Consequences: Daily Thoughts from 2 Samuel (2 Samuel 12:1-15)

I like to think I would love being a prophet of God, but then I imagine what it must have been like for Nathan, a prophet during king David’s reign, and what it must have felt like to be sent by God to speak truth to power about David’s sin. It was tempting death. Would David kill him? Even if he didn’t kill Nathan, would he banish him? Would he never call upon him again?

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. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 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, and it was like a daughter to him. 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.” 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, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

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. 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.’ 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. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 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. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.” Then Nathan went to his house. (2 Samuel 12:1-15a, ESV)

Does God know how you are going to fail as a leader? Of course. And yet He gave you leadership responsibility. He exalted you when you were humble. He will bring you down if you become arrogant.

It is not clear why God did not let David be punished according to the full consequences of the Law. He should have been put to death. But He clearly communicates to David that he will not die. However, despite his repentance, or perhaps because of it, Yahweh promises David that evil will attend his household and the sin he committed in private will be committed against him in public. David “despised” the word of Yahweh and “utterly scorned Yahweh” by his actions. David’s own sense of justice was witness against him as to how despicably he acted.

We know from some of the psalms David composed during this time in his life that this sin had weighed heavily on his heart, keeping him from sleep and health (Psalm 32:3,4). We know he realized that though he had sinned against Uriah, Bathsheba and his own family by committing adultery, his ultimate sin was despising and scorning God (Psalm 51:4, “Against You and You only have I sinned”). He chose to act contrary to God’s good law for us, trusting his own decision about the situation rather than God’s wisdom.  But, unlike Saul, he took responsibility for his sin and confessed it.

God is willing to forgive the sinning leader. But the consequences of our sin may remain. There is no private sin. God will send someone to us to expose our sin and this is an act of love on God’s part. So are consequences that are allowed to play out. God loves us and He will not allow sin to remain our companion.