David, 4of6

~ Repentance Did Not Remove The Consequences of David’s Sin ~

The General Principle  ~  Forgiveness did not wipe away all the consequences of sin.  

“‘When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.  I will be his Father, and he shall be My son.  If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.  But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.  And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you.  Your throne shall be established forever.’  According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David” (2 Samuel 7:12-17).

David was reconciled to God but had to bear the judgment of God.  “Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!  Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.  I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah.  And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!  Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight?  You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.  Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.  For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.”’  So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’” (2 Samuel 12:7-13).

Consider Four Specifics  ~  When Nathan confronted David about his sins through the use of a parable David made a pronouncement.  “David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!  And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity’” (2 Samuel 12:6).  David, in essence, prophesied his own judgment—and four of his sons were later taken from him. 

David’s Child Died  ~  “So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’  And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.  However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die’  …  When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead.  Therefore David said to his servants, ‘Is the child dead?’  And they said, ‘He is dead’” (2 Samuel 12:14, 19).

Amnon Was Killed by Absalom  ~  “Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, "Watch now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, “Strike Amnon!” then kill him.  Do not be afraid.  Have I not commanded you?  Be courageous and valiant.’  So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded.  Then all the king's sons arose, and each one got on his mule and fled” (2 Samuel 13:28-29).   

Absalom, David’s Favorite Son Dies  ~  “Then Absalom met the servants of David.  Absalom rode on a mule.  The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth.  And the mule which was under him went on.  Now a certain man saw it and told Joab, and said, ‘I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!’” (2 Samuel 18:9-10).

Adonijah, David’s Fourth Son, Was Also Taken  ~  “Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, ‘May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life!  Now therefore, as the Lord lives, who has confirmed me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has established a house for me, as He promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!’  So King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died” (1 Kings 2:23-25). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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