Today began with a visit from Nathan where he rebuked David. The Lord had sent him to sort of tell David a story. He said that there were two men, one rich and one poor. The rich man had many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
Then a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him. So, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.
David’s anger was strong against the man, and he said to Nathan that the man who had done that deserved to die, and the lamb would be restored fourfold, because he did this thing and had no pity.
Nathan told David that he was the man!
The Lord told David that He had made him king of Israel and given him all he could want. He gave him wives and delivered him from his enemies, but still he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord by what he did to Uriah the Hittite.
*Struck him down with the sword by sending him to the front lines of battle with the Ammonites so he would be killed. David then took his wife Bathsheba and made her his own.
The Lord said that He would raise up evil against David’s house and take his wives away “in the sight of the sun,” even though what David did was in secret. David admitted his sins, and Nathan said the Lord had put his sins away, so he would not die. But what he did utterly scorned the Lord, so the child born to him would die. Then Nathan left.
The Lord afflicted the child that Uriah, David’s wife bore and he became sick. David sought the Lord and fasted. On the seventh day the child died and everyone was afraid to tell David. He refused to listen to them when the child was alive, now that the child was dead they thought he might harm himself.
Instead, when David saw that the servants were whispering together, he understood that the child had died. Then David got up and anointed himself and changed his clothes. He went to the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he ate.
His servants were confused because he fasted and wept for the child when he was alive, but when the child died he got up and ate food. He did that when he was alive hoping the Lord would be gracious to him so the child could live. Now that he was dead he saw no reason to do those things.
Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba and went in and lay with her. She bore a son and his name was Solomon. The Lord loved him and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So they called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.
Then they fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city. They took the crown of their king from his head and it weighed a talent of gold and had a precious stone in it. It was placed on David’s head.
They brought the spoils of the city out of it and all the people who were in it. They made them do labor. They did this to all the cities of the Ammonites.
The next part was a story about Amnon and Tamar. In a nutshell, these two were step brother and sister, both children of David. Amnon became fixated on Tamar and ended up tricking her, and then raped her. Afterwards he sent her away in shame. In the end though, Amnon was murdered by another brother named Absalom, and Absalom fled. David mourned for his son.
[…] Day 99, 2 Samuel 12-13 […]