NATHAN CONDEMNS DAVID

Lesson 10

(NIV) NATHAN CONDEMNS DAVID DEVOTIONAL

Nathan was a prophet in the Bible who lived during the reign of King David in Israel. God spoke to David through Nathan on several occasions. Nathan was a member of David’s royal court and one of his closest advisers. Nathan apparently also knew Bathsheba well enough to speak to her about Adonijah’s attempt to usurp David’s throne from her son, Solomon (1 Kings 1:11) and to enlist her help in bringing the matter to the king. There are three or four stories in the Bible featuring Nathan that occurred during some of the darkest and most emotional times in David’s life. The first mention of Nathan establishes his relationship with David as a trusted adviser. David decides to build God a house, because the king is living in a beautiful cedar palace and thinks it wrong that the Ark of the Covenant should be housed in a lowly tent (the tabernacle). David tells Nathan about his plans to build a house for God, and Nathan says he should go ahead and do it because the Lord is with him (2 Samuel 7:2–3). Then God visits Nathan in a vision and tells him to return to David and inform him that God doesn’t need the king to build him a house; rather, God would establish David’s dynasty, through his son, forever. His son Solomon would be the one to build God’s house (2 Samuel 7:4–17). Nathan relays this important message to the king, and David utters a grateful and beautiful prayer to God for His grace (2 Samuel 7:18–29). The next time Nathan is mentioned, it is after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and brought about her husband’s death to hide her pregnancy (2 Samuel 12:1). At that point, David had made Bathsheba his wife and had seemingly gotten away with his sin, but the Lord knew about it and told Nathan to rebuke David. Nathan went to David and wisely told the king a fable about a rich man and a poor man: the rich man was visited by a traveler, so he took the poor man’s only possession, a little ewe lamb that he loved as a pet, to feed his guest—rather than taking a lamb from his own extensive flocks. David was enraged at the story and declared that the rich man had no pity and deserved to die. Nathan then points to David and says, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7). Nathan reveals that David’s sin was like that of the rich man, because David took away Uriah’s wife. Nathan then prophesies to David, in God’s own words: “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife” (2 Samuel 12:7–10). David confesses to Nathan that he has sinned against the Lord, and Nathan comforts him, saying that the Lord has forgiven his sin and that David’s life will not be required of him. Nonetheless, David’s child by Bathsheba was to die. David, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, pens Psalm 51 after this encounter with Nathan the prophet. After the death of David’s child, his wife Bathsheba became pregnant again, this time with a son whom they named Solomon. The Lord sent Nathan to David again, this time to say that the Lord loved his son Solomon, and they called Solomon “Jedidiah,” a name that means “beloved of the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:24–25). Solomon later built God’s house, the temple, and became an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. First Chronicles 3:5 reveals the fact that King David and Queen Bathsheba named one of their sons born to them in Jerusalem “Nathan.” No doubt, the child’s name is a reflection of the royal couple’s appreciation for the prophet Nathan’s faithfulness, friendship, and tough love through the years.

READING: 2 Samuel 12:1–9, 13–15 BACKGROUND

SCRIPTURE: 2 Samuel 12 2 SAMUEL 12:1–9, 13–15 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 must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” 7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.” 13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the LORD, the son born to you will die.” 15 After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.

Who wrote the book?

Together, 1 and 2 Samuel form one book in the Hebrew Bible. The Greek translation of the Bible, the Septuagint, was the first version to divide the material into two parts. Though named after its main character, the prophet Samuel, the book does not claim an author. However, Samuel may have written, and he certainly supplied, the information for 1 Samuel 1:1–24:22, which is a biography of his life and career up to his death. First Chronicles 29:29 notes that Samuel, along with Nathan and Gad, recorded the “acts of King David.” Evidence in the writing suggests that the books of 1 and 2 Samuel were compiled by someone from the prophetic school who used documents from Samuel, Nathan, and Gad.1

I. Tale of Two Men

(2 SAMUEL 12:1–6)

A. Contrasting Fortunes (vv. 1–3)

1a. The LORD sent Nathan to David.

