God tells David that his child will die. But even so, when the child becomes sick, David fasts and prays. Does David not believe God, we might wonder? The answer is that David has encountered God’s grace. As a result he now can’t help thinking that God might show grace to his son as well? Perhaps God has told him […]

If the boy’s death isn’t atonement for David’s sin – is it punishment for his sin? No. Certainly, the boy’s death is a result of David’s sin. But it’s not a punishment for it. Charles Spurgeon once began a sermon with these words: ‘God’s people can never by any possibility be punished for their sins’. Spurgeon goes on: ‘God has […]

When David’s day of reckoning comes, he doesn’t run from the light. He doesn’t make excuses. He doesn’t just accept part of the blame. But he says, v13: ‘I have sinned against the LORD’. Such a simple confession. And Nathan responds: ‘The LORD also has put away your sin’. And that’s it. It’s almost an anti-climax! It seems too easy! […]