Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

2 Samuel 12 Devotional

When God Sends Nathan

“Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.”2 Samuel 12:13 (BSB)

The chapter begins with grace: the LORD sent Nathan to David (12:1). God came looking for David, with a story about a rich man who took a poor man's only lamb. David burns with anger, and Nathan turns the story around: David is the man (12:7). The LORD had given him everything, and he despised God's word by taking Uriah's wife and killing Uriah with an enemy's sword (12:9).

David does not argue. He says he has sinned against the LORD, and Nathan answers at once that the LORD has taken away his sin and he will not die (12:13). Forgiveness is real, and so are the consequences: the child dies, and trouble will not leave David's house. Psalm 51, whose heading ties it to Nathan's visit, records David asking God to create a clean heart in him (Psalm 51:10). The chapter closes with a new son, Solomon, whom the LORD loves (12:24-25). Confession does not undo every consequence, but it brings you home to a merciful God.

To think about: What sin do you need to name plainly before God today, trusting that he takes it away?

About 2 Samuel 12: Nathan Confronts David

The prophet Nathan tells David a parable about a rich man who steals a poor man's lamb, then declares that David is the guilty man and announces trouble within his house. David confesses and is forgiven, yet his infant son dies. Solomon is born and loved by the LORD, and Rabbah falls.

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