Author: dgould77

“‘No, my brother!’ she cried. ‘Don’t be foolish! Don’t do this to me! Such wicked things aren’t done in Israel. Where could I go in my shame? And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the king about it, and he will let you marry me.’
But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her, and since he was stronger than she was, he raped her. Then suddenly Amnon’s love turned to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her. ‘Get out of here!’ he snarled at her.” v.12-15
Love and Lust are very different. After Amon raped his half sister, his “love” turned to hate. Although he had claimed to be in love, he was actually overcome by lust. Love is patient; lust requires immediate satisfaction. Love is kind; lust is harsh. Love does not demand its own way; lust does. Lust may feel like love at first, but when physically expressed, it results in self-disgust and hatred of the other person. If you just can’t wait, what you feel is not true love. For more scripture on Love, look at 1 Corinthians 13.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“So the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: ‘There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.’”
v.1-4
As a prophet, Nathan was required to confront sin, even the sin of the king. It took great courage, skill, and tact to speak to David in a way that would make him aware of his wrong actions. When you have to confront someone with unpleasant news, pray for courage, skill, and tact. If you want that person to respond constructively, think through what you are going to say. How you present your message may be as important as what you say. Season your words with wisdom.

David confessed and repented of his sin, but God’s judgement was that his child would die. The consequence of David’s sin were irreversible. Sometimes an apology isn’t enough. When God forgives us and restores out relationship with Him, He doesn’t eliminate all the consequences of our wrongdoing. We may be tempted to say, “If this is wrong, I can apologize to God,” but we must remember that we may set into motion events with irreversible consequences.

During this incident, David wrote Psalm 51 giving valuable insight into his character and offering hope for us also.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.
Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, ‘She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’ Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. 5Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, ‘I’m pregnant.’”v.1-5
In this episode with Bathsheba, David allowed himself to fall deeper and deeper into sin.

1.) He abandoned his purpose by staying home form war.
2.) He focused on his own desires
3.) When temptation came, he looked into it instead of turning from it.
4.) He sinned deliberately
5.) He tried to cover up his sin.
6.) He committed murder to continue the cover up
7.) The consequence of Davids sin affect others, costing someone their own life.

David could have chosen to stop and turn from evil at any stage along the way. But once sin gets started, it is difficult to stop. The deeper the mess, the less we want to admit having caused it. It’s much easier to stop sliding down a hill when you are near the top than when you are half-way down. The best solution is to stop sin before it starts.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“One day David asked, ‘Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’” v.1
Most kings in David’s day tried to wipe out the families of their rivals in order to prevent descendants from seeking the throne. But David showed kindness to Mephibosheth, whose father was Jonathan and whose grandfather was King Saul. David was kind, partly because of his loyalty to God’s previously anointed king; partly for political reasons – to unite Judah and Israel; and mainly because of his vow to show kindness to all of Jonathan’s descendants.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible