II SAMUEL 12:1-14 Lesson #12
PROPHETIC CONFRONTATION
I. Introduction:
Q Does it seem like certain people get away with things in our society much more than others?
Q What type of person seems to get away with breaking the rules most?
Q Does David get away with his sin with Bathsheba?
Q Who stops David?
An = It seems that from the human standpoint, it was Nathan, but really it was God. Let us look closely to see how it was done.
II. The Prophetic Confrontation: II Samuel 12:1-12.
A. The “Judgment-Eliciting” Parable: II Samuel 12:1-6.
>>>> Have someone read II Samuel 12:1-4.
Q Who sent Nathan to David? Whose idea was it to confront David?
An = The Lord sent Nathan. Matthew Henry, p.341, reminds us that “He sends after us before we seek after Him, else we should certainly be lost.” David did not seek to get right with God. As in the first story of sin in the Bible, it is God who searches again for sinful mankind.
Matthew Henry, p. 341, also notes: “during all that time, it is certain, he penned no psalms, his harp was out of tune, and his soul like a tree in winter.”
Q What is the subject of this parable? Is it about sex? What is the type of sin, that the listener has to make a judgment on? (Gordon, 256).
An = Nathan’s parable is not about sex, but about the abuse of power. It is about oppression. The abuse of a rich and therefore more power man against a weaker man or a poor man. The greatness of David’s sin was not that he had sex with another man’s wife (as bad as that is), but that a more powerful man (a king) was a “taker” from a less powerful person (a soldier).
>>>> Have someone read II Samuel 12:5-6.
Q How does David react emotionally?
An = With anger. It shows that David still has a soul. His harsh statement in 12:5 is either an over-statement made in the heat of passion or “he is characterizing the man’s behavior” (McCarter, p. 299). The phrase in Hebrew behind the phrase “the man who did this deserves to die!” is literally the man who did this is a son of death. David is not necessarily pronouncing a death sentence, but he is saying the man is a real “rotter”.
Q What is the amount of restitution that David demands?
An = It is fourfold. Verse six is a specific judgment given on the basis of judicial precedent. >> Have someone read Exodus 22:1. David is acting on a legal precedent drawn from the Law of the Torah.
B. Nathan’s Interpretation of the Parable and Sentence of David: II Samuel 12:7-12.
>>>> Have someone read II Samuel 12:7-10.
Q Is Nathan intimidated to speak to the most powerful warrior king in his region?
An = No, he is not! “You are the man!” says it all. This is classical prophetic confrontation in the Bible.
Q Is even the greatest king in Israel’s history, the man after God’s own heart, above the Law?
An = No matter who you are, you cannot kick around the poor and get away with it. No matter what David’s secular or spiritual status, he too has to respect the rights of those under his leadership.
Q What is the Lord saying to David in 12:7-8?
An = This is a five fold review of the Lord’s past blessing in David’s life. The Lord anointed David, delivered David, gave him Saul’s house, gave him Judah and Israel and would give him even more.
Q What is the difference between God and David in this instance?
An = God is a giver and David has become a taker.
Q What does the Lord accuse David of in 12:9?
An = He has despised the Lord. When you hurt the weak you despise Almighty God. Let me explain why. David was in a position of power. He had influence, authority and strength. God is in the ultimate position of power. He has infinite influence, authority and strength. If we misuse power and hurt others we are the exact opposite of God. When a man misuses the authority the Lord gives him, he spits in the face of God. He despises the Lord.
Q To what positions of authority does this apply?
An = This is true of fathers, of ministers, of trustees, of Sunday School teachers, of deacons, of politicians, of business owners, of foremans, of supervisors, of school teachers, of any position of authority.
Q According the 12:10 what is the substance of the verdict?
An = The sword shall never depart from David’s house. The reasons for the verdict are that David despised the Lord and specifically he did so by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite.
C. The Detailed Description of the Judgment For Oppression: II Samuel 12:11-12.
>>>> Have someone read II Samuel 12:11-12.
Q What is David’s penalty for misusing the rights of a foreigner?
An = I believe his penalty is twofold. 1) David ruined the house of Uriah and now God says the David’s own house shall betray him. We will later see how the Lord carries this out. 2) David shamed the sexual honor of Uriah and the same dishonor will happen to David. David will have his “wives” taken before him, except it will be done publicly, instead of the private manner in which David humbled Uriah.
III. The Response: II Samuel 12:13-14.
>>>> Have someone read II Samuel 12:13-14.
Q What is David’s response?
An = It is a true confession.
Q Are excuses given?
An = No extenuating circumstances are cited, no rationalizations are offered. David owns his own action. He just says he is wrong.
Q Against whom did David think he had most seriously sinned against?
An = It is against the Lord. He betrayed his Lord.
Q Could David have had another reaction?
An = 1) David was an oriental king. A lesser man than David would have killed Nathan. David shows he really is a “man after God’s own heart”. 2) David’s reaction to confrontation by a prophet of God is markedly different than that of Saul.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 15:14-15; 15:19-21; 15:24-25. Saul gives various excuses and is always trying to give rationalizations. He repents in 15:24, but then blames peer pressure and still wants some concessions from Samuel in 15:25.
In contrast, David merely says: “I have sinned against the Lord”.
Q What is the difference between how Saul and David ended up?
An = Saul was removed from kingship and David found mercy in 12:13.
Q What is the Bible trying to tell us when we are guilty of sin?
An = The fruit of repentance is grace.
Q Do you think David hated Nathan?
An = >>>> Have someone read Proverbs 9:8. How we handle correction from the Lord is what makes us either a wise man or fool. >>>> Have someone read on in Proverbs 9:9-10.
Note: There is another possibly interesting twist to this relationship between Nathan and David. >>>> Have someone read I Chronicles 3:5.
Q What is the name of one of David’s sons by Bathsheba that is in the verses we have just studied?
An = One of the son’s names is “Nathan”. Interesting choice of names. Why would David name of his sons after the man who “nailed” him. Maybe because they were good friends.
>>>> Have someone read Luke 3:31. This is the lineage of Jesus Christ the Messiah, the Savior of the World.
Q Which of David’s many sons did the Lord choose to bring the messiah through for the salvation of the world?
An = According to Luke it was this Nathan, son of Bathsheba, possibly named after the prophet who “nailed” David’s pride, but also helped save his soul.
Note: Maybe this is proof that David really was a wise man. All of us sin, but not all of us react like David when we are caught.