Prophecy of the Sword
2 Samuel 12:1-12
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
12 1 and he sent Nathan the prophet to tell this story to David:
A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town.
2 The rich man owned a lot of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had only one little lamb that he had bought and raised. The lamb became a pet for him and his children. He even let it eat from his plate and drink from his cup and sleep on his lap. The lamb was like one of his own children.
4 One day someone came to visit the rich man, but the rich man didn’t want to kill any of his own sheep or cattle and serve it to the visitor. So he stole the poor man’s little lamb and served it instead.
5 David was furious with the rich man and said to Nathan, “I swear by the living Lord that the man who did this deserves to die! 6 And because he didn’t have any pity on the poor man, he will have to pay four times what the lamb was worth.”
7 Then Nathan told David:
You are that rich man! Now listen to what the Lord God of Israel says to you: “I chose you to be the king of Israel. I kept you safe from Saul 8 and even gave you his house and his wives. I let you rule Israel and Judah, and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much more. 9 Why did you disobey me and do such a horrible thing? You murdered Uriah the Hittite by having the Ammonites kill him, so you could take his wife.
10 “Because you wouldn’t obey me and took Uriah’s wife for yourself, your family will never live in peace. 11 Someone from your own family will cause you a lot of trouble, and I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes. He will go to bed with them while everyone looks on. 12 What you did was in secret, but I will do this in the open for everyone in Israel to see.”
Remember the old says, “…what is
done in the dark will so up in the light”? We shall never take likely some of
these sayings because it appears that many have come from the Great Prophets of old.
It seems to have been a great
while after David had been guilty of adultery with Bath-sheba before he was brought
to repentance for it. For, when Nathan was sent to him, the child was born (2 Sam. 12:14), so that it was about nine
months that David lay under the guilt of that sin, and, for anything that
appears, un-repented of.
But, during these nine months, we
may well suppose his comforts and the exercises of his graces suspended, and
his communion with God interrupted; therefore, after Nathan had been with him,
he prays, Restore unto me the joy of thy
salvation, and open thou my lips, Ps. 51:12, 15. Shall we observe?
12-5-12 Learn to see sin as God does. Seek to
develop within yourself a godly hatred for sin.
12-1 Nathan’s confrontation with David
occurs about one year after the incident with Bathsheba and the murder of
Uriah. Ps. 51 was written by David during this time.
12-3 The keeping of a lamb as a house
pet was a common thing in Israel. To forcibly steal such a pet was considered a
heinous and unthinkable crime.
12-6 To restore…fourfold was according
to the demands of the Law (Ex 22.1). That David could be such a moralist
against the rich man in the parable, while at the same time hiding his own sin,
illustrates the deceitfulness of sin.
IN CLOSING
Dear Friends, remember this: though God
may suffer (permit) HIS people to fall into sin, HE will not suffer them to lie
still in it. He went on
forwardly in the way of his heart, and if left to himself, would have wandered
endlessly, but
(saith God) I have seen his ways, and will heal him, Isa. 57:17,
18. Oh,
hallelujah! He
sends after us before we seek after him, else we should certainly be lost.
…to
be cont’d
In Christ,
Janet
Irene Thomas
Playwright/Director/Screen
Writer
Producer/Gospel
Lyricist/Author
Founder/CEO
Bible
Stories Theatre of
Fine
& Performing Arts
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