2 Samuel 12

J. Vernon McGee · Citado em PreceptAustin

2 Samuel 12

Vernon McGee points out, “God’s man may get into sin, but he will not stay in sin. That is the difference which distinguishes God’s man from the man of the world. The sheep may fall into the mud, but he will struggle out of it as soon as he can. A pig will stay in the mud and enjoy it.” Swindoll - We need to remember that, like many sins, David’s were carried out secretly—at least for a while. One of the things that accompanies the promotion of individuals to higher positions of authority is an increase in privacy. This closed-door policy maintained by those in high office brings great temptation for things to be done in secret. Unaccountability is common among those in command. So it was with David. Unable to handle the privacy of the office over the long haul, David finally fell and rapidly went about covering his tragic tracks. It was done secretly. The second thing I would say about the acts of David is that they were done willfully. This was not a momentary mistake. He didn’t stumble into the sin. He willfully and knowingly walked into the sin with Bathsheba, killed her husband (at least indirectly), and deliberately lived a lie during the months that followed. (Borrow David Man of Passion and Destiny) ESV Study Bible - The “parable” (2Sa 12:1-4) is similar to the plea of the wise woman of Tekoa in 2Sa 14:1-33 and that of the prophet in 1Ki 20:35-43. In all these cases, it is pointed out to the king that his own actions do not match his judgments. (Borrow ESV Study Bible) David Guzik offers a warning related to the chapter - David’s sin displeased the LORD but David didn’t listen to the conviction of the Holy Spirit or to his conscience. Now God sent someone else to speak to David. God mercifully kept speaking to David even when David didn’t listen.i. Yet no one should presume God will speak forever to the unrepentant sinner. God said in Genesis 6:3, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever.” When we hear or sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we must respond to it immediately, because it might not always be there. The LORD sent Nathan to David - Note that Jehovah was mentioned in 2 Samuel 11 only in the very last verse of that chapter (2Sa 11:27), but here in 2 Samuel 12 God actively intervenes in David's dark digression into sin. Nathan did not volunteer for this mission, but was sent by Yahweh! Notice he was not sent until almost 12 months after David's sins, but he was sent. James says "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (Jas 1:17+) The prophet Nathan was God's good gift of grace to His sin soaked servant David, for there is no variation in our God and He must judge David's sin which is why for months while David "kept silent about (his) sin, (his) body wasted away through (his) groaning all day long, for day and night Thy hand was heavy upon (him), his vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah." (Ps 32:3-4+). What a contrast is this visit by Nathan with the prior visit in 2 Samuel 7 when he prophesied the Davidic Covenant, one of the greatest prophecies in the Old Testament. Sent (shalach) is a Hebrew verb used over 800 times in the OT, but in this context means to dispatch a man on a mission with a specific purpose. Notice that it was not David who summoned the prophet but God Who took the initiative. David was in sin and hardly in a position to desire or to seek a rebuking word from a prophet. The truth is that sinners never seek God, until He seeks us. The fact that God loved David enough to send Nathan should encourage all of us. We have all committed willful sins (not referring to sins of ignorance) and been ensnared by the "cords of deception" of those sins. (cp Pr 5:22+, Pr 1:31+, Isa 3:11+, Jn 8:34; Ro 6:16+, 2Pe 2:19+). But we can be sure that God is the same today as He was in David's life (Mal 3:6+, Heb 13:8+) and He will not leave us in our sin but will send a "Nathan" to call us to confession and repentance and to restoration of our spiritual senses that had been dulled by the lies of the sin and Satan (2Ti 2:24, 25, 26+) that so easily entangled us (Heb 12:1+). God will not allow us to remain in our sin! WHO IS YOUR NATHAN? Nathan - His task was far from enviable one in having to confront and rebuke the guilty king alone, face to face. Few things are more difficult and trying than to be called upon to reprove an erring brother, but it is every believer's mandate (see Gal 6:1, 2, Pr 25:11, 12). Add to this case the fact that it was the King who had absolute authority of life and death who needed reproof for his sins of adultery and murder (cp Pr 16:14). We do well to not underestimate the courage and boldness of the prophet Nathan. J Vernon McGee said that "In my judgment he is the bravest man in the Bible. I know of no one who can be compared to him." Nathan clearly was a loyal friend to David, one who was willing to speak the truth in love... Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. (Pr 27:6) We need to recall that Nathan is the same prophet God sent to promise David a descendant (a prophecy fulfilled in the Messiah) and a kingdom that would endure forever (prophecy of the Messiah's coming kingdom - 2Sa 7:12-16+). David surely remembered this great blessing Nathan had prophesied regarding the Davidic lineage and this would have given the prophet even greater credibility with David. THOUGHT - If we are constantly criticizing others or expressing a judgmental spirit, we are hardly opening a door of opportunity to speak the truth to them in the future should that need arise. Let's practice the "Nathan approach" and we are much more likely to be received by those we feel led to reproof for their sinful behavior! Matthew

