Suffering and sickness in The Bible – Part 19

Reasons For Believers’ Sickness (cont’)
12For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ 13So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” (2 Sam 12:12-14)

The predictions in these verses came true. Because David murdered Uriah and stole his wife, (1) murder was a constant threat in his family (13:26-30; 18:14, 15; 1 Kings 2:23-25); (2) his household rebelled against him (15:13); (3) his wives were given to another in public view (16:20-23); (4) his first child by Bathsheba died (12:18). If David had known the painful consequences of his sin, he might not have pursued the pleasures of the moment. Remember that the consequences of your actions reach farther and deeper than you can ever foresee. Because sin has consequences, God has set up moral guidelines to help us avoid sin in the first place. Be careful to do what God says.

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.” (2Sam 12:11-12)

“Thus says the Lord.” David’s dreadful punishment, prophesied by Nathan, was not merely the natural consequences of his sin, nor was God passively permitting things to happen to David; rather, his punishment was the result of God’s direct actions. Three times God used a phrase of intention: “I will raise up evil against thee; I will take thy wives before thine eyes; I will do this thing before all Israel.” David would experience atrocities at the hands of his own children, such as the raping of his daughter Tamar by Amnon,” (13:7-14; see 13:1) and the violation of his wives by Absalom (16:22)

“the sword shall never depart from your house” (v10). Because David had despised God and killed Uriah to take his wife for himself. God pronounced judgment on David and his family that would be fulfilled in violence, strife and murder (i.e., the sword) for the rest of his life (approximately 25 years). The Scriptures record at least four events as a result of this curse: the death of the child (v. 14), the murder of Amnon by Absalom (13:29), the killing of Absalom when he turned against his father (18:9-17) and the execution of Adonijah (1Kgs 2:24-25).
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