2Sa 12:1-13 | MHM | STEP | Nathan Confronts David and David’s Repentance This section describes how God sent the prophet Nathan to confront King David after his sin with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah. Nathan uses a story to make David see his own guilt. David confesses his sin, and though God forgives him, there are still serious consequences. The passage teaches the seriousness of sin, the importance of true repentance, and God’s mercy and justice. v. 1 : The Lord sent Nathan to David. Nathan told David a story about two men in a city—one rich and one poor. The rich man had many sheep and cattle, but the poor man had only one little ewe lamb, which he loved like a daughter (2 Samuel 12:1-3 ).

‏ 2 Samuel 12:1-13

Nathan Confronts David and David’s Repentance

This section describes how God sent the prophet Nathan to confront King David after his sin with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah. Nathan uses a story to make David see his own guilt. David confesses his sin, and though God forgives him, there are still serious consequences. The passage teaches the seriousness of sin, the importance of true repentance, and God’s mercy and justice.

v. 1: The Lord sent Nathan to David. Nathan told David a story about two men in a city—one rich and one poor. The rich man had many sheep and cattle, but the poor man had only one little ewe lamb, which he loved like a daughter (2 Samuel 12:1-3 ^a).

v. 2: The rich man took the poor man’s lamb to prepare a meal for a visitor, even though he had plenty of his own. He was selfish and cruel.

v. 3: The poor man’s lamb was like a family member to him. It ate from his table, drank from his cup, and even slept in his arms. The lamb was all he had.

v. 4: When a guest came to the rich man, he did not take from his own flock but stole the poor man’s lamb to feed his guest. This showed a lack of compassion.

v. 5: David was very angry when he heard the story. He said that the man who did this deserved to die and should pay back four times as much, because he had no pity.

v. 6: Nathan then said to David, “You are the man!” Nathan explained that David was like the rich man because he took Uriah’s wife and had Uriah killed. God had given David so much, but David was not thankful.

v. 7: Nathan told David that God had made him king, saved him from Saul, and given him everything he needed. If that was not enough, God would have given him more.

v. 8: Nathan asked why David had despised God’s command by doing evil. David had killed Uriah with the sword of the Ammonites and taken his wife to be his own.

v. 9: Because of this, Nathan said, the sword would never depart from David’s house. Trouble would come to David’s family as a result of his sin (2 Samuel 12:10 ^b).

v. 10: God said He would raise up evil against David from within his own house. Someone close to David would cause him great pain.

v. 11: God said that David’s wives would be given to someone else in public, as a punishment that matched the secret sin David had committed.

v. 12: David’s sin was done in secret, but God would punish him openly so that all Israel would see.

v. 13: David confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan told him that the Lord had taken away his sin and he would not die, but there would still be consequences.