King David, a man after God’s own heart, made a huge mistake that cost him peace in his family. This shows us that even those who walk with the Lord make mistakes. What did David do? David had eyes for another man’s wife.
This “other” man, Uriah the Hittite, was a soldier in King David’s army. David thought that Uriah’s wife Bathsheba was “fair” and made arrangements to sleep with her while her husband was away. Bathsheba became pregnant, and unable to hide the pregnancy or pretend that Uriah was the father, David instead made arrangements to put Uriah on the front lines of a very fierce battle KNOWING that Uriah would be killed. Uriah was indeed killed, and Bathsheba became David’s wife. However, the Lord was NOT please with David. David did NOT try to justify his behavior before the Lord, and repented for his adultery and murder. The Lord, who is Faithful and Merciful forgave King David his transgressions, BUT…David would still suffer the CONSEQUENCES of his sin during his life on earth. Through Nathan the Prophet, David was told that he would have much trouble in the years to come through his children and family. This proved to be very true!
These consequences began nearly right away. The child whom Bathsheba and David conceived became very ill. Nathan the Prophet relayed to David a Word from the Lord, that the child would surely die.
2 Samuel 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.” 15 So Nathan went to his house Then the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s widow bore to David, so that he was very sick. 16 David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. 18 Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died.
This seems so strange to us, that David’s sin caused his child to die. I know many of us may think “Where’s the fairness in this?” However, who are we to judge God? The child is in Heaven with Jesus and with his father David. When someone sins within a family, the entire family suffers. Consider the alcoholic or drug addict or even the adulterer. All of these sins have family consequences that cause pain and suffering to innocent family members. Adultery causes families to break up, and children are the victims. Drug addictions, alcohol abuse, all of these sins have family consequences that can reach for generations. But, there is forgiveness and healing in Jesus Christ. No matter the sin, no matter the consequences, it will all turn out okay when there is repentance because God our Father forgives, heals, and restores.
After his child died, King David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and they conceived another son.
2 Samuel 12: 24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the Lord loved him 25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the Lord’s sake.
We’re not going to get into all of the details regarding David’s family, but let’s just say that the death of his first son with Bathsheba was only the beginning of his family troubles. There was also rape and incest between his children, and because of that, vengeance and murder. One of David’s sons, Absalom, conspired against his father to take away the Throne of Israel. Much of 2nd Samuel details Absalom’s betrayal, and the subsequent attempts on David’s life. All of this ends in a failed coup and the death of Absalom. David mourned the death of his son Absalom, even though his son had been trying to kill him and take away the throne.
Keep in mind, that even during this time of family betrayal and problems, David still had to fight the neighboring enemies, the Philistines and other Canaanites. 2 Samuel 21: 15-22 highlights David’s battles with the Philistines, the descendants of the Giants. Remember, the giants were the mixed breed between the fallen angels and the daughters of men (Genesis 6:1-5). They were still on the earth, even during the days of King David, always causing trouble for the Israelites. David certainly had his hands full!
In 2 Samuel 7: 8-17, God revealed the Davidic Covenant, showing that God would be building an enduring house for David, an enduring Kingdom through one of David’s sons. We understand that the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant is Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, who is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the King of Israel forever. In 2 Samuel 12:24, it is said about Solomon “The Lord LOVED him”, foreshadowing that the Promised seed (fulfillment of the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenant) would come through David’s son Solomon.
In this regard, Solomon was another “type” or foreshadow of God’s own Son, Jesus. In fact, when Jesus was Baptized in the Jordan River, He came up from the water and a Dove descended upon Him, and there was a voice from Heaven stating “This is MY BELOVED Son...” The Bible tells us that GOD called both Solomon and Jesus BELOVED.
Matthew 3:17: and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
In David’s old age, the family troubles continued when another one of David’s sons, Adonijah, exalted himself as King over Israel.
1 Kings 1: 11-14 Then Nathan (the prophet) spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 So now come, please let me give you counsel and save your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go at once to King David and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 “Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”
The Prophet Nathan, who had prophesied for many years to King David, found out that Adonijah had made himself king over Israel, and had Solomon’s mother Bathsheba go to the King and complain about this. Adonijah was not Bathsheba’s “other son”, but was actually the son of David’s 4th wife Haggith. David had several wives, which was common in the days of Israel. Solomon and Adonijah were half-brothers.
This was David’s response to Bathsheba and Nathan the Prophet’s information that Adonijah had exalted himself as king…
1 Kings 1: 28: Then King David said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 The king vowed and said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30 surely as I vowed to you by the Lord the God of Israel, saying, ‘Your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will indeed do so this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and prostrated herself before the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever.”
Apparently David had promised to Bathsheba, before the Lord God, that her son Solomon would be King. Again, this was foreshadowed in 2 Samuel 12:24 when we learn that the Lord LOVED Solomon.
We’ll see in our next post, that Adonijah is going to make one last desperate attempt to wrest the throne away from his half-brother Solomon. It’s not going to go well for Adonijah. Solomon will be King over Israel. In-fact, we will soon learn that Solomon will be the last King over a United Israel, before it divides into two nations.
