These two chapters form a unit as is clear from their chiastic structure.
"A. David sends Joab to besiege Rabbah (11:1).
B. David sleeps with Bathsheba, who becomes pregnant (11:2-5).
C. David has Uriah killed (11:6-17).
D. Joab sends David a message (11:18-27a).
E. The Lord is displeased with David (11:27b).
D'. The Lord sends David a messenger (12:1-14).
C'. The Lord strikes David's infant son, who dies (12:15-23).
B'. David sleeps with Bathsheba, who becomes pregnant (12:24-25).
A'. Joab sends for David to besiege and capture Rabbah (12:26-31)."167
Even though David had been faithful to Jonathan in keeping his covenant with him (ch. 9), he was not faithful to Jehovah in keeping His covenant with Israel (i.e., the Mosaic Covenant). The writer's main point in this section, I believe, was the following. Disobedience to God's revealed will in the Law of Moses resulted in lack of blessing symbolized by infertility and death. Another view is this.
"The Bathsheba interlude occurs in 2 Samuel 11-12 primarily to indicate the birth and choice of Solomon, but much is learned about God's covenant dealing with His king."168
This is perhaps the second most notorious sin in the Bible, after the Fall. It has probably received the most attention from unbelievers in movies and other forms of entertainment. Unbelievers love to gloat over the sins of godly people.
While Joab was continuing to subdue the Ammonites the following spring by besieging Rabbah (modern Amman, the capital of Jordan; cf. 10:7), David was residing in Jerusalem (11:1). By mentioning the fact that normally kings led their armies into battle in the spring, the writer implied that David was not acting responsibly by staying in Jerusalem.169
". . . leading his troops into battle was expected to be the major external activity of an ancient Near Eastern ruler . . ."170
"Our most difficult times are not when things are going hard. Hard times create dependent people. You don't get proud when you're dependent on God. Survival keeps you humble. Pride happens when everything is swinging in your direction. When you've just received that promotion, when you look back and you can see an almost spotless record in the last number of months or years, when you're growing in prestige and fame and significance, that's the time to watch out . . . especially if you're unaccountable. . . .
"Our greatest battles don't usually come when we're working hard; they come when we have some leisure, when we've got time on our hands, when we're bored."171
David's temptation followed an age-old pattern: he saw, he desired, and he took (cf. Gen. 3:6; James 1:14-15). He could not help seeing, but he could have stopped watching, lusting, sending for Bathsheba, and lying with her. "Very beautiful"translates a Hebrew phrase that describes people of striking physical appearance (cf. Gen. 24:16; 26:7 [Rebekah]; Esth. 1:11 [Vashti]; Esth. 2:7 [Esther]; 1 Sam. 16:12 [where a cognate expression describes David]). Perhaps Bathsheba was not totally innocent, but that does not vitiate David's guilt. It seems reasonable to assume that she could have shielded herself from view if she had wanted to do so.
"The bathing itself may have been for the purpose of ritual purification and would therefore not only advertize Bathsheba's charms but would serve as a notice to the king that she was available to him."172
Bathsheba's father, Eliam (v. 3), was apparently the son of Ahithophel, David's counselor (cf. 15:12; 23:34).173Uriah may have been a mercenary from one of the Syro-Hittite states to Israel's north. Alternatively he may have been the son of Hittites who had immigrated to Israel when the Hittite Empire was crumbling.174Probably he was a member of the native Canaanite tribe of Hittites that inhabited the Promised Land before the Conquest (cf. Gen. 23:3-15; Num. 13:29; et al.).
David then "took"Bathsheba--we could translate the Hebrew word "he collected"her--and so abused his royal power. Evidently this was a "one night stand;"David and Bathsheba appear to have had sex only on this one occasion. The Mosaic Law required that both a man and a woman who had sexual relations bathe to remove ritual uncleanness so they could participate in public worship (Lev. 15:18). Ironically Bathsheba was careful to keep this command of the law even though she had violated a much more important one. Sin tends to distort our sense of what is truly important so we focus on relatively unimportant duties.
"The only recorded speech of Bathsheba, brief though it is ["I am pregnant,"v. 5], sets in motion a course of action which ultimately results in her husband's death."175
Why did Bathsheba inform David that she was pregnant? Could she not have told her husband alone. Was she hoping that David would acknowledge her child and that the child would then enjoy royal privileges?
About five years later David's oldest son, Amnon, followed in his father's footsteps (13:14). Since David was born in 1041 B.C. and this incident took place about 992 B.C., David was close to 49 years old when he committed adultery.
