Bible in one year 6/2/2022 2 Samuel Chapter 11-13 King David’s Adultery, Murder and God’s Judgment
By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce Christian Arts Ministries : Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling
2 Samuel Chapter11 David’s crimes within the kingdom, adultery and
murder
Chapter 11 -20 record David’s troubles in the area of morals, politics, and family relationships, and illustrates repeatedly the inevitable and devastating consequences of sin. In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. But David remained in Jerusalem. (v.1). One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful.(v.2). Oriental homes had an enclosed courtyard that was considered part of the house. Bathsheba, bathing herself by lamplight, was not immodest for she was in her house. There were three steps to David’s sin: (1) he saw (v.2); (2) he inquired (v.3); (3) he yielded to temptation (v.4). David was carried away by his lust, which gave birth to sin, which resulted in judgment (death.James1:14-15). Uriah the Hittite. Though a Hittite, Uriah must have worshiped Yahweh (the Lord), since his name means “Yahweh is my light”. David sent messengers to get her. Even he knew that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. She came to him and he slept with her. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying “ I am pregnant” (v.5). David now resorted to Uriah’s murder and coldly sent the letter of instructions by the victim himself. (v.14). David instructed Joab “to put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.” (v.15). Uriah the Hittite was killed by the Ammonites. Although sin may be concealed from the public, the omniscient God sees it. The thing David had done displeased the Lord.(v.27).
2Samuel Chapter 12 God’s Judgement on David; the Death of his Son
The Lord sent Nathan to David. Nathan the
prophet used a parable to lead David to condemn his own actions and bring about
repentance. (v.1). David himself deserved death for adultery (Lev.20:10) and
murder (Lev.24:17). “ Now therefore, the sword will never depart from your house,
because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.
This is what the Lord says, “ out of your own household I am going to bring
calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them
to one who is close to you and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.
(vv.10-11). These predictions of judgment were fulfilled in
the violent deaths of Amnon (13:28-29) and Absalom(18:15), and in Absalom’s
public appropriation of David’s royal concubines (16:22).
David said to Nathan, “ I have sinned against the Lord.” David’s confession (given fuller expression in
Ps.51) was immediate, as was God’s gracious forgiveness. Nathan
replied, “
The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by
doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son
born to you will die.” (vv.13-14). For the sake of God’s holy reputation among the nations,
the sin of adultery had to be judged. On the seventh day the child
died. David got up from the ground and stopped to fast, for the child
was dead. (v.18,20). Although the verse may lend support to the view that
infants who die are taken to heaven, the emphasis here is not on existence
after death, but on inevitability of death. The child could not
return to life, but David would someday join his son is death.
David
comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her, she gave
birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him, and because the
Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah
(vv.24-25), Jedidiah means “beloved of
the Lord”. The name marked Solomon as successor to the throne.
2 Samuel Chapter 13 The
fulfillment of God’s promised judgment on David. His the tragedy of his son
Amnon who raped his daughter Tamar.
The tragedy of the rape of Tamar and murder of
Amnon is clearly a fulfillment of God’s promised judgment on David for his sin
with Bathsheba(12:11). Amnon and Tamar were David’s children by
Ahinoam (3:2) and Maacah (3:3) respectively. Amnon was fell in love with Tamar, but frustrated, because A
marriage relationship with one’s half-sister was forbidden by the Mosaic
law(Lev.18:11). Amnon had a friend
named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. He suggested Amnon to
pretend ill, needed Tamar to come and give him something to eat. So David sent
word to Tamar at the palace, “go to the house of your brother Amnon and
prepare some food for him.” (v.7). So Tamar went to the house, and
served Amnon the bread, but he refused to eat, Amnon grabbed her and raped her.
Amnon’s love was really lust, which when gratified turned to hatred. “Tamar
put ashes on her head and tore the ornamented robe she was wearing. She put her
hand on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.”(v.19). When
King David heard all this, he was furious.(v.21). David was angry but did not
execute Amnon as he should have (Lev.20:17). This may be due to the fact that
Amnon was David’s firstborn. (1Chron.3:1) and would be expected to inherit the
throne. Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad. He hated Amnon
because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.(vv.21-22).Absalom quieted the
matter, determining to take revenge when Amnon least expected(v.22). Two years
later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of
Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there. (v.23).Abasalom ordered
his men to strike Amnon down, then kill him (v.28). Absalom had fled. Jonadab
perceived the truth and reassured the king David, “ This has been Absalom’s
expressed intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar…”(v.32).
King David gradually accepted the fact of Amnon’s death and became anxious to
see Absalom again. (v.39).
Bibliography,
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago,
IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986
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