2 Samuel 12

2 Samuel 12:1-14

Vernon McGee wrote that... When I was a pastor in downtown Los Angeles, there were many times when some unbeliever or skeptic came to me and said, “How could God choose a man like David?” They would actually leer at me while waiting for my reply. The enemy is still blaspheming. God is going to take David to the woodshed. (2 Samuel 12:10-21 Mp3) This passage reminds one of the prominent Christian ministry scandals in recent years which have brought great shame to the church of God. Each time a prominent servant of God has fallen into sin, the news media seems to have relished telling the lurid details. The child...shall surely die - Who sinned? David. Who was forgiven of his sin? David. Who died? David's child. Why? Is God being fair? Always! And neither Nathan or David accuse God of being unfair. They see the child's death as congruent with David's sin - David slept with Bathsheba who did not belong to him and brought forth new life which cannot belong to David. Steve Zeisler Let me make a couple of observations in conclusion. First, the record suggests that David was never again a great king. He had been a remarkable ruler and a brilliant general, but he declined in stature from this time forward. On the other hand, he grew and deepened as a man of God. Most of the psalms people have loved in every generation for three thousand years were written as David reflected on what he had learned throughout his life. David was restored as an intimate of God. He was once again the sweet singer of Israel. He could lead others in genuine worship and offer hope to the failed and broken. History does not remember David as a failure. Neither Jews nor Christians, when they tell David's story, turn primarily to this account. It was not the center of David's life story. He was a man whose life is summarized more by his psalms than by his failures, a man who wrestled with God, a man who loved God. He is, by any standard, one of the greatest and most influential figures in human history. My son is named David in honor of King David. The only thing Nathan had to persuade David with was God's word, and David assented. He could have refused. But the voice of one man saying God's words changed everything. (YOU HAVE DESPISED THE WORD OF THE LORD) ><>><>><> NAIL HOLES - "I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin." - Psalm 32:5 All sin carries a price tag. Its consequences may range from minor to major, but the bill always comes due. Somebody always pays. There's a story about a boy whose father pounded a nail in the barn door every time the boy did something wrong. Soon there were many nails. Then one day the boy accepted Christ as Savior and began living for Him. To impress upon his son the wonder of being forgiven, the father took him to the barn and pulled out every nail from the door. "That is what it means to have all your sins forgiven," he said. "They are gone forever." The boy was deeply impressed. Then looking at the door he asked, "But Father, how can I get rid of the holes?" "I'm sorry," said the father, "but they will remain." The psalmist David paid dearly for committing adultery with Bathsheba and engineering her husband's death to cover up his sin. Guilt sapped his strength (Ps. 32:3, 4). Even though he confessed his sin, and God "removed the nail," David carried with him a deep sorrow (2Sa 12:15 16 17). But this did not rob him of the blessedness or forgiveness. How blest is he whose trespass Has freely been forgiven, Whose sin is wholly covered Before the sight of heaven.-- Psalter Although God heals the wounds of sin, scars may remain.