Day 6

PUNISHMENT

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him." Hebrews 12:5

The courage and faithfulness Nathan displayed in confronting the king were admirable. In fact if the story were not so familiar we would wait with baited breath to discover his fate. He could have forfeited his life, been imprisoned or banished.

But the action of Nathan is equalled by the reaction of the king. God put his finger on the root of David's sin: "...thou hast despised me" and following his anger over the case put before him, David experienced a dramatic feeling of shame. In honest humility before all who were listening he admitted, "I have sinned against the Lord." It is a rare person who can so openly admit their fault. Would you have done it?

God can never excuse sin no matter what it's form or who commits it. David was the king, God's instrument and his representative. His wrongdoing brought God's name into disrepute and so God's disapproval of his actions had to be demonstrated. Bathsheba's baby died (2 Sam. 12:14,18) and the people understood it to be a judgement from Jehovah.

Why was this punishment appropriate? Why did God not give David the answer to prayer that he wanted? (2 Sam. 12:16)

Can you understand David's change in behaviour after the baby died? (2 Sam. 12:18-25)

How do you feel about the baby's death, remember the study on the death of Jonathan.

Why did God not reject David at this point? What is the important difference between David's sin and that of Saul?