v2 And here it is. Finally David's weakness in the area of women is going to be addressed by the Lord. And it will be painful to so many.
v3-4 He is used to taking what he wants. He already took one woman from a man who loved her--remember Michal? Why not do it again--especially when she is so beautiful, and right there for the taking!
v5 She must have been flooded with fear, uncertainty, remorse, shame, and anxiety. But I also wonder if part of her was excited to be having the king's child.
v8 Don't you want to know what the gift was that David sent to Uriah!?
v10 David's panic level must be rising as he discovers that his first plan is not going to work.
v13 Plan B--also foiled. The Lord knows how far David will go to cover his tracks. And He is going to let him. To address his sin in the worst possible way. There is so much more pain in the attempt to cover sin than in the exposure of it. But we tend to forget that in the moment.
v17 Uriah, who should have been honored and treasured for his loyalty to God and country, is murdered in the most cowardly way. And it wasn't even a private matter. Joab, and all the men ordered to pull back, knew the truth about Uriah's death.
v20-21 Joab made the murder look like a blunder in military tactic.
v25 David thinks he is being smooth and coy. Consoling his general after a disappointing event. I wonder if Joab felt smug, like a confidant of the king, or if the return message made him sick inside. After all, David had cursed his whole family for killing an actual enemy. Now he wants to use Joab to take out a valuable member of the military?!
v27 But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.
We can attempt to hide sin. Go to great measures to cover it up. But what good will that ever do when the Creator of the World can see it all? And He is the One actually running things here. It seems that David has forgotten that.
v1-4 Nathan's parable. It is a perfect look at David's situation, spotlighting greed and selfishness. But it is different enough that David has no idea that the story is about him. Like I mentioned before, David has shown restraint in every area of his life, except when it comes to women. That seems to be his blind spot, and Nathan is using that to prove his point.
v5 David is quick to judge something so much smaller than his own transgression.
v7-12 You are the man. God speaks though Nathan.
v8 If that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! God had not withheld any riches, glory, or power from David. He was willing to keep piling it on to satisfy him.
v11-12 The repurcussions of David's actions. This will come to be in only a few chapters. Because of David's lusts and indiscretions with women, his own son will bring shame to him and his wives.
Sin has a way of being passed down from parents to children. It is almost always that "blind spot" in their lives. The sin that is destroying generations is swept under the rug as "just something I'll always struggle with." Ask the Lord to reveal that blind spot to you, because when sin continues into the next generation, it almost always grows into something more dark and more destructive. You can break a family cycle.
v13-14 Just because there is forgiveness of sin, that does not mean we are free of the earthly consequences. God will not be mocked, and He took away this child to emphasize that.
v17-18 David in despair.
v20-23 An interesting perspective on death and mourning. So many times we wait until a person is gone to pay any kind of respects.
v24 Then David comforted his wife...
I love this picture of the king and queen in their chambers, starting their marriage over the right way, while comforting each other over their loss. There is a redemptive quality to it.
v25 Solomon--one of the few in Scripture who is given a special name from the Lord.
v29 David is waking up from a dark time in his life. Now joining his people at war, instead of staying home to make mischief.
Next time: II Samuel 13-14
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