Day 128 – 2 Samuel 12:5-6

Scripture Review

2 Samuel 12:5-6

"And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:"

(2 Samuel 12:5)

As I read this verse, I see David's anger rising slowly against the rich man in Nathan's story. He is not slightly bothered. The Bible says his anger "was greatly kindled." David hears about a man with many flocks and herds stealing the poor man's one little ewe lamb, and something in him burns against the wrong. And I understand that anger. If I were hearing this story for the first time, I would be angry too. A rich man had plenty, but he took the one precious thing the poor man loved.

David can see the sin clearly when it is placed in another man's story. He can condemn it with strength. He can even swear by the living God, "As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die." His moral vision is sharp outwardly, but blind inwardly.

This is a frightening place for any christian. I can sit with my Bible open, hear about another man's sin, and say, "That is wicked, shameful, and he deserves judgment." But if the Holy Spirit turns the light toward me, will I still be that honest? David is angry at the rich man, but he has not yet seen himself in the rich man.

"And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."

(2 Samuel 12:6)

David continues speaking judgment. He says the man must "restore the lamb fourfold." That fits the principle of restitution in the law. If a man stole a sheep, had to make it right. Sin damages, and justice requires more than words.

David provides a reason that exposes the heart of the matter: "because he had no pity." The rich man did not feel the poor man's loss. He did not care that the lamb was dear to him. He did not stop and think about the children, the home, the affection, the tenderness of that little lamb lying in the poor man's bosom. He only saw what he wanted, and he took it.

And David is right. The rich man had no pity. I can feel the weight of David's own words falling back on him. Where was David's pity for Uriah? Where was his pity for Bathsheba's house? Where was his pity for the other servants who fell in battle because of his plot? Where was his pity when he wrote the letter and sent it by Uriah's own loyal hand?

Sin drains pity out of the heart. It makes people look like obstacles. David can identify the lack of pity in the parable, but he has not yet faced the lack of pity in his own actions. A heart after God must not only know what justice requires. It must allow that same justice to search its own heart first.