Bible 203: David and Nathan

2 Samuel 11:26-12:15a

GETTING UP TO DATE

Last Sunday

We’re getting close to finishing this “semester’s” study of the monarchy in Israel

We’ve walked with the Children of Israel through ups and downs of kingship

Last Sunday we read the story of David and Bathsheba > with new eyes

We did not make scapegoat of Bathsheba > blame it all on her

We did not rationalize David’s actions > claim Uriah was abusive

And we did not romanticize the story > gloss over facts and pretend “true love”

We discovered that David made three serious mistakes

1. Did not keep “the main thing the main thing”

Should have been leading his troops > stayed at home instead

2. Took what was not his

Bathsheba was Uriah’s wife > he knew that

3. And tried to cover up his mistakes

In the process > many men died > he just blew it off

Last Sunday’s story was not a pretty picture > but it provided a lesson for us

If we aim at pleasing only ourselves > innocent people get hurt

Today’s story

There’s not any “catching up” to do today > no time has passed between last Sunday and this

David thought no one would notice

He thought he was the one to send for and take what he wanted > Wrong!

God noticed > now it is God who sends and it is Nathan who speaks

And David, who is accustomed to being in control > can only sit and listen

Even though the numbering goes from Ch. 11 to Ch. 12 > the story-teller never skips a beat

Read 2 Samuel 11:27b-12:15a

The rest of the story

You probably know the rest of the story > the child did die

And before long Bathsheba and David had another son > named him Solomon

Solomon would become the next King

WHAT IT MEANS TO US

This story asks two very important questions, two interesting answers, and a lesson for us

1. Are bad things that happen to us God’s punishment for our doing something bad?

2. What should we do when we’ve done something horribly wrong?

Let’s take them one at a time

First question: Are bad things that happen to us God’s punishment for our doing something bad?

If this were true/false > MY answer to the first question is FALSE

[you may want to disagree

but my answer is bad things that happen to us are not God’s way of punishing us]

Granted, the text clearly puts these words of God in Nathan’s mouth: 2 Samuel 12:13b-14

But there is good reason > at least, it seemed like good reason back then

These were the days when there was no knowledge of chemistry

Or astronomy or even much about geography

They thought Earth was flat. Period. Went from horizon to horizon.

And they believed God was responsible for everything

Remember, too, that these stories were not put in writing until much later

Hundreds of years later

And scholars often believe storytellers interpreted events backwards

i.e., so much tragedy happened to this family

they must have done something to deserve it > God punished them

Bit like the Kennedy family

Incredible successes and failures

Lots of grief and sadness and death

Someone could retell the story years later

And depending on how they understood God

Could add something very similar to explain later tragedy

“How we understand God” is the key

if we understand God as judgmental and punitive >

then God will kill an innocent child to make a point

if we understand God as loving and forgiving >

then God will make something good happen

even in the face of something as bad as the death of a child

who was conceived out of wedlock

Question: Are bad things God’s punishment for sin? Presbyterians don’t think so.

Which is why we have unison prayer of confession almost every Sunday

We believe sinning is as much a part of life as eating and sleeping

We’re supposed to get hungry > God provides food

We’re supposed to get tired > God provides rest each night and a day off

We’re supposed to sin > God provides forgiveness

Second question: What should we do when we DO do something bad or evil?

Follow David’s example

First: Confess

David said “I have sinned against the Lord!”

The 51^st Psalm is David’s confession > Read Psalm 51:1, 2, 3, 10, 12, 17

Second: Get on with life

Story continues that David was so distraught when the child got sick

Cried night and day > would not eat a thing

Servants afraid to tell him when the child finally died

Much to their surprise > he got up, washed his face, went on with business

I cannot believe it was all that easy for David > but ‘easy’ is not the point

‘doing it’ is the point

Recently I read about the fire that destroyed Thomas Edison’s laboratory

Incident wasn’t recent > I only read it recently > happened in 1914

Damage exceeded two million dollars; building only insured for $238,000

Much of Edison ’s life’s work went up in spectacular flames that December night.

At height of fire, Edison ’s 24-year-old son frantically searched for him among smoke

Found him calmly watching, asked “Where is your mother. Tell her to come here.

She’ll never see another sight like this as long as she lives.”

Next morning looked at ruins > “Great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up.

Thank God, we can start all over again.”

Three weeks later he delivered the first phonograph

QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND LESSONS

The two questions: Bad things are God’s punishment? & What should we do?

The two answers: No. & We should confess and get on with life

The lesson: We’re gonna make mistakes > some of them bordering on evil

But we cannot blame the bad that happens on God

Because God forgives us

Through Christ, the past is over and gone > the new is ever before us