Biblical narratives often present people’s actions without offering God’s evaluation of their deeds. But the writer of 2 Samuel could not resist the arresting understatement, “The thing that David had done displeased the Lord” (11:27). Nothing is known of the prophet Nathan other than what is recorded in conjunction with David’s reign (2 Samuel 7; 1 Kings 1; 1 Chronicles 29:29). Prophets existed in Israel’s history before the monarchy, but their number and role seem to have increased after a human king was enthroned. True prophets were called directly by the Lord (example: Jeremiah 7:1–8). Among their important roles was to hold Israel’s civil authorities in check (examples: 1 Samuel 13:11–14; 1 Kings 21:17–29). All in all, the prophet Nathan demonstrated respect for the Lord’s anointed and fear of the Lord that led him to take on a potentially suicidal mission before David.

Now God is the one talking to Nathan in a dream , remember on sunday when i said that God will talk to us one way or another and i did mention Dreams he will come to you in dreams and you can rest assure that you will know when he comes. so he came to nathan in a dream to go to david .

1b. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.

Nathan could have chosen a more direct approach to confronting David, but he chose to start with a parable. Old Testament prophets often used metaphors and symbolism to speak against evil in their nation (examples: Isaiah 5:1–7; Jeremiah 2:20–30) or even to entrap the king with his own ruling (2 Samuel 14:1–20; 1 Kings 20:35–43). The description of two men in a certain town primed David for a story of conflict. The fact that one [was] rich and the other poor further heightened the likelihood of conflict, especially of injustice based on disparity of power.

What Do You Think? How can a story help prepare a person to face a confrontation? Digging Deeper In what situations is this technique appropriate?

using Parables was something Jesus did a lot in the gospel’s when he spoke to the people and to the Pharisees and Sadducees it is to make them think so they can figure it out for themselves before the real explamation comes forth we sometimes start our conversations the same way when we are trying to help someone we start out with a story hoping they can understand before we tell the real thing like getting them prepared for whats really coming.

2–3a. “The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing

Since farm animals were an indication of wealth (example: 1 Samuel 25:2), the difference in power and status between the two men was made more apparent from the description of what both men possessed. Nathan’s choice of sheep and cattle as the principal indicator of wealth likely resonated with David, who grew up working as a shepherd for his family (16:11; 2 Samuel 7:8). It also set up the potential conflict between the two as more emotional than if only gold was at stake.

in a sense this is a story that David can relate to since he started out as a Shepard he knows the value of raising animals , this is to help David along to better understand where nathan was coming from so late say that this is a story protraying me and Van rounans . they were a rich family in warrenton that my Grand mother worked for and they had lots of land and cattle,money and i had had nothing . i had to work for everything i got. and still working.....

3b. “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.

With expert rhetorical flair, Nathan piled on more detail about the nearness and dearness of the one little ewe lamb to the poor man. David had protected his father’s sheep fiercely (1 Samuel 17:34–35). Nathan’s story would have stirred David’s sympathies even before the crime was revealed. Nathan’s story also contains hints at its meaning. That the sheep slept in the man’s arms alludes to David’s holding Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:4). That the sheep was like a daughter to him also hints at Bathsheba, whose name means something like “daughter of abundance.” For those in the know, it’s obvious what Nathan is getting at—but still not to David (see 12:5–6, below).

all this is trying to get David to have sympathy for the poor man or to the husband of Bathsheba which David still at this point didn't get it. but its obvious that this mans wife that David had taken meant more to Uriah than the man with the little ewe lamb.

B. Blatant Injustice (v. 4)

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.”

