the time comes for us to come to terms with our unrepented sins.
With Nathain’s story there are important representations we need to take into account that even David did not realize when hearing Nathan’s story was who each character represented. David was the rich man. Uriah was the poor man. Bathsheba was the lamb that David had stolen. And finally, the “traveler” whom the rich man fed represents the temptation and lust that visited David on the roof and then after he sinned, controlled him. Another spiritual principle we can apply to ourselves from the story of 2 Samuel 12:1-6 is the following. When we yield to temptation and open the door of our hearts and or minds to sin, sin comes in as an invited guest and soon will take residence and becomes a controlling master of our lives.
David emotionally and immediately passed judgment on the rich man without realizing that he was passing judgment on himself. When there is unconfessed sin in our life, it is very easy to condemn and pass judgment on other people’s sins as David did with the rich man. Of all the causes of blindness to a person, the worst kind is that unforgiven sin makes us blind to ourselves.
What David did by condemning “the rich man” of Nathain’s story was exactly what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 7:1-5. However, it is important to note that many times when these verses are quoted by someone, they are taken out of their context and do not cite what Jesus said in its entirety. The words (sin) and (life) have been added to understand how what Jesus said applies to our lives. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust (sin) in your brother’s eye (life) and pay no attention to the plank (sin) in your own eye (life)? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck (sin) out of your eye (life),’ when all the time there is a plank (sin) in your own eye (life)? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank (sin) out of your own eye (life), and then you will see clearly to remove the speck (sin) from your brother’s eye (life).
Verses 5-6, 5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity. It wasn’t until Nathan stated how the rich man stole and killed the ewe lamb that David showed any response, “David burned with anger” at the other man’s sins! It is easy to be enraged at someone else’s sins, but how do we feel the same about our own unconfessed sins?
Stealing and killing a domestic animal was not a capital offense according to Mosaic law. Knowing the law, David insisted that four sheep had to be given to repay the owner whose lamb had been stolen. Exodus 22:1, If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. However, what David did to Uriah was worthy of death but David disregarded that statute because he knew that it applied to his act of sin. Leviticus 24:17, If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death. In addition, David probably knew very well that both he and Bathsheba should have been stoned to death for their sins. Leviticus 20:10, If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife — with the wife of his neighbor — both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. By coveting, committing adultery with Bathsheba, and committing murder, David had broken three of the Ten Commandments, which he thought no one would find out and he could get away with it! Psalms 69:5, O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you.
When Nathan’s story succeeded to get David’s attention, Nathan exposed David’s sins by saying in verse 7a, Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! In verses 7b to 9 is God’s direct response through Nathan with its 6 points that directly relate to what David received from God but he disrespected and dishonored all that God had done for him and given him because of his sins.
2 Samuel 12:7b-8, 7b This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 1) I anointed you king over Israel, 2) and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 3) 8 I gave your master’s house to you, 4) and your master’s wives into your arms. 5) I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. 6) And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Sin causes us to forget who God is and what God provided for us in the past and makes us blind to His love, grace and provision for the present and the future.
David thought that no one knew about his sins, he was wrong. Our unconfessed and unforgiven sins are always known by God. There is no sin we commit which is hidden from God’s sight.
Psalms 139:1-4 (NLT), 1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
When God deals with us about our unconfessed sin, we think no one else knows about, even though it is embarrassing and His rebuke is hard to endure we need to realize that God loves us and wants to reestablish the relationship we had with Him before we sinned. We need to remember God loves us even when we did not yet love Him. Romans 5:8, But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Christ gave His life and resurrected from the dead so we could have an eternal relationship with God. This is why God used Nathan to expose David’s sin; it was to restore him into a right relationship once again with God that he once had before he sinned.
Pastor John
Colossians 1:19-22 (NLT), 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
