2 Samuel 12:1

NATHAN REVEALED GOD'S JUDGMENT AGAINST DAVID

Our text does not declare that God revealed to Nathan any of the activities of the sinning king, something, of course, which God could have done. It appears to be far more likely that David's sins were public knowledge throughout Jerusalem. It is nearly impossible for this writer to believe that all of those "servants" who made the report to David concerning that naked woman's identity, who went to her with the king's invitation, who escorted her into the king's presence, took her home afterward and later conveyed her message revealing to David the fact of her pregnancy would have failed to whisper the truth all over the city.

Yes, and what about all that spying on Uriah? what he did, where he slept, the present sent to him by the king, the king's extension of his leave from the army, his banquet in the king's palace, the king's insistence upon Uriah's drinking himself into a state of drunkenness and where he slept that following night - There is simply far too much of that for it to have been kept secret. A state dinner in the palace for Uriah would have involved dozens of servants and retainers of the king, and for one to believe that none of them was able to figure out what was going on and then to talk about it afterward is to imagine the impossible.

Also, there was that letter, of which the text says, "David wrote a letter." Any action commanded by one in authority is properly ascribed to him; and this does not mean that David himself necessarily penned that communication which Uriah carried to Joab. "Seraiah was secretary" (2 Samuel 8:17), and he must actually have written the letter for David's signature.

David might have felt that he had effectively covered up his shameful deeds; but this writer cannot resist the opinion that David was profoundly wrong in such a conceit. Nathan's perfect knowledge of all that had happened probably began with his hearing some of the gossip that filled Jerusalem. Gossip is never either accurate or dependable; and when God sent Nathan to David, the Lord no doubt endowed his prophet with a true knowledge of everything that happened.

THE PARABLE OF THE POOR MAN'S EWE LAMB

"And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, `There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and his children; it used to eat of his morsel, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.' Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, `As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; and he shall restore the lamb four-fold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.'"

This is one of the rare parables in the O.T. A parable is different from a fable in that a parable relates things that either actually happened, or that might reasonably have happened. "Nathan came to David as if his purpose was to ask his judicial decision on a case which had been submitted to him."[1] David could have had no suspicion whatever of the prophet's true mission, because all of his previous communications from God through Nathan had been extremely favorable to the king (as in 2 Samuel 7). Many have commented upon the attractiveness and beauty of this little parable. It was skillfully designed to arouse the sympathy of the hearer for the wronged poor man as well as angry contempt for the rich man who robbed him.

"David's anger was greatly kindled" (2 Samuel 12:5). David had committed a far worse sin than that of the rich man in the parable; but, as Willis said, "It is much easier to see sin in others than in oneself."[2]

"Because he had no pity" (2 Samuel 12:6). The Christian virtue of feeling a genuine concern and pity for our fellow mortals in our common struggles of life was the missing quality in David's heart that led to his shameful wickedness. "He had no pity." He had no pity for the beautiful young Bathsheba whom he ordered to his bed. He had no pity for Bathsheba's grandfather Ahithophel, David's trusted friend and adviser, who became the king's bitter enemy during Absalom's rebellion. He had no pity for Uriah, a brave and devoted soldier, who daily risked wounds and death for his beloved king. He had no pity for Joab whom he enlisted as an accomplice in the shameful murder of those eighteen men. He had no pity for the families of his slaughtered soldiers.

"And he shall restore the lamb fourfold" (2 Samuel 12:4). This judgment of the king was exactly in keeping with the Law of God as revealed in Exodus 22:1. From this, we are certain that David also knew the law of God regarding adultery and murder which is recorded in the same Scriptures a few paragraphs earlier. Zacchaeus, and presumably all Israel, were thoroughly familiar with God's Law (Luke 19:8).