2 Samuel 10-12: David and Bathsheba

Thoughts

Samuel 10

Nahash, king of the Ammonites, died, and his son Hanun became king. David sent messengers to express kindness to Hanun, because Nahash had shown loyalty to David.

The Ammonite princes suspected a trick, telling Hanun that David’s men had come as spies.Hanun humiliated David’s men by shaving off half their beards and cutting off their garments at the waist, exposing them.

David told the men to stay at Jericho until their beards grew back (a natural stopping point on the way back).

Realizing they had offended David, the Ammonites hired 20,000 Aramean/Syrians plus troops from other regions. David sent Joab and the entire army to confront them.

The Ammonites and Arameans surrounded Israel on two sides. Joab split the troops:

• Joab led against the Arameans.
• Abishai, his brother, led against the Ammonites.

Joab’s forces routed the Arameans, and the Ammonites retreated into their city.

After regrouping, the Arameans brought in more reinforcements, but David himself led Israel across the Jordan and defeated them including their commander Shobak

The Aramean kings made peace with Israel and would no longer help the Ammonites.

Samuel 11

We see in Chapter 10 the victory of Israel when David leads the troops, but now when he stays behind we see one of his falls.

In the spring, when kings usually went to war (too cold/weather not good for travel) David stayed in Jerusalem while Joab led the army.

One evening, David saw a beautiful woman bathing  Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite (one of David’s warriors). She was also the daughter of Eliam (another warrior) who was the son of Ahithophel (one of his chief counselors). 

David sent messengers, took her, and slept (possibly forcibly as he is the king) with her. She soon sent word that she was pregnant

• Here is a video going through comprehensive list of whether or not David raped Bathsheba. https://enduringword.com/did-king-david-rape-bathsheba/
• Now, whether or not she was “ok” with it, there is still a power imbalance between the two. One of the reasons in the video stating that David did not rape her is: “If it is a rape because David is the King, then isn’t it considered rape for all of his wives who have sex with him?” And my answer is: if his wives are not going in to him willfully, then yes! Marital rape exists.

David summoned Uriah home from battle, hoping he would sleep with his wife and cover the pregnancy. But Uriah refused, saying it wouldn’t be right to enjoy home comforts while the men were in battle.

Even when David got him drunk, Uriah slept at the palace entrance with the servants, still refusing to go home.

David sent a letter (carried by Uriah) to Joab, instructing to put him in the front line and then retreat so he dies. Joab followed the command and Uriah was killed, along with other soldiers.

Joab sent word back to David with a report of the battle. When Bathsheba heard of Uriah’s death, she mourned for him.After her mourning, David brought her to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son.

“But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.”

Samuel 12

The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David.

Nathan told a parable: a rich man with many sheep stole the one beloved lamb of a poor man to feed a guest. David burned with anger and declared the rich man deserved to die. Nathan replied: “You are the man!”

Nathan told David what God told him:

• God had given David everything: the throne, Saul’s house, wives, victory, yet David despised God’s word by taking Uriah’s wife and killing him.
• Consequences:
  • Violence would rise up from within David’s own house.
    • Guzik says: David demanded fourfold restitution for the man in Nathan’s parable. God exacted fourfold restitution for Uriah from four of David’s sons: Bathsheba’s child, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah( https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/2-samuel-12/)
  • His wives would be given to another in broad daylight (2 Samuel 16)
  • The child born to Bathsheba would die.

David confessed: “I have sinned against the Lord.”Nathan assured him God had taken away his sin and he would not die, but consequences remained.

David fasted, prayed, and lay on the ground for seven days while the child was sick.

After his servants told him his baby died, David rose, washed, worshiped, and ate.

David comforted Bathsheba and she bore another son, Solomon – Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה (Shelomoh) Meaning: “Peaceful.”  The Lord loved Solomon, and Nathan named him Jedidiah- Hebrew: יְדִידְיָהּ (Yedidyah) Meaning: “Beloved of Yahweh” (the LORD).

Meanwhile, ( a lot is happening in this chapter) Joab captured Rabbah, the Ammonite capital. He told David to come and claim the victory.

David took the city, the crown from the Ammonite king, and much plunder.

Questions

Did Bathsheba go to David willingly or not?

Why does Nathan tell David God gave him his wives? Isn’t it a sin?

Why did David act the way he did after the baby died?

Do these verses confirm babies/children go to heaven?

Application

Sin destroys, Grace restores. In these chapters we see one of David’s most prominent sins. He not only stayed behind in battle, but then stole and engaged in sexual sin. His idleness led to lust, which led to adultery, leading to deceit, and eventually murder. Small compromises can multiply and get out of control if left unchecked. However we see the forgiving grace of YHWH in the next chapter. David was still blessed and continued the covenant with Solomon. However, while God forgave him, there were still consequences.