"The king who is content to be given the kingdom (2 Sam 2-4) nevertheless seizes with violence the woman of his desire. The theme of seizure then erupts in the rape of Tamar, the taking of Amnon's life and (in political form) the major incident of the rebellion of Absalom."176
"This king who took another man's wife already had a harem full of women. The simple fact is that the passion of sex is not satisfied by a full harem of women; it is increased. Having many women does not reduce a man's libido, it excites it . . . it stimulates it. . . . One of the lies of our secular society is that if you just satisfy this drive, then it'll be abated."177
David compounded his sin by trying to cover it up rather than confessing it. He tried three cover-ups: a "clean"one (vv. 6-11), a "dirty"one (vv. 12-13), and a "criminal"one (vv. 14-17).178
David's suggestion that Uriah go home and "wash his feet"(v. 8) may have been an encouragement to enjoy his wife sexually since "feet"is sometimes a euphemistic reference to the genitals (cf. Exod. 4:25; Deut. 28:57; Isa. 7:20).179Whatever David intended, his hypocrisy is clear. Note the present that David sent home with Uriah. David was setting up this soldier to cover his own sin. However the king underestimated faithful Uriah's commitment to David for whom he had been fighting in Ammon. Though Bathsheba's husband was a Hittite, he appears to have been a godly believer in Yahweh as well as a dedicated warrior. He was one of David's best soldiers, one of his "mighty men"(cf. 23:39).
"Uriah's name ["Yahweh is my light"] turns out to be Yahwist, after all. In the heart of the imperial phalanges we find an orthodox Israelite, quietly observing the wartime soldier's ban against conjugal relations (cf. I Sam. 21:4-7)."180
Uriah's reference to the ark being in a temporary shelter (v. 11) probably refers to its location at Kiriath-jearim. However some interpreters believe that "tents"should be left untranslated and that the reference is to Succoth.181
"Astonishingly, this Hittite mentions the covenant symbol before everything else that has influenced his behaviour. He is aware also of his solidarity with the fighting men at the front, over whom he will not steal an advantage. Both of these considerations applied even more forcibly to the king, who had final responsibility for the war, and had laid much stress on covenant loyalty himself, but now a foreigner is showing him to be despicably lax."182
David's next plan was to get Uriah drunk hoping that in that condition he would return home to sleep with his wife (v. 13), but again David underestimated Uriah.
"The despicableness of the king's behaviour contrasts with the noble figure of the wronged Uriah, several times referred to as the Hittite' (vv. 3, 6, 17, 24), as if to emphasize that, whereas the king of Israel was so obviously lacking in principle, the same could not be said of this foreigner."183
David's brazen rebellion against God's will comes out clearly in his third plan. He ordered Uriah to carry his own death warrant to Joab (vv. 14-15).184Joab's reply (vv. 19-21) mimicked David's instructions (v. 15).
"David, God's anointed and a great king, is otherwise poles apart from a petty thug like Abimelech [cf. v. 21; Judg. 9:50-54]. . . . [But] that David is likened to Abimelech has--because of the very distance between them--the effect of diminishing his image. The more so since Abimelech fell at a woman's hands while at the head of his army: David falls at a woman's hands precisely because he plays truant from war."185
About seven years later David's son, Absalom, ordered his followers to strike down his brother, Amnon, for raping Absalom's sister, Tamar (13:28).
"It was ironic that David, the protector of justice, would so pervert justice in the Uriah-Bathsheba incident."186
Some other innocent soldiers beside Uriah died because of David's orders concerning the battle strategy (v. 24). Thus he was really responsible for their deaths too.
At first, David piously tried to salve Joab's conscience for his complicity in Uriah's death (11:25). The Hebrew word translated "displease"literally means "be evil in your sight."David was calling what was sin something other than sin (cf. 1 John 1:9). What David had done was not only evil in Joab's eyes, but, of infinitely greater importance, it was evil in God's eyes. David further hardened his heart and covered up his sin by marrying Bathsheba (11:27).
"The Hebrew phrase translated had her brought [NIV]' (v. 27) is literally sent and collected her' and emphasizes the abuse of royal power that David is increasingly willing to exercise. . ."187
"How could a man--a man after God's own heart--fall to such a level? If you are honest about your own heart, it's not hard to understand."188
Here are some suggestions for guarding yourself against similar sexual sin. First, realize that there is nothing that will guarantee you immunity from sinning in this way. We face the choice to yield to sexual temptation over and over again, and overcoming it once or many times is no guarantee that we will always overcome it (cf. 1 Cor. 10:12). Second, cultivate your daily commitment to the Lord. We cannot afford to live one day out of fellowship with Him. We can strengthen our hearts against temptation that may assail us during the day by recommitting ourselves to pleasing Him and obeying Him daily in prayer before we encounter the temptations of that day. Third, cultivate intimacy with your spouse, if you are married. Covetousness is less of a problem, though it will always be a problem, if you are content with the person whom God has given you. Contentment is something that we learn (cf. Phil. 4:11). Fourth, cultivate accountability with your mate, if you are married. Voluntarily tell your spouse where you have been, what you have been doing, and who you have been with. Do not wait for your mate to ask you these questions, but volunteer this information. If you do this regularly and know that you are going to have to do it, because you have made a commitment to yourself to do it, it will affect what you do. Fifth, anticipate temptation and avoid it. If you know that a particular individual attracts you strongly, do not spend too much time with him or her. Furthermore, refrain from saying anything to such a person that you would not say if your or that person's spouse was standing there with you.
