My Daily Meditation
Today’s Reading
The Second Book of Samuel
Chapter 12:1-31
Friends, and brethren in Christ:
There is much to be learned and thought upon in this chapter. However, for me, it is one thing that stands out. This is that God is indeed omnipresent. There is no where we can go, or try to hide our sins. He is witness to all our comings and goings, good and bad, right or wrong, moral or immoral. (a) Over the last couple of chapters we’ve come to see King David, as we are, that is to say a man. As a man, he was subject to all divers of temptation, and emotions. Yet even through all the deeds we’ve read about, he remained steadfast in his belief in God. As we see in this chapter, we find that he is confronted with his sin via a parable. At first he shows anger, which, I am sure anyone would do, however when it is revealed as to who the person is in the parable, he acknowledges his sin, and seeks forgiveness and mercy. (b)
1 Then the Lord sent Nathan unto David, who came to him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor.
2 The rich man had exceedingly many sheep and oxen:
3 But the poor had none at all, save one little sheep which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up with him, and with his children also, and did eat of his own morsels, and drank of his own cup, and slept in his bosom, and was unto him as his daughter.
4 Now there came a stranger unto the rich man, who refused to take of his own sheep, and of his own oxen to dress for the stranger that was come unto him, but took the poor man’s sheep, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5 Then David was exceedingly wroth with the man, and said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing, shall surely die,
6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and had no pity thereof.
7 Then Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee King over Israel, and delivered thee out of the hand of Saul.
8 And gave thee thy lord’s house, and thy lord’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel, and of Judah, and would moreover (if that had been too little) have given thee such and such things.
9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me, and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus said the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of his sin.
12 For thou diddest it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
13 Then David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die. (c)
14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child that is born unto thee, shall surely die.
15 So Nathan departed unto his house: and the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was sick.
16 David therefore besought God for the child, and fasted and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
17 Then the Elders of his house arose to come unto him, and to cause him to rise from the ground: but he would not, neither did he eat meat with them.
18 So on the seventh day the child died: and the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how then shall we say unto him, The child is dead, to vex him more?
19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped, and afterward came to his own house, and bade that they should set bread before him, and he did eat. (d)
21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child while it was alive, but when the child was dead, thou didst rise up, and eat meat,
22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted, and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will have mercy on me, that the child may live?
23 But now being dead, wherefore should I now fast? Can I bring him again anymore? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her, and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: also the Lord loved him.
25 For the Lord had sent by Nathan the Prophet: therefore he called his name Jedidiah, because the Lord loved him.
26 Then Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the city of the Kingdom.
27 Therefore Joab sent messengers to David, saying, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.
28 Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together, and besiege the city, that thou mayest take it, lest the victory be attributed to me.
29 So David gathered all the people together, and went against Rabbah, and besieged it, and took it.
30 And he took their king’s crown from his head, (which weighed a talent of gold, with precious stones) and it was set on David’s head: and he brought away the spoil of the city in exceedingly great abundance.
31 And he carried away the people that was therein, and put them under saws, and under iron harrows, and under axes of iron, and cast them into the tile-kiln: even thus did he with all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
(a) Editor’s notation - Read Psalm 139:1-24
(b) Editor’s notation - Read Psalm 94:18-19
(c) Editor’s notation - Read 1 John 1:9
(d) Editor’s notation - Read Job 1:21
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