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Episode 6
God’s Treatment of David (2 Sam 11-12)
David was appointed the king of Israel. One of the darkest nights of his soul was when he committed the sin of adultery, murder, deception and hypocrisy in 2 Samuel 11. David was on the rooftop when he saw the beautiful Bathsheba bathing. He summoned her to his palace and slept with her. David was not remorseful about his action. He thought that as the anointed king of Israel, he could do anything.
Having committed the sin, David tried to scheme his way out by sending Bathsheba’s husband Uriah home to sleep with his wife. But the scheme backfired because Uriah was a good soldier who put nation above self. Israel and Judah were at war with the enemies, so Uriah remained in the palace gate with the king’s servants. When King David heard that, he was upset because his strategy had backfired. So he invited Uriah to stay in the palace in Jerusalem for a feast and ‘made him drunk’ (2 Sam 11:13).
David had an ulterior motive. Since his plan A failed, David launched a sinister plan B to plot Uriah’s death. He sent Uriah with a letter to Joab, ‘Put Uriah opposite the enemy where the fighting is the fiercest and then fall back and leave him to meet his death’ (2 Sam 11:15). Again David thought that as the king, he could do anything including murder. He even deceived himself that he could be absolved from Uriah’s death by plotting it in a battlefield. It was a bold, genius but evil plan.
The Scripture tells us that ‘Joab during the siege of the city stationed Uriah exactly where the enemy had sharp shooters’ (verse 16). As expected, Uriah was killed. Joab sent David a despatch with news of the battle, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead’. David’s evil plan had apparently succeeded.
After Bathsheba mourned over her husband’s death, David made her his wife. It appears unlikely that David would have told Bathsheba that he murdered husband. If that was so, David also deceived her. David must have thought everything was over since Uriah was dead. But how wrong he was! The biblical writer ended by saying ‘… But what David had done was wrong in the eyes of the Lord’ (verse 12).
The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to confront David of his sin. Very tactfully, Nathan told David a story. There was a rich man who had large flocks and herds and a poor man who had only one ewe. The poor man’s ewe grew up with him, shared his food, drank from his cup and nestled in his arms. The ewe was like a child to the poor man. One day the rich man had a visitor. Although he had large flocks and herds, he was unwilling to serve any to the visitor, so he took and cooked the poor man’s lamb.
Before Nathan could finish the story, David burst forth with self-righteous indignation and swore, ‘As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He shall pay for the lamb four times over, because he has done this and shown no pity’ (2 Sam 12:5). Then Nathan said point-blank to David, ‘You are the man!’ (verse 6). Blinded by sin, David could not see that he was that man. Nathan told him directly what the Lord had said without mincing words (see verses 7-12).
Nathan told David that God had anointed him king and given him everything. If it were not enough, God would have added more. Instead of being contented, he killed Uriah the Hittite. Even though he borrowed another man’s sword to do it, God held him responsible. He also stole the dead man’s wife. By his actions, David despised the Lord, flouted the Lord’s word and did wrong in the eyes of the Lord. Because of his evil deed with the sword, his family would never be spared from the sword. His wives would be taken from him and given to other men before his eyes. What he did in private, the Lord would do
in public.
Convicted of his sin, David then said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’ (verse 13). Although he sinned against others, he recognized that ultimately it was against the Lord whom he had sinned. Thereafter, Nathan predicted that David’s next child would die. The prophecy came true. However, because David confessed his sin, ‘the Lord had laid on another the consequences of his sin; he will not die’ says the prophet Nathan. That was grace in the midst of judgement. How did God exercise grace on David?
First, even though God knew that one day David would sin grievously against him, he was still appointed as king. As an omniscient God, he knows everything. Yet he did not change his plan.
Second, David deserved to be stripped of his kingship for what he did but he was not.
Third, David deserved maximum punishment but it did not happen (cf what David himself said in 2 Sam 12:5). When God’s chosen ones like Moses and Saul committed less serious sins, their punishment seemed more severe.