About one year passed between the events of chapter 11 and those of chapter 12. This seems clear from the fact that God struck David and Bathsheba's child shortly after Nathan confronted David with his sin (12:15). God graciously gave David months to confess his sin, but when he did not, the Lord sent Nathan to confront him. These must have been months of inner turmoil for David.
"David wasn't relaxing and taking life easy, sipping lemonade on his patio, during the aftermath of his adultery. Count on it . . . he had sleepless nights. He could see his sin written across the ceiling of his room as he tossed and turned in bed. He saw it written across the walls. He saw it on the plate where he tried to choke down his meals. He saw it on the faces of his counselors. He was a miserable husband, an irritable father, a poor leader, and a songless composer. He lived a lie but he couldn't escape the truth.
"He had no joy. (Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation' Ps. 51:12.) He was unstable. He felt inferior and insecure. (Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me' Ps. 51:10.) Sin does that to you. It's part of the wages that sin inevitably demands. A carnal Christian will dance all around and try to tell you, Everything's fine. Don't press me. I'm really free . . . really having fun . . . I'm doing well. You just haven't any idea.' But down inside it's there. Everything is empty, hollow, joyless, pointless. A true Christian cannot deny that. True guilt is there. Oppressively there. Constantly there."189
Finally the Lord sent His prophet to confront the king. This required considerable courage on Nathan's part since David could have hardened his heart and had the prophet executed.
"In confronting someone in his sin, the timing is as important as the wording. Simply to tighten your belt, grab your Bible and, at your convenience, confront a person who is in sin is unwise. Most importantly, you need to be sure that you're sent by God. Nathan was."190
Nathan's parable (cf. 14:1-20; 1 Kings 20:35-42; Isa. 5:1-7; Jer. 3:1-5) appealed to David's compassion as a shepherd and drew an emotional response from the king (12:5).191Just like the man in the parable, David deserved to die, but David deserved to die for adultery (Lev. 20:10) and murder (Lev. 24:17). Hypocritically David ordered the man in Nathan's story to make restitution appealing to the Mosaic Law (Exod. 22:1) that he himself had disregarded. The man in the parable was not under a death sentence according to the Mosaic Law.192David was reacting emotionally. He seems to have been trying to get rid of his own guilty conscience by condemning someone else while subconsciously passing judgment on himself.193It is interesting that four of David's sons died, perhaps as a divine fulfillment of the fourfold restitution that David ordered. They were David's first child by Bathsheba (v. 18), Amnon (13:28-29), Absalom (18:14-15), and Adonijah (1 Kings 2:25).194
"You are the man!"(12:7) is certainly one of the most dramatic sentences in the Bible. Since several months had passed since David had committed his gross sins they were probably not on his mind when Nathan entered his presence and told his story. We see a prophet exercising authority over a king here. This was always the case in Israel's monarchy as we shall see repeatedly in the Books of Kings.195David had abused the great blessings that God had given him. Notice that the Lord said that He had done five great things for David (12:8), but David had done four sinful things in spite of God's goodness (12:9). He had despised God by disobeying His Word as though he were superior to it. David had seen what had happened to Saul for rejecting God's word.
David's punishment would be twofold: his own fertility (children) would be the source of his discipline, and God would remove the sources of his fertility (children) from him (12:11). The executions of these sentences follow in the text (13:11-14, 38-39; 16:22; 18:15). Verses 9 and 10 of the twelfth chapter have been called "the literary, historical, and theological crux and center of 2 Samuel as a whole."196
"As David took' Uriah's wife (vv. 9-10), so the Lord will take' David's wives (v. 11). As the Lord gave' Saul's property and Israel's kingdom to David (v. 8), so he says that he will now give' David's wives to someone else, to one who is close to you' (v. 11)--ironically, an expression earlier used of David himself in similar circumstances (see 1 Sam 15:28; 28:17 . . .)."197
"Just as David willfully takes Bathsheba for himself (II Sam. 11:2-4), so Amnon forces Tamar (II Sam. 13:8-14), Absalom enters the royal harem (II Sam. 16:22), and Adonijah tries to claim his deceased father's concubine (I Kings 2:13-17)."198
"We need to remember that, like many sins, David's were carried out secretly--at least for a while [12:12]. One of the things that accompanies the promotion of individuals to higher positions of authority is an increase in privacy. This closed-door policy maintained by those in high office brings great temptation for things to be done in secret. Unaccountability is common among those in command. So it was with David."199
Psalm 32:3-4 probably records David's misery during the time between his sinning and his confessing. This psalm, and especially Psalm 51, give further insight into David's feelings when he confessed his sins. God spared David's life by pure grace; normally David would have died for his sins (Lev. 20:10; 24:17). His pardon came as a special revelation from God through Nathan (12:13). David's confession was genuine. He called his sin what it was rather than trying to cover it up or explain it away, which was Saul's typical response. Moreover he acknowledged that his sin was primarily against Yahweh, not just against Bathsheba and Uriah.
