121 Then the Lord sent Nathan to David . And he came to him and said , "There were two men in one city , the one rich and the other poor . 2 "The rich man had a great many flocks and herds . 3 "But the poor man had nothing e except e one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished ; And it grew up together with him and his children . It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom , And was like a daughter to him. 4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man , And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd , To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." 5 Then David's anger burned greatly against the man , and he said to Nathan , "As the Lord lives , surely the man who has done this deserves to die . 6 "He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold , because e he did this thing and had no compassion ." 7 Nathan then said to David , " You are the man ! Thus says the Lord God of Israel , ' It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul . 8 'I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care , and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah ; and if that had been too little , I would have added to you many more things like these ! 9 'Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight ? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword , have taken his wife to be your wife , and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon . 10 'Now therefore, the sword shall never e e depart from your house , because e you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife .' 11 "Thus says the Lord , 'Behold , I will raise up evil against you from your own household ; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion , and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight e . 12 'Indeed you did it secretly , but I will do this thing before all Israel , and under the sun .' " 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 . 16 David therefore inquired of God for the child ; and David fasted e 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 e and would not eat food with them. 18 Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died . And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead , for they said , "Behold , while the child was still alive , we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice . How then can we tell him that the child is dead , since he might do himself harm !" 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead ; so David said to his servants , "Is the child dead ?" And they said , "He is dead ." 20 So David arose from the ground , washed , anointed himself, and changed his clothes ; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped . Then he came to his own house , and when he requested , they set food before him and he ate . 21 Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done ? While the child was alive , you fasted and wept ; but when the child died , you arose and ate food ." 22 He said , "While the child was still alive , I fasted and wept ; for I said , ' Who knows , the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live .' 23 "But now he has died ; why should I fast ? Can I bring him back again ? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 2 Samuel 12:1-23
Commentary on 2 Samuel 12:1-14
(Read 2 Samuel 12:1-14)
God will not suffer his people to lie still in sin. By this parable Nathan drew from David a sentence against himself. Great need there is of prudence in giving reproofs. In his application, he was faithful. He says in plain terms, Thou art the man. God shows how much he hates sin, even in his own people; and wherever he finds it, he will not let it go unpunished. David says not a word to excuse himself or make light of his sin, but freely owns it. When David said, I have sinned, and Nathan perceived that he was a true penitent, he assured him his sin was forgiven. Thou shalt not die: that is, not die eternally, nor be for ever put away from God, as thou wouldest have been, if thou hadst not put away the sin. Though thou shalt all thy days be chastened of the Lord, yet thou shalt not be condemned with the world. There is this great evil in the sins of those who profess religion and relation to God, that they furnish the enemies of God and religion with matter for reproach and blasphemy. And it appears from David's case, that even where pardon is obtained, the Lord will visit the transgression of his people with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. For one momentary gratification of a vile lust, David had to endure many days and years of extreme distress.
Commentary on 2 Samuel 12:15-25
(Read 2 Samuel 12:15-25)
David now penned the 51st Psalm, in which, though he had been assured that his sin was pardoned, he prays earnestly for pardon, and greatly laments his sin. He was willing to bear the shame of it, to have it ever before him, to be continually upbraided with it. God gives us leave to be earnest with him in prayer for particular blessings, from trust in his power and general mercy, though we have no particular promise to build upon. David patiently submitted to the will of God in the death of one child, and God made up the loss to his advantage, in the birth of another. The way to have creature comforts continued or restored, or the loss made up some other way, is cheerfully to resign them to God. God, by his grace, particularly owned and favoured that son, and ordered him to be called Jedidiah, Beloved of the Lord. Our prayers for our children are graciously and as fully answered when some of them die in their infancy, for they are well taken care of, and when others live, "beloved of the Lord."