Day 22: I Samuel 28:20 - II Samuel 12:14

As was prophesied, Saul dies in the battle the next day. He's mortally injured, his armor bearer won't kill him, so he kills himself. When David hears of the death of Saul, he tears his clothes, mourns, weeps, and fasts til evening. A young man brought him the news. He lies and claims that he killed Saul, probably looking for a reward. Boy, was he mistaken. David asks him why he wasn't afraid to lift his hand against the Lord's anointed and then kills him. He then laments Saul and Jonathan's death.

The next several chapters read like a Shakespearean play. Betrayal, murder, deception. David is anointed king over Judah, and Saul's son Ish-Bosheth is crowned king of the rest of Israel. Israel and Judah fight for a while until Ish-Bosheth is murdered. Just like the guy who pretended to kill Saul, David puts to death the men who murdered Ish-Bosheth. Quite a surprise to them since they expected a reward. He still holds pretty closely to his belief that you shouldn't raise your hand against the Lord's anointed. David then becomes king over all Israel. David takes Jerusalem, makes it his capital, and a palace is built for him by the king of Tyre.

After David makes Jerusalem his capital, he decides to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. At first it's great. Everyone is celebrating and dancing. Then Uzzah reaches out, touches the ark, and is struck dead. Two problems here—first, the Ark is not supposed to be transported on a cart, and second, no one is under any circumstances supposed to touch it. David is angry and and afraid so he sends the Ark to Obed-Edom's house. While it's there, the Lord blesses Obed-Edom and his whole house. So David has the Ark brought to Jerusalem as originally planned. He's so excited that he dances before the Lord with all his might. He then gives bread and cake to everyone present, both men and women. Soon thereafter, God promises to David that he will establish his kingdom and his throne forever.

So David's doing pretty good. God's promised to establish his kingdom forever. Every time he goes into battle, he consults the Lord first and finds victory. He keeps his covenant with Jonathan and finds Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son. David restores his family land to him and has him eat at the King's table.

But here's where David starts to mess up. It all starts when David is supposed to go out to war and doesn't. He sends Joab to to do his job. One night, he's wandering on his roof and sees Bathsheba bathing. He inquires about her, and finds out that she's the wife of Uriah the Hittite. With this knowledge, he sends for her anyways. She comes and sleeps with him. Then she goes home and finds out that she's pregnant.

David tries to cover up his sin so he sends for Uriah the Hittite to come and give him a report of the battle. He's hoping that Uriah will go sleep with his wife and will assume the baby is his. However, Uriah does not go home; he sleeps at the entrance to the palace with the kings servants. When David asks him why he didn't go home, Uriah responds that he can't go home, eat, drink, and make love to his wife while the Ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents and his commander Joab and the men are camped out in the open country. David gets him drunk, hoping that he'll go home anyways. He doesn't. So David sends a letter to Joab (and has Uriah take it back to him!!) telling him to send Uriah into the thick of the battle and leave him to be killed. After Bathsheba mourns her husband, David sends for her to come to the palace to become his wife, and she bears him a son.

God then sends Nathan the prophet to confront David. He tells David a story about two men in a town—one rich and one poor. The rich man has a ton of sheep and cattle, and the poor man has one little ewe lamb. He loved this lamb and raised it. It shared his food, drank from his cup, and slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. One day, the rich man has company over so to prepare a meal for his visitor, he takes the poor man's lamb and prepares it for his guest.

David is pissed. He vows to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over because he did such a thing and had no pity.” I can only imagine the shock on David's face when Nathan responds, “You are the man!” That moment when David realizes what he's done. When he finds out that even if he lies to himself and justifies his sin to himself, God knows and will hold him to account.

David confesses his sin and God forgives him. But he still faces the consequences for his sin. His son will die, and Nathan prophesies that sword will never leave his house.

This post is really long so I'll end it here. Tomorrow's reading is II Samuel 12:15 through 22:18.

Peace.