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Nathan Rebukes David

2 Samuel 12:1-23

Characters: Narrator, Nathan, David, Adviser

Narrator: David had just entered a sinful relationship with Bathsheba, who had already been married to Uriah. That relationship resulted in a child with Bathsheba. David covered up his sin by having Uriah killed in battle. One day, David was sitting in his throne room, when Nathan, Israel’s prophet and friend, came to him.

Nathan: David! God has sent me here to tell you this story. There were two men in town, one was very rich, and the other was very poor. The very rich man had thousands of sheep and cattle, while the poor man only had a small lamb. One day, the rich man hosted a big feast for his out of town guests. He had stolen the poor man’s lamb to feed his guests, even though he had thousands of his own to use.

David: (angrily) Who is this rich man that stole the lamb? As surely as the Lord lives, any man that does such a crime deserves to die!

Nathan: David, you are that man! The Lord commanded me to give me this message! For, even though the Lord had saved your life from Saul and gave you numerous wives and a powerful kingdom, you have betrayed him by taking Bathsheba for your own! Uriah had nothing except for his wife, and you robbed him of that—and then you had him murdered to cover up your sin. This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your children to rebel against you. I will give your wives to other men.

Narrator: David was upset. He fell to his knees, and asked for forgiveness, for he was truly sorry.

David: I have sinned against the Lord. I ask for his forgiveness.

Nathan: The Lord has forgiven you, and you will not die for this sin. However, the child you had with Bathsheba will die; this is the consequence of your sin.

Narrator: Nathan left David and went home. That night, the Lord sent an illness to David’s son, making him very sick. David put on sackcloth, fasted, and prayed to God.

David: (in prayer) Lord, I ask of you that you spare my son. I am sorry for my sin.

Narrator: The child’s condition worsened and later died on the seventh day of his sickness. After the child died, David put on his kingly robes, and began to live life as he did before the child had gotten sick. His advisers were confused why he wasn’t mourning his son’s death.

Adviser: David, I don’t understand—you were miserable while your son was sick, and now that he is dead, you have stopped mourning him. Why?

David: What good would it do to mourn his death? Would that make him alive again? No—I know that he is now living with God, and one day, I will get to see him too in heaven.

Narrator: David and Bathsheba later had another son, named Solomon, who would become a great king of Israel.