2 Samuel 12:22–23: “And he said, ‘While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, “Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?” But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.’”

June 21st, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

King David sinned. And rather than turn to the Lord and repent at his first sin, he tried to cover his tracks, which caused him to sin more and more. By the end, he had gotten a married woman, Bathsheba, pregnant; tried to trick her husband into thinking he was the father; and when that failed, had her husband killed in battle. As a result, God told David that the child he had with Bathsheba would not live. David spent 7 days praying, fasting, mourning, and humbling himself before the Lord in the hopes that God might deliver his son from death. But God still said, “No.” And the child died.

We notice how David quietly accepted this discipline from the Lord. He got up, shaved, anointed himself, dressed, worshiped God, and then ate. He had repented and was again a man under submission, just as he had been in the days of Saul. He explained his seemingly disinterested behavior to his servants: “Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” By faith in God’s character, he relinquished his child to God and began to look to the future. David knew that he would be reunited with his infant son, and that they would ultimately spend eternity together with the Lord. We do believe babies go to heaven, not because they deserve it, but because of God’s grace.

David’s attitude reminds us of the true story of Horatio Spafford, the writer of the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul.” This hymn was written after 3 traumatic events in Spafford’s life: the death of his only son in 1871; followed shortly by the Great Chicago Fire, which ruined him financially; and then in 1873 the death of his 4 daughters. Spafford had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the S.S. Ville du Havre, but had to send them on ahead without him because he was delayed on business. While crossing the Atlantic, their ship collided with a sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and sank rapidly. All 4 of Spafford’s daughters died. His wife, Anna, survived and sent him a telegram that read: “Saved alone.” Shortly afterwards, Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife; and as the ship passed near where his daughters had drowned, he felt a comfort that could only be from God. He was inspired to write these words:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

“LORD, please bless our lives today so that we may be a blessing to others.”

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2 Samuel 12 KJV

¹ And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. ² The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: ³ But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.  ⁴ And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. ⁵And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: ⁶ And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. ⁷ And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; ⁸ And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. ⁹ Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. ¹⁰ Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. ¹¹ Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. ¹² For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. ¹³ And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. ¹⁴ Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. ¹⁵ And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORDstruck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. ¹⁶ David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. ¹⁷ And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. ¹⁸ And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?  ¹⁹ But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. ²⁰Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself , and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. ²¹ Then said his servants unto him, What thing isthis that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. ²² And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whetherGOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? ²³ But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. ²⁴ And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him. ²⁵ And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD. ²⁶ And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city. ²⁷ And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters. ²⁸ Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.  ²⁹ And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it. ³⁰And he took their king’s crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance. ³¹ And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.