Tag Archives: disobedience

Elijah in the Whirlwind

132 – Elijah in the Whirlwind

II Kings 2:1-25

The time came for the Lord to take Elijah to heaven. So the old prophet said to Elisha, “Stay here. The Lord is sending me to Bethel.”

Elisha said, “As sure as the Lord lives, I won’t leave you.” So they went to Bethel.

There was a group of prophets at Bethel. They said to Elisha, “Do you know the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?”

“Yes, I know. Now be quiet.” 

Elijah said, “Elisha, stay here. The Lord is sending me to Jericho.”

Elisha said, “As sure as the Lord lives, I won’t leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

The prophets at Jericho said to Elisha, “Do you know the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?”

“Yes, I know. Now be quiet.”

Elijah said to him, “Stay here. The Lord is sending me to the Jordan River.”

Elisha said, “As sure as the Lord lives, I won’t leave you.” So they went on together.

When they got to the Jordan, Elijah rolled up his cloak, and struck the water. Immediately, the waters parted and the two men walked across the river on dry ground. Fifty prophets watched from a distance.

Once the two men were on the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “What do you want me to do for you before I’m taken away?”

Elisha didn’t hesitate. “Please, I want a double portion of your spirit.”

Elijah was shocked. He said, “What? Your request is difficult. But, you’ll have it if you see me being taken from you. If not, you won’t get it.”

As they continued on, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah was taken up into heaven in the whirlwind … and was gone.

Elisha saw it all. He ripped his clothes and yelled, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!”

He then saw Elijah’s cloak, which fell when the prophet went up into the air. Elisha walked over and picked it up. He turned and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan River. He lifted the cloak high in the air, and then struck the water. He said, “Where’s the Lord God of Elijah?!” The waters parted, and he walked across on dry ground.

The fifty prophets saw all of this. They said, “The spirit of Elijah lives in Elisha.” From that day on, they honored him as their new leader.

When he got back to Jericho, the people of the city said to him, “Jericho is a good place to live, but the spring is bad. It even keeps our crops from growing.

He said, “Put some salt in a new bowl and bring it to me.”

They brought it to him and he went to the spring. He threw the salt into the water and said, “The Lord has made this water pure. You can now grow crops and no one will starve.”

He left Jericho to return to Bethel. Along the way, some boys started making fun of him. They said, “Get out of here, baldy!”

The prophet turned and put a curse on them. Immediately, two bears ran out of the woods and killed 42 of the boys and ripped them apart.

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The Wounded Prophet

127 – The Wounded Prophet

1 Kings 20:1-43

The king of Syria invaded Israel and marched his army against Samaria. He sent a message to King Ahab saying, “Give me your silver and gold. I also want your wives and sons.”

Ahab sent a message back. “I’ll give it all to you. I even give myself to you.”

The king of Syria sent another message. “There’s one more thing. Tomorrow, I’m sending people to search your palace and all the best houses. They’ll take everything of value.”

Ahab told this to the leaders of Israel. They said, “Don’t do it. We’ll fight him.” 

Ahab sent this message to the king of Syria, and he became angry. He said, “I’ll totally destroy Samaria! When I’m done, it’ll only be a trash heap.” With that, he got drunk with some other kings who were with him.

As Ahab made preparations for battle, a prophet went to him and said, “The army of Syria is much bigger than yours, but the Lord is going to help you defeat them. You are to personally lead your men into battle so you’ll see firsthand that the Lord is in control.”

The king of Syria was still drunk when he heard that Ahab was marching his army out of Samaria. He told his soldiers “Take the men of Israel alive. I want them as slaves.”

The army of Israel hit the Syrians so hard that they ran from the battlefield. It was a crushing defeat for the Syrian army. Even their king just barely escaped.

The prophet walked up to Ahab and said, “Get ready. They’re coming back next spring.”

The officials of Syria met with their king and said, “Their god is the god of the mountains. You were defeated because you fought them in the hills. You’ll win if you fight them on flat land.”

So in the spring, he once again invaded Israel. Ahab’s army was like a small flock of goats next to a vast army.

The prophet said to Ahab. “They think the Lord is a god of the hills, and has no power on flat land. Therefore, you’ll defeat them, and then you’ll know that the Lord—he is in control.”

The battle started and the Syrian army suffered a massive defeat. 100,000 of their men died. They rushed back to their city, but suddenly a wall fell and killed another 27,000.

The king of Syria ran and hid in a closet. Finally, his officials decided to humble themselves and go ask Ahab to have mercy on their king. Ahab said, “Oh, is my brother still alive? Bring him here.” The two kings met together and worked out an agreement.

