What are the two sins of David and their consequences? Why has he sinned with Bethsheba? why did God forgive him? How could he affect all the generations with his repentance? why God is really just and has no preference?

Introduction

Now after, being a king for a great kingdom this mighty began, to fall gradually in sin while, he was thinking to hide such weakness behold, everything became known for all of us across, generations after bitter chastisements resulted in consecutive sorrows continued for the rest of his life.

So, the divine revelation did not be shy of recording these falls without hiding the weakness or covering up it for us to realize our need for the Creator Himself to achieve such, renovation.

These falls is a warning alarm across generations to awake every believer and every servant- whatsoever his spiritual stature is- for him/her not to, fall.

The falls of David filled him up with sorrows but, by repentance converted to the glory of him and his vitae and psalms of repentance is a secret for many people to set up who were broken by the sin and were fallen in desperate.

David, Bethsheba, and Uriah

(Then it happened one evening that David arose and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And saw a woman bathing. And the woman was very beautiful to behold.) (2 SAMUEL 11:2)

So, the first step in falling down is complacency and relaxation. He did not fall down during his youth when he was a shepherd or when he was a chased by Saul or during the wars that he fought in.

Instead of praying during evening, he waked up and walked to have, a sight at a woman. So, complacency created a leisure in his heart and his senses.

Isaac the Syrian says, “when the flesh looking forward to luxury and the matters of the world and falls deeply in complacency, in each hour the burnt lust would be inflamed in him.”

The Gradual Fall

(So, David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah?”) (2 SAMUEL 11:3)

He was strong did not fall in Adultery before, never killed anyone in oppression never deviated not right nor left from the law but how could he fall now while he is a powerful king and a just judge for the people?!  

” Then David sent messengers, and took her, and he lay with her, and she returned to her house.” (2 SAMUEL 11:3)

Perhaps, he did not expect to fall down terribly like this, but most probably that the sin is so sinful and so cheater. It knows so well how to hunt the mighty men. 

Thus, the lust crippled David totally, and made him forget four important matters. Firstly, he is the messiah of the Lord and his prophet who could get a great divinely grace so, it was not suitable to break the holiness of his internal life, with the Lord.

Secondly, in the time of war he should better go to fight at the battle as he used to doing so and to give joyfully for the glory of God and the building of the society instead of satiating his desires. 

Thirdly, breaking the law of Moses by falling in a sin with a married woman.

Fourthly, betraying an honest champion defending of his kingdom while the latter, is strange in race.

(And the woman conceived, so she went and told David. Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah.”) (2 SAMUEL 11:5,6)

(And David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house. But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house and did not go down to his house.) (2 SAMUEL 11: 8,9)

(And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink and to lie with my wife?”) (2 SAMUEL 11:11)

So, David resorted to the humane solution, that he sent to her man to hide the signs of her pregnancy in order to show that this is from Uriah. But he refused as long as his companions struggling at, the battle.

Thus, it seems that God wanted to scold David by the tongue of Uriah, but it looks like that he felt nothing.

(In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab. Saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.”) (2 SAMUEL 11:14,15)

(Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, And some of the people and Uriah the Hittie died also.) (2 SAMUEL 11:17)

So, killing Uriah and some of the people in oppression a result of committing adultery. Thus, the cruelness, violence and oppression are adhered with impurity. 

And the man falling in impurity is usually violent and cruel in his depths even if he seemed to be gentle and meek, externally.

Violence and prostitution are two adhered brothers supporting each other.

(But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.) (2 SAMUEL 11:27)

God has no preference, yes, David has struggled greatly for Him and his people, but He cannot cover such crime or accept this wicked action, He rather waiting for, his repentance.

Nathan 's Parable

(Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. So, David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!) (2 SAMUEL 12:1,5)

(Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!) (2 SAMUEL 12:7)

We should slow down before Nathan’s action; it was wise, frank and conclusive and full of love. He came in secret and was not afraid of a king concealed his crime.

So, we also should do the same in similar situations, we better meet others inside the circle of love and friendship and do not defame them before them nor at their absenteeism.