Fourth, God could have punished David by exiling him or inflicting incurable diseases upon him, but he did not.
Fifth, if scholars are correct that the writers of Samuel and Chronicles had the same source, it is significant that the writer of Chronicles omitted this ugly episode in David’s life.
Sixth, in spite of all that David did by flouting God’s word, despising the Lord, doing wrong in God’s eye by killing Uriah and stealing his wife, he was still called ‘a man after my own [God’s] heart’ (Acts 13:22). Finally, the Lord Jesus Christ came from the Davidic line. The New Testament did not mention David’s sin but referred positively to David.
To put it plainly, King David the anointed One of God was a schemer, deceiver, cheat, murderer, thief and hypocrite. He was guilty on all counts and should have been stripped of his kingship and be replaced. But it did not happen that way. How do we explain all these? Just two words – God’s Grace.
Elisha and the Aramaeans (2 Kings 6:8-23)
The king of Aram was at war with Israel. Whenever the Aramaeans (Syrians) were about to attack Israel, God would reveal the enemies’ plan to the prophet Elisha who would then reveal it to the king of Israel. The enemy’s plan would surely fail. Since it happened so frequently, the king of Aram suspected a traitor in their midst. A wise army officer pointed the finger at Elisha. The king of Aram laid a trap to capture Elisha at Dothan. He sent a strong force there with horses and chariots by night and surrounded the town (2 Kings 6:14).
Early in the morning, Elisha’s attendant awoke and saw ‘a force with horses and chariots surrounding the town’ (verse 15). He asked Elisha what to do. Elisha replied, ‘Do not be afraid, for those on our side are more than those on theirs’ (verse 16). Then Elisha prayed to God to open the attendant’s eyes and he ‘saw the hills covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha’ (verse 17).
As the Arameans came to attack him, Elisha prayed to the Lord to ‘strike the enemies with blindness and they were all struck blind’ (verse 18). Elisha then told the enemies they were on the wrong road. They should follow him and he would lead them to the man they were looking for. Elisha then led them to Samaria. When they entered the town of Samaria, Elisha prayed to the Lord to open their eyes and let them see again and the Lord did (verse 20). Then only did the enemies realize they were in Samaria, their arch-enemy’s land. Elisha would not let the king of Israel destroy the enemies. Instead, he asked for a great feast to be prepared for them before allowing them to leave unharmed. Can you imagine preparing a feast for people who wanted to kill you? As if that was not enough, to also send them back with food and drink? That was grace in action.
David's Treatment of Mephibosheth (2 Sam 9)
One day King David asked Ziba a servant of Saul’s family whether any member of the family was still living. He wanted to show kindness to the family for Jonathan’s sake. Ziba replied, ‘there is still a son of Jonathan alive; he is a cripple, a lame in both feet’ (2 Sam 9:3). And David invited Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul, to his palace.
When Mephibosheth entered David’s palace, he paid obeisance to David (2 Sam 9:6). David told him he would show kindness and restore to him the estate of his grandfather. David also invited him to eat regularly at his table. Mephibosheth was surprised by David’s kind gestures since he knew that his grandfather Saul had tried to kill David.
So Mephibosheth prostrated himself before David and said, ‘Who am I that you should spare a thought for a dead dog like me?’ (2 Sam 9:8). He did not consider himself worthy to sit at David’s table. He even called himself a dog. In spite of all that Saul tried to do to him, David practised grace on his enemy’s grandson. We are also told that ‘Mephibosheth took his place in the royal household like one of the king’s sons’ (2 Sam 9:11).
With grace, David restored the estate of Saul to Mephibosheth and honoured him by having him eat regularly at his table. Above all else, David treated him like one of his own sons. It is significant to note that Mephibosheth sitting at David's table is mentioned four times (2 Sam 9: 7,10,11,13). It was a sign of honour to sit beside the king. David did not begrudge Mephibosheth for his family’s hostility. Instead he showered him with kindness. What a beautiful picture of grace in action! (1664 Words)
Discussion Questions
the Aramaeans?
Mephibosheth?