Saturday, May 29, 2004
2 Samuel 12 – Judgment on David
This is a story of both judgment and unmerited grace. In the course of the confrontation between God and David, David recognizes that he deserves to die for the crime he has committed. God does judge David, but the punishment is not strictly "just" in the human sense -- the illegitimate child is killed, but David lives and is given a new child, one whom God loves. Grace overwhelms judgment, because of the humility of David. But even so, the promise of the everlasting kingdom which God had given to David is not modified: it will be a kingdom that suffers from the sword – because, as the prophet Nathan explains:
2 Samuel 12:9 You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, ... of the Ammonites.
This section really opens with the concluding verse of the previous chapter:
NAU 2 Samuel 11:27b But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD.
This judgment of "evil" (ra) is the moral judgment reserved to God: "the fruit of the knowledge of good (tob) and evil (ra)." Here, we see God unveiled in his role of judge, about to visit the law of retribution against David, who has just established himself as the greatest king of the nation of God at its greatest extent.
NAU 2 Samuel 12:1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David.
Nathan had the unenviable task of speaking truth to power. In our modern context there is a guarantee (if fragile) of freedom of speech but this was a different situation entirely. Nathan wisely starts by indirection, appealing to David's sense of justice. In Quaker terms, he seeks "the witness of God within." He tells a moving story of a poor man, oppressed by a ruthless rich man. David is incensed, and says:
2 Samuel 12:5 "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die"
2 Samuel 12:7 Nathan said to David, "You are the man!
This is surely one of the most dramatic moments is Scripture when, through his prophet Nathan, God reasserts his sovereignty over Israel. To do this, he does not demand David’s life, but God does decree that David’s kingdom will suffer publicly the very injuries that he inflicted on Uriah in secret.
2 Samuel 12:11-12 Thus says the LORD: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. 12 For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun."
This judgment is played out over the next chapters. The JBS note reads:
"The punishments correspond to David's sins: Because he put Uriah to the sword, the sword will never depart from his house (alluding to the violent deaths of Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah in the following chs), and because he took Uriah's wife, his wives will be taken by another man (Absalom)."
David shows his greatness in immediately admitting his guilt:
2 Samuel 12:13 David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
Nathan said to David, "Now the LORD has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child that is born to you shall die."
The unnamed son of David and Bathseba is killed by the Lord. David is not free to enjoy the fruit of his sin. In fact, the child bears the punishment for David’s sin; he is David’s Jesus. The episode concludes with David consoling Bathseba and he "lay with her"; and they had another child, whom they named Solomon.
The story of David and Bathsheba teach us many things, but among them are:
1. Even the greatest ruler (even the greatest super-power) is subject to God’s judgment.
2. There is a symmetry to God’s justice: sexual sin begets sexual humiliation; violence begets violence. Jesus’ teaching applies to emperors as well as the rest of us: NRS Matthew 26:52 "all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Empire and militarism bear within themselves the seed of their own destruction.
3. Humility begets grace. David’s willingness to humble himself and accept God’s judgment, enables God to show him grace and continue to work with him.
2 Samuel 12:9 You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, ... of the Ammonites.
This section really opens with the concluding verse of the previous chapter:
NAU 2 Samuel 11:27b But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD.
This judgment of "evil" (ra) is the moral judgment reserved to God: "the fruit of the knowledge of good (tob) and evil (ra)." Here, we see God unveiled in his role of judge, about to visit the law of retribution against David, who has just established himself as the greatest king of the nation of God at its greatest extent.
NAU 2 Samuel 12:1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David.
Nathan had the unenviable task of speaking truth to power. In our modern context there is a guarantee (if fragile) of freedom of speech but this was a different situation entirely. Nathan wisely starts by indirection, appealing to David's sense of justice. In Quaker terms, he seeks "the witness of God within." He tells a moving story of a poor man, oppressed by a ruthless rich man. David is incensed, and says:
2 Samuel 12:5 "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die"
2 Samuel 12:7 Nathan said to David, "You are the man!
This is surely one of the most dramatic moments is Scripture when, through his prophet Nathan, God reasserts his sovereignty over Israel. To do this, he does not demand David’s life, but God does decree that David’s kingdom will suffer publicly the very injuries that he inflicted on Uriah in secret.
2 Samuel 12:11-12 Thus says the LORD: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. 12 For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun."
This judgment is played out over the next chapters. The JBS note reads:
"The punishments correspond to David's sins: Because he put Uriah to the sword, the sword will never depart from his house (alluding to the violent deaths of Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah in the following chs), and because he took Uriah's wife, his wives will be taken by another man (Absalom)."
David shows his greatness in immediately admitting his guilt:
2 Samuel 12:13 David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
Nathan said to David, "Now the LORD has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child that is born to you shall die."
The unnamed son of David and Bathseba is killed by the Lord. David is not free to enjoy the fruit of his sin. In fact, the child bears the punishment for David’s sin; he is David’s Jesus. The episode concludes with David consoling Bathseba and he "lay with her"; and they had another child, whom they named Solomon.
The story of David and Bathsheba teach us many things, but among them are:
1. Even the greatest ruler (even the greatest super-power) is subject to God’s judgment.
2. There is a symmetry to God’s justice: sexual sin begets sexual humiliation; violence begets violence. Jesus’ teaching applies to emperors as well as the rest of us: NRS Matthew 26:52 "all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Empire and militarism bear within themselves the seed of their own destruction.
3. Humility begets grace. David’s willingness to humble himself and accept God’s judgment, enables God to show him grace and continue to work with him.
Comments:
The relationship between telling someone that they have done something wrong while still letting them know that they are loved and can change is extraordinary. It is hard not to fall of the edge of one side or another of the grace-truth spectrum.
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