In the days before hotels and restaurants, it was unremarkable for a traveler to seek room and board from a private citizen. Any virtuous person, wealthy or not, in the ancient world practiced hospitality to prevent a stranger from becoming the victim of violence (examples: Genesis 19:1–11; Judges 19:16–28). The rich man followed convention by preparing a meal for the visitor (compare Genesis 19:3; Judges 19:20–21). But such hospitality, he may have reasoned (falsely), was the responsibility of the whole town, and not just himself. He therefore confiscated the poor man’s ewe lamb for the occasion. No one hearing the story would believe that the man was justified in this, especially given the wealth disparity between the two citizens. What Do You Think? What prevents you from taking advantage of others based on your relative privilege? Digging Deeper Instead of simply not taking advantage, what verses guide you in actively blessing others? this is a verse i found that can be applied for this lesson give good things to those who ask him! The Golden Rule 12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few Matthew 7:11-14

Matthew 7:11–14 KJV 1900

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

called the golden rule . it should have been practice backed then so the owner of the ewe lamb could still raise him as his pet since he was not in possession of a lot .and maybe the rich man would not have taken it .

C. Angry Verdict

(vv. 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 must die!

The differences in status and resources between the two men, combined with the rich man’s heartless action, made the guilt of the rich man appallingly clear. David’s initial instinct as judge was to pass the death sentence on the man for his egregious behavior, which ironically would be appropriate for both adultery and murder (Exodus 21:12; Leviticus 20:10), but not theft (Exodus 22:1–15; exceptions: 21:16; 22:2). so dvid as king was ready to put the rich man to death for his sin the rich man just went out and took what he wanted but not the poor man .

so us poor men probably could not have a chance to do this type of thing just some us could go out and take from another . ( like myself i have stolen a few things in my life but not like David did he was just ready to avenge the poor man.

6. “He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Perhaps realizing that death was not a prescribed punishment for the theft of a lamb, no matter how precious, David gave a more realistic verdict. Fourfold recompense is the stipulated penalty in Exodus 22:1 for stealing a sheep. David did not realize that he had stepped on a land mine that Nathan had planted. The psychological concept of projection can give some insight into David’s words here. Though he was not consciously thinking of his own sin, he could harshly rebuke someone else exhibiting the same kind of behavior. This suggests that David subconsciously was quite aware of his guilt and felt the shame of his actions but had not yet confessed it to himself or the Lord (see 2 Samuel 12:13a, below). What Do You Think? Why might you be inclined to judge someone more harshly for sins that you also struggle against? Digging Deeper How can you remove the “plank” from your eye in order to help with the “speck” in another’s (Matthew 7:3)?

now maybe David was thinking about his own sin but Nathan had made him think about what he did so david changed hie verdict all this is building up to the sin that David himself did....

II. Tale of the King

(2 SAMUEL 12:7–9) 0

A. The Guilty One (v. 7a)

7a. Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!

oh oh hear it comes

Clues in the surrounding text indicate that this conversation between Nathan and David took place months after the offenses occurred (see Lesson Context), on the occasion of the child’s birth (see 2 Samuel 12:14–15, below). By then David had had time to rationalize his sins away and bury them in his mind. But try as he might, he could not forget what he had done, and he now stood exposed before an all-knowing, all-seeing God (Psalms 11:4–7; 139:7–12). David himself was the rich man. AM I GUILTY? “Remember, we frequently have children on campus, so we all need to slow down in our driveway and parking lot.” I nodded in agreement as I read the email from the facilities manager. I had seen coworkers driving too fast around the road that curved to our office. I tried to suppress my irritation. Why can’t they just slow down? A few days later I pulled into the parking lot in a rainstorm. I saw headlights in my rearview mirror as I parked. The facilities manager was leaning his head out of the window as I stood in the rain. “David, you need to slow down,” he said. Flabbergasted, I mumbled an apology and retreated inside. It had never once entered my mind that the warning email might apply to me. But I was guilty. Why is it so hard to judge ourselves? The next time you encounter a call for changed behavior, put yourself in the hot seat. Are you guilty? —D. G.

now this is judging before you take a good look at what you have done. the same as getting the log out of your own eye before you talk about how big the log is in someone else eye. you never know whos is watching but i know who sees all >> do you?

