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5th July
2 Samuel 12:13b-23. Bathsheba’s child dies
- This reading is enough to make our blood run cold! How can our God, the
loving Father revealed to us by Jesus, strike down an innocent child?
- Both adultery and murder were punishable by death (Leviticus 20:10;
24:17). When David confessed his sin, he realized that what he had done was
far more than a dreadful wrong against Uriah, it was also a terrible sin
against God (Psalm 51:4). Clearly David deserved punishment but why did the
child have to suffer? The very idea is grossly offensive to us.
- To understand we need to consider the very different culture and values
of those far off times when the view of God was only partial:
- All events were regarded as due to God’s activity. If the child
was ill this would be seen as part of God’s plan. The ministry of
Jesus clearly demonstrates that this view was revised (John 9:1-3).
- The attitude to children was very different in those days. Although
generally not treated unkindly, they were seen as having their place in the
scheme of things. Only in the New Testament was God’s attitude
towards children to be more fully revealed (Matthew 19:13-15).
- God’s promise to David (Samuel 7: 1-16) must be kept; therefore
David’s life had to be spared, but his punishment meant the loss of
his precious son. It remains true that sin often has serious consequences
for others.
- David’s behaviour when the child became ill was essentially the
enactment of a mourning rite through which he hoped to placate God. When
the child died, David accepted it and knew he had to get on with life.
However from now on we see a different, more vulnerable David. Through his
son’s death the powerful king recognized his own mortality.
- To consider
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- We cannot move on with our lives until we recognize our sins and
confess them to God. Are there any barriers that stop us from doing
this?
- When God forgives our sin and restores us to him he doesn’t
eliminate the consequences of our wrongdoing, but with God new beginnings
are always possible.
- Prayer
- Father God, we thank you that your love and forgiveness are revealed to
us through Jesus. Help us to follow him more closely. Amen.
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