2 Samuel 12 (Listen)
Nathan Rebukes David
12:1 And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms,1 and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 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. 9 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. 10 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.’ 11 Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD,2 the child who is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.
David’s Child Dies
And the LORD afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
Solomon’s Birth
24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him 25 and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah,3 because of the LORD.
Rabbah Is Captured
26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city. 27 And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters. 28 Now then gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name.” 29 So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it. 30 And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent4 of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount. 31 And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes and made them toil at5 the brick kilns. And thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
[1] 12:3
[2] 12:14
[3] 12:25
[4] 12:30
[5] 12:31
(ESV)
2 Samuel 12 Commentary
In 2 Samuel 12, God sent Nathan to confront David with a parable about a rich man who stole a poor man’s only lamb. David was outraged, but Nathan revealed, “You are the man!” and declared God’s judgment: the sword would never leave David’s house, evil would arise from within his family, and his wives would be publicly taken because David had taken Uriah’s wife and arranged Uriah’s death (2 Samuel 12:1-12).
David confessed his sin, and though the Lord forgave him, the child born to Bathsheba would die (2 Samuel 12:13-14). The child became ill and died after 7 days of David’s fasting and pleading (2 Samuel 12:15-18). David then worshiped God, accepted the child’s death, and explained he could not bring him back (2 Samuel 12:19-23). Later, Bathsheba bore Solomon, whom the Lord loved and named Jedidiah through Nathan (2 Samuel 12:24-25). Meanwhile, Joab captured part of Rabbah and called David to finish the conquest. David led the final assault, claimed the crown, plundered the city, and returned to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 12:26-31).
The Grace Of God
First, we must understand the significance of David’s choices. By law, he had earned a death sentence (Lev 20:10, Deut 22:22). God, in His mercy, allowed David to live. This grace extended to David is mirrored in God’s grace to Israel as well as God’s grace to all believers through Jesus Christ. However, this does not mean there were not consequences.
The Consequences Of Sin
Nathan reminded David of the many blessings God had given him: His position as king, protection from Saul, possessions (including Saul’s house), royal prestige (rights over Saul’s wives), and control over Israel and Judah. Despite these blessings, David had shown contempt for God’s Word by committing adultery with Bathsheba and orchestrating Uriah’s death.
What has God given you? Have you shown contempt for His blessings?
David’s sin was not just against God but also against Uriah and Bathsheba, as his actions caused harm to others. Although David might have tried to blame the Ammonites for Uriah’s death, God made it clear that David himself was responsible. As a consequence, the sword would never leave David’s house, signaling violence within his family, leading to the premature deaths of four of his sons. This is heartbreaking.
David’s offenses were deeply personal against God, as he had despised not just God’s law, but God Himself. This highlights the inseparable connection between God’s Word and His presence, demonstrating the seriousness of violating the covenant.
“The sword never did depart from David’s household: the baby died; Absalom killed Amnon, who had ruined Tamar (2Sa 13:1-39); then Joab killed Absalom (2Sa 18:9-17); and Adonijah was slain by Benaiah (1Ki 2:24-25). Fourfold! Add to these trials the awful ruin of Tamar, the shameful treatment of David’s wives by Absalom (2Sa 12:11; 2Sa 16:20-23), plus the rebellion of Absalom, and you can see that David paid dearly for a few moments of lustful pleasure. He sowed lust and reaped the same; he sowed murder and reaped murders, for “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal 6:7).”
Warren Wiersbe
Nathan & David
Nathan was a man of God. We all need friends like Nathan. He boldly confronted the most powerful man in Israel, and did it without hesitation. The story is gripping as you can feel David’s emotions boil over when he hears of the treachery that was done to the poor man in Nathan’s story.
“David sounds like a preacher, doesn’t he? It is so easy to preach to the other person, tell him his faults, analyze him, and tell him what to do. Most of us are amateur psychologists who put other people on our own little critical couches and give them a working over. That is David. David says, “Wherever that man is, we are going to see that justice is done.””
J. Vernon McGee
Nathan’s reply is simple, but true. “The man is you.” David’s response was rare by human standards. He immediately owned his sin and took full responsibility.
“David’s confession came with immediacy, without denial, and without excuse; the Lord’s forgiveness was equally direct and unrestrained. It also was without cost: forgiveness was granted the king without requiring him first to make animal sacrifices or give great gifts to the Lord. In an unadorned fashion Nathan responded to David by declaring that “the LORD has taken away your sin.””
The New American Commentary
Sometimes the most loving and Godly action we can take is to help someone else see their own sin. Nathan did this, however, the key is that he did it in God’s timing. How many Christians today go around calling out the speck in their brother’s eye while they have a log in their own? It is easy to see the sin in others rather than in ourselves, and this is why David needed Nathan. This was a pivotal moment in David’s life, and he owes a great deal of thanks to his friend Nathan who loved him enough to call him out.
Do you have trustworthy people in your life who will call you out when your vision is clouded by sin?
David Didn’t Hide
It is a human response to hide from God after we know we are guilty of sinning against Him. It happened in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. The shame causes separation and we start to believe that God could never love us again. David makes a significant decision in verse 20. After his child dies, he cleans himself up and he goes and worships the Lord. Imagine how difficult this would have been after everything that has happened.
During a time when even his servants were afraid of how he might react, David regrouped. His reaction surprised everyone. Instead of reacting recklessly, he chose to worship God. After his son died, David cleaned himself and went to the house of the Lord to worship, prioritizing his relationship with God over his personal grief. His servants were confused by his actions, but David explained that he hoped God, in His mercy, might spare the child’s life, which is why he fasted and prayed.
However, when the child died, David accepted it as God’s will, understanding that God’s justice and compassion were both at play. The child’s death did not reflect a lack of love from God but affirmed the truth of God’s Word through Nathan. David recognized that his relationship with God remained unchanged, and though he mourned, he knew he would eventually be reunited with his son.
Do you go to the Lord in worship even after you know that you have sinned against Him? David penned Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 as a response to this bitter experience.