B. The Blessed One

(vv. 7b–8)

7b. “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

Nathan reminded David of the favor that the Lord had shown him (see Lesson Context, above; see also lesson 2). Very clearly he must have remembered the day he was summoned from the pasture to be anointed as king (1 Samuel 16:1–13). He also could not forget his years of fleeing from Saul (21:10; 23:7–8; etc.). see what God can do for you and ask little of you but just remember what our God can do>>>>>>>>

8. “ ‘I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more/

For a new king to assume possession of the former king’s wives as well as his house was the apparent custom of the day. This does not mean that David married the women but, instead, that they were part of the package deal now under his control of Israel and Judah as Saul’s successor (2 Samuel 5:1–5). David’s acquisition of Saul’s harem was thus a blessing representing God’s giving him the kingship. And the list of blessings does not stop there! God gave David the promise of an ongoing dynasty and a name like the greatest men on earth (2 Samuel 7:9). How much more could David possibly want? And if all this had been too little, the Lord had more to give!

now talking about being greedy God gave all this to David and he still wanted more . so what did he do took something that was not his and so the story about the rich man was really about him be carefull but be thankful for what you have and not take more than what you need.. bottom line here.

C. The Ungrateful One

(v. 9

9a. “ ‘Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes?

Disobeying the Lord in the face of such extravagant evidence of favor was a wicked, sinful betrayal. In the course of events, David had violated the foundational commandments against coveting, adultery, and murder (Exodus 20:13–14, 17). you cant do evil in the eye of God and espect to get away with it remember what i said earlier God sees all....

9b. “ ‘You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.’ ”

For the first time, Nathan named Uriah the Hittite. He called Bathsheba only Uriah’s wife, not by her own name, emphasizing that David took a wife who was not his to take (see 2 Samuel 12:15, below; compare Matthew 1:6). The consequences listed in 2 Samuel 12:10–11 (not in today’s printed text) fit the crime (see also 2 Samuel 12:14, below). Because David had Uriah murdered by the sword of the Ammonites, the sword—representing military violence—would torment his own household (see fulfillment in 13:29; 18:14; 1 Kings 2:24–25). Since he took the wife of another man to be his own, someone close to him would now take his wives (see fulfillment in 2 Samuel 16:21–22). Man now the truth of why Nathan came to David has finally came out and all of the guilt of what david did is now in the open ,. what can be said about this i know that there are thing's cant be hidden from God so why didnt David think about this he just thought that it might go away. nope that's not how it goes when it comes to our God so repent your sins to god before its too late. don't be like David repent your sins before God sends someone to you. because when that happens its not gig to be easy to get around.

continue thursday III. Moving Beyond the Tales

(2 SAMUEL 12:13–15)

A. Confession (v. 13a)

13a. Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

Prophets often spoke truth to power only to find that power was not willing to listen (examples: 1 Kings 18:16–18; Jeremiah 36:1–26) or made excuses (example: 1 Samuel 15:13–21). But unlike Saul before him, David offered no excuses. Nor did he lash out at Nathan for denouncing him. Instead, he confessed the awful truth in the plainest language. Had he not sinned first against the Lord, the rest—Uriah, Bathsheba, and the countless others who would be affected by the consequences of his actions—would not have become his victims. David was anointed king because he was a man after God’s own heart (compare Acts 13:22). His confession here is surely one indication of why. Contrasting David with a later king, the Lord said that David had “followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes” (1 Kings 14:8). Similar statements about David’s wholehearted devotion to the Lord come in other comparisons (9:4; 11:6; 2 Kings 14:3; 18:3; 22:2). Only once later did the Lord add the qualifier, “except in the case of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kings 15:5). This should hearten the believer who continues to struggle against sin; confession allows the heart to once again be fully devoted to the Lord. With this admission of sin, David would at last begin to unburden himself. He had felt the weight of his sin in his bones (Psalm 32:3–4). David went on to write a penitential prayer for cleansing and restoration (Psalm 51). Confession was the first step on the path to forgiveness for David, and is for us (1 John 1:9). see