"Repentance has its reward (cf. 1 Sa. 7:3)."200
"This was the turning-point in the life of David, and the clearest indication that he was different from Saul in the most essential relationship of all, that of submission to the Lord God. For that reason he found forgiveness, whereas Saul never accepted his guilt or the rejection that followed from it."201
Whereas the Lord removed the guilt of David's sin (forgiveness) he did not remove the consequences of it (discipline). Someone has said that after you hammer a nail in a board you may remove the nail, but a hole remains.
"Just as judges today sometimes commute a sentence, so too God has the right and the power to modify or even cancel his own decisions in the light of the human response. In this case David's immediate signs of remorse allowed immediate forgiveness; but the deed itself could not be undone, and some consequences were inevitable."202
"David's voyeurism in 2 Sam 11:2 and Nathan's curse in 12:11 foreshadow Absalom's rooftop orgy (16:20-22)."203
This is how God deals with sin normally. He removes the guilt that would result in damnation, but He usually allows at least some of the consequences to follow and uses these for discipline and instruction. Notice how God's punishment fit David's crimes (cf. Gal. 6:7). In David's case the infant he fathered died.
"God could not ignore David's sin and thus let unbelievers impugn the holiness of His character."204
Why did God take the life of this child since its parents sinned?
"That the child should be punished for what David did seems wrong. We need to remind ourselves, however, that even today innocent children suffer from the things their parents do. The more pointed question deals with whether God should be credited with the cause of the suffering. I once sat at the funeral of a child who had been accidentally killed by a drunk man riding through the community on a motorcycle. In the funeral message the minister tried to convince those of us present that God had a purpose in the child's death as though it were something God had planned. I was revolted by what he said because he took an evil event and made God the cause. In understanding Nathan's interpretation of the child's illness we need to separate the physical cause and the religious interpretation or application. Whatever the child's illness, both Nathan and David saw it as connected with David's sin and raised no questions about it as we do."205
"When David slept with the woman and created new life, the woman did not belong to him but to Uriah. The child cannot belong to David. He cannot enrich himself through his sin, and in a sense, justice is done to Uriah."206
David prayed for the child's recovery, lying on the ground as Uriah had previously slept (11:9, 11). However when God took its life, David knew the time for praying was over. Praying for the dead finds no support in this passage or anywhere else in Scripture. David's servants apparently believed he would become hysterical with grief when he learned the child had died (v. 19). The king was probably referring to the grave rather than to heaven when he said, "I shall go to him . . ."(v. 23). In the context the issue was the inevitability of death, not what happens after death. The child could not come back to life, but David would someday join him in death. Scripture is silent on the eternal state of dead infants, but we can find great comfort in knowing that the Judge of all the earth will do right (Gen. 18:25).
The birth of David and Bathsheba's second son, Solomon (whose name comes from the Hebrew word shalom, peace), was a blessing from the Lord. He had another name, Jedidiah (lit. beloved of Yahweh). The former was perhaps a throne name that David gave him to anticipate his reigning as king.207Solomon was born about 991 B.C. The fact that God allowed him to live and even made him David's successor on the throne is testimony to God's great grace to David (cf. Rom. 5:20). The statement, "Now the Lord loved him,"(v. 24) is the Hebrew way of saying the Lord chose him.208
In spite of David's rebellion God granted his army victory over the Ammonites. David's military leaders evidently executed the defeated warriors (1 Chron. 20:3) and forced many of the people to do labor of various kinds to support Israel (v. 31).209
Chapters 10-12 contain very important revelation that helps us understand the complexity of God's righteous ways. We often think too superficially about the way God deals with sin in His people's lives. We see in these chapters that David's great sins did not completely wash out his past record of godly behavior. God continued to bless him in part because God had chosen him as His anointed, but also because he genuinely had a heart for God. His sins had terrible consequences, as we shall see, but God did not cast David off. The most important factor seems to be David's basic heart attitude toward God. In this he was very different from Saul, and it is for this reason, I believe, that David did not end as Saul did. When David sinned, he confessed his sin. When Saul sinned, he made excuses.210
