2 Samuel 12:5-7 (NIV) “David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.”
We are not lone-rangers in this world. We need people who will walk along side us, people who will risk it all and tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. This is a high calling, and one not to be taken lightly. Nathan got right in David’s business and let him know where he was going wrong. He did not pull any punches, but told it like it needed to be told.
We all should be so brave; we all should be so blessed; to have someone who cares enough to want to save us from ourselves. When asked to be an accountability partner, take it very seriously. Pray about it before accepting the duty. Generally, people are accountable as partners—meeting together regularly for prayer and conversation. I would pair up with someone who I consider a peer, but someone I trust and am certain of their walk with God.
Nathan’s boldness brought David to his knees. Because Nathan was able to show David his sin, David was able to ask God for forgiveness; he was restored as a Man after God’s own heart. There were consequences, there usually are, but there is grace…so much grace.
Read 2 Samuel 11-12 here
Listen to 2 Samuel 11-12 here
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Two principles came to mind when I read these chapters.
The first is the importance of sticking with the day-to-day work God gives us and, relatedly, the results of doing or failing to do that. David was able to do things that benefitted many people because he faithfully discharged his day-to-day duties earlier in his life. His diligence as a shepherd prepared him for, among other things, dealing with Goliath, which in turn delivered Israel from a military stalemate. See 1 Samuel 17:32-37. His integrity and diligence during the years on the run from Saul no doubt built up good will and taught him lessons that helped him become and serve well as King. See e.g. 1 Samuel 25. That dynamic underlies Ephesians 6:8 instruction to “never forget that everyone…will be rewarded by the Lord for whatever work he has done well.” (New Jerusalem Bible). See also Sirach 3:22, 11:20 & 51:30, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12.
Today’s readings illustrate the flip side of that by showing what happens when we neglect the day-to-day tasks God gives us. God gave David the duty of leading Israel in its military campaigns, but 2 Samuel 11:1 tells us that David stayed at home while Israel was at war. The results are tragic, and not just for David. Bathsheba, Uriah, other Israeli soldiers, David’s illicit child, and eventually all Israel and Judah would suffer as the result of David’s dalliance.
The second is that God will still use and blesses us, even after major screw-ups, if we humbly acknowledge our sins and sincerely strive to live out God’s will going forward. The sin recounted in 2 Samuel 11 did not end David’s service for and grace from God; both continued in abundance once David got right with God. We see that elsewhere in scripture. God used and blessed Abraham after his two mistaken dealings with secular kings and his false start with Hagar. The same was true with Moses after he killed the Egyptian early in his life and messed up in calling the water out of the rock during the time in the wilderness. God used and blessed Peter after he denied Jesus and was less that straightforward in dealing with gentile believers.
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