For my young daughter, stay-at-home orders represented her best defense against contracting COVID-19. She has chronic lung disease, so the virus could easily prove lethal for her. Even a simple cold could put her in the hospital, where she would be more at risk for exposure. Her home-health nurses still reported for their usual 12-hour shifts. But when one nurse mentioned that her own child had a fever, my wife and I were alarmed. We asked the nurse to return home until everyone in her household had been symptom-free for two weeks. It’s possible that we would have kept her on if we were comfortable that she understood our concerns. But instead we parted ways with the nurse. King David modeled the humility we were looking for when he acknowledged his wrongdoing. This opened the door for forgiveness and renewal of his relationship with God. Can you follow David’s example, or will you instead seek to justify yourself?

confession on sins will relieve us of our sins only if we truly are a believer in god and Jesus. I am a true believer because this happens with me when i sin and believe me we all still sin its something we can’t not help to do because we were born onto si all we can do is try not to . I’m not talking about a really bad sin I’m talking about the little ones we do like just thinking about especially when i thing about crazy things i want to do when i am driving at work or even in my car. Just dont do it .

C. Consequences

(vv. 14–15)

14. “But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the LORD, the son born to you will die.”

As king in Israel, David brought dishonor not only to himself but also to God. Not only had David’s sin of adultery snowballed into murder; it would cause enemies who already displayed utter contempt for the Lord (and possibly even people within Israel) to blaspheme God all the more (compare Matthew 18:6–7)! Far from shepherding the people in greater faithfulness to their God, David had demonstrated blatant disregard for God’s standards. The death of this innocent son is stunning as a punishment for David’s sin. But while it may seem to go against God’s own declaration that he does not punish the child for the parent’s sin (Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:20), we need not assume that the child’s death was a form of punishment for the baby. His death along with the record of Nathan’s prophecy would be concrete evidence to the nation that the Lord saw David’s sin and took it seriously. This example would, ideally, cause them to take their own sins seriously, knowing that God did not spare even his chosen king from discipline.

What Do You Think? How do open secrets concerning a person’s sins harm communities in which that person participates? Digging Deeper How can bringing those secrets to light help heal the damage?

Here we can see that God was not happy at all with What David did the same with us if we stay true to god then we should not not do anything aganist God’s will . you see great is the sin . So let us be true to the word of God so that nothing like this will happen to us. You will hear that saying and you call yourself a Christian a child of God… then maybe those around you will be saying how can I believe what you say and why should i as big of a sinner yo are !!!!!!!!

15. After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.

Bathsheba is again referred to as Uriah’s wife to highlight the depravity of David’s acts (see 2 Samuel 12:9b, above). For the next seven days, David would watch and pray as the child sickened and eventually died (12:16–20). A sense of God’s mercy and forgiveness would come with Solomon’s birth (2 Samuel 12:24–25). He continued the royal line that led to Jesus (Matthew 1:6–7). Through the prophet Nathan, the Lord confronted David. But the Lord did not give up on David or his enduring dynasty (1 Kings 11:38; Jeremiah 23:5–6; Acts 2:29–31). What Do You Think? How do you guard against reading every negative consequence of your actions as a punishment from God? Digging Deeper How can you minister to others who fear that God is most often angry with them?

Wow God dont play when it comes to not obeying him we have to obey God and his word . Let us not be a Cain you know the brother that killed his brother and just be mindful of the things we do on a daily no matter what But if we repent now in the name of Jesus God will forgive us thanks be to Jesus for being our way are our help in times good and bad so nothing like this will ever happen to us!!!Amen