Discipline of the Lord

(Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house. Thus, says the Lord ‘Behold I will rise 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.) (2 SAMUEL 12:10,11)

This discipline might seem tough, but it was so necessary for many reasons.

Firstly, it was a normal result of the committed sin. Secondly, through such disciplines, Holy Bible clarified the severity of the role played inside the household. 

Since, the result of such doing prevailed in his family, and the lives of his children.

Thirdly, it confirmed that God Has no preference even with a man He held as a king, prophet, and judge, having glorious history in a holy life!

Repentance

(So, David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.) (2 SAMUEL 12:13)

(And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin, you shall not die.) (2 SAMUEL 12:13)

Thus, David entered in his internal soul to find out his weaknesses without providing any causes to himself and thought and felt that his sin is posed against God, not against Uriah nor Bethsheba.

Not only so, but also, he was not shy to confess as a king and judge before prophet Nathan.  He felt the bitterness of the sin and just wanted to vomit it away.

“The Lord has put away, your sin.” came as a result of his repentance since, God wants our salvation through our repentance not our death.

whosoever, making sins and hesitating in repentance, desperate of his salvation Listen to David! 

Listen to him shouting and shout with him! Listen to him crying and cry with him! Listen to him keeps peace of his mind and keep peace, of your mind! If the sin was not removed away of you, you should not remove away your hope in, forgiveness!

(Wash me thoroughly from my impurity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.) (PSALM 51:2-3)

(And the Lord struck the child, and it became ill. Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died.) (2 SAMUEL 12:15,18) 

Amnon and Tamar

(Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”) (2 SAMUEL 13:4)

(However, he would not heed her voice: and being strong than she, he forced her and lay with her.) (2 SAMUEL 13:14)

(Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her.) (2 SAMUEL 13:15)

Across all generations the story of Amnon and Tamar stays as a clear and great picture for the difference between the eros love and the agape love.

Sence, the eros love is the false, sexual or erotic love that surrounds the ego to satisfy, its lust to destroy the man and all his surroundings. But the agape is the true and matured love that builds the man and others like also the love of God towards us.

As previously mentioned, the violence and lust are adhered one to another. They are a result of removing away the divine grace and being deprived from the existence of God in the life.

(For only Amnon was dead.) (2 SAMUEL 13:32)

Absalom's Treason

(After this it happened that Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.) (2 SAMUEL 15:1)

(So, David said to all his servants who were with him, Arise and let us flee.) (2 SAMUEL 15:14)

(There was man whose name was Shimei. He came out cursing continuously. And he threw stones, at David. But the king said, “What have I do to do with you. So, let him curse, because the Lord has said to him.) (2 SAMUEL 16:5,6,10)

Of course, the Lord did not say to someone, to curse, but rather He permitted for the evil well of Shimei to do so. Since God sometimes uses the evil people even Satan himself to examine the righteous and purify them!

(So, they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went to his father ‘s concubines in the sight of all Israel.) (2 SAMUEL 16:22)

(Then Joab said, “I cannot linger with you.” And he took three spears and thrust them through Absalom’s heart and killed him.) (2 SAMUEL 18:14,15)

David's Census of Israel and Judah

(So, the king said, “now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, that I may know the number of the people.) (2 SAMUEL 24:2) 

(And David ‘s heart condemned him. So, David said to the Lord, “I have sinned, greatly.”) (2 SAMUEL 24:10)

(And David said to Gad, “I’m in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, For his mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”) (2 SAMUEL 24:14) 

(And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So, the lord heeded the prayers for the land and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.) (2 SAMUEL 24:25)

Tawfik, S. David’s affordable sin consequences. (2023). www.orthodox-beliefs.com

Source is HOLY BIBLE NKJV. Arabic New van Dyck text C. The Bible Society of Egypt. Fifth Edition Third print2019.ISBN 978-1-84364-188-9. Printed in China.

Reference: – Father Priest Tadros Jacob Malti, 2 SAMUEL, Egypt, Delta center, 1989.

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