000 Allen FMT (i-xxii) - The Presbyterian Leader

172 Proper 13 [18]/Year B
Proper 13 [18]/Year B
2 Samuel 11:26–12:13a+ (Semicontinuous)
Today’s lesson continues the story from last week. David violated the
covenant by committing adultery with Bathsheba and by having her husband,
Uriah, killed (2 Sam. 11:1–25). Bathsheba mourned the death of
Uriah for seven days, as was the custom, at the end of which (wasting no
time) David brought her to the palace where she became his wife and gave
birth to a child (11:26–27).
In Deuteronomic theology, the prophet is to serve as an ombudsperson
who monitors the faithfulness of the monarch in carrying out the royal
responsibility of leading the community in covenantal life (Deut. 17:14–20).
Nathan thus comes to David and tells the story in 2 Samuel 12:1b–5. Upon
hearing the story, David is incensed, and declares that the wealthy person
“deserves to die.” That person should restore fourfold the lamb stolen from
the poor person (2 Sam. 12:5–6). Nathan then pronounces the chilling
words, more penetrating in the King James Version than in the more recent
translations, “Thou art the man!” (12:7). David indicted himself in 12:5–6.
Nathan only made explicit David’s self-implication.
Nathan explains that God had providentially directed David’s life and
had been ready to do even more (1 Sam. 12:7b–8), yet David despised the
word of God and did what was evil in God’s sight by striking down Uriah
and taking Bathsheba as a spouse (12:9). Consequently, because David
engaged in such violation of relationship, David’s future will be marked
by repeated violence. Some of David’s own wives will be given to David’s
neighbors. Although David had acted in secret, God will do these things
in the open so that all can see them and learn from them (12:10–13).
David plaintively admits, “I have sinned.” He remembers that he has
pronounced a death sentence upon himself (12:5–6). In keeping with the
promise of 2 Samuel 7:13 that David’s house would go on, Nathan
announces that David will not die. However, 2 Samuel 7:14 is also in the
background: God will discipline David “with blows inflicted by human
beings.” The narrators subsequently report death visited on David’s house
(e.g., 1 Sam. 13:23–29; 18:9–15; 1 Kgs. 2:19–25) and the violation of
David’s wives (2 Sam. 16:21–22). The narrators imply here a principle that
recurs in Jewish literature: punishment for a sin sometimes takes place by
means of that very sin. David engaged in violence, and so he experiences
violence.