When the prophet heard about this, he turned to a friend and said, “God wants you to hit me.”

The friend was shocked. He said, “I’m not going to hit you.”

The prophet said, “You disobeyed the Lord. Therefore, a lion will kill you.” It happened just as he said. Soon after the friend left, a lion jumped on him and killed him.

The prophet said to another man, “God wants you to hit me.” So the man beat him up. The prophet then covered his wounds with bandages and stood by the road.

Soon Ahab came by, but didn’t know who this man was. The prophet yelled, “Your Majesty. During the battle, I was paid to guard a prisoner. I was told I’d be killed if he got away. Oh, I got distracted and the prisoner escaped.”

The king said, “You fool! You’ll get exactly what you said you’d get.”

The prophet then pulled off his bandages and Ahab saw who he was. He said, “The Lord told you to kill the king of Syria, and you didn’t do it. So now you’ll die in his place! And your people will die instead of his people.”

Ahab left the prophet and went back to Samaria, but he was no longer happy about his victory. Instead he became angry and depressed.

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Elijah on Mt Horeb

126 – Elijah on Mount Horeb

1 Kings 19:1-21

Ahab told Jezebel what Elijah had done on Mount Carmel. He told her how all the prophets of Baal had been killed. Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah. She said, “I am going to kill you! Mark my word. You’ll be dead before tomorrow night.”

This struck fear in the heart of Elijah. He ran away to save his life. He left Israel and went to the southern part of Judah. He left his servant there and went on into the wilderness. He walked for another day and finally stopped and sat under a juniper tree. 

He cried, “What have I done! I’m no better than my fathers. Lord, take my life” Then he lay down and fell asleep.

After he’d slept a while, an angel touched him. “Get up and eat.” Elijah woke up and saw a jug of water and some bread baking over hot coals. He ate the bread and drank the water and fell back to sleep. 

Later, the angel of the Lord woke him again and said, “Get up and eat. You have a long trip ahead of you.” 

Elijah woke up and once again found bread and water. So he got up, ate the bread and drank water. He then walked 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb, the mountain of God, also called Mt. Sinai. Once there, he entered a cave and spent the night.

In the morning the Lord said to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”

He said, “Lord, I’ve worked for you with all my heart. But Israel has forgotten their agreement with you. They’ve torn down your altars. They killed your prophets. I’m the last one, and they’re trying to kill me.”

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain.” Suddenly, a powerful wind hit the mountains and shattered rocks. But the Lord wasn’t in the wind.

Then there was an earthquake. But the Lord wasn’t in the earthquake. 

After that, there was a blast of fire. But the Lord wasn’t in the fire. 

Then Elijah heard a soft whisper. He wrapped his mantle around his face and went out of the cave and stood at the entrance.The voice said to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”

“Lord, I’ve worked for you with all my heart. But Israel has forgotten their agreement with you. They’ve torn down your altars, and killed your prophets. I’m the last one, and they’re trying to kill me.”

The Lord said, “Oh Elijah, go back home. I have 7,000 men in Israel who haven’t bowed to Baal.” He then gave the prophet detailed instructions of what he was to do, which included anointing Elisha to replace him and selecting a new king for Israel.

Elijah went back to Israel where he found Elisha plowing a field. The prophet walked up to him and threw his mantle over him and walked on. Elisha left the oxen and ran to catch up with the prophet. He said, “Please, let me say good-bye to my father and mother. Then I’ll follow you.”

Elijah turned and said, “You may go back, but don’t forget the calling that is now yours.”

With that, Elisha took the wooden yoke and plow and built a fire. He killed the oxen and made a meal for his family. When they were done eating, he left them and followed Elijah.

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Rehoboam & Jeroboam

122 – Rehoboam & Jeroboam

I Kings 14:1-31 15:33-34 II Chronicles 12:1-16

One of the sons of Jeroboam became sick. The king said to his wife, “When I was a servant of Solomon, a prophet told me that I’d become king of the northern ten tribes of Israel. He lives in Shiloh. Take him gifts of food and ask him what will happen to our son. Put on a disguise, so he won’t know you’re my wife.”
 
The prophet was now old and blind. The Lord said to him, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming wearing a disguise. She’s going to ask you about their son who is sick.” Then the Lord told him what to say. 

Soon the prophet heard the woman’s footsteps. He said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you wearing a disguise? Listen, God has a message for your husband, a horrible message!” 

The Lord says, “I selected you when you were an average man. I tore part of the kingdom away from the family of David and gave it to you. But look what you’ve done. You haven’t followed me. You haven’t kept my commandments. Instead, you’ve insulted me with two golden calves, and you’ve become more wicked than anyone else. 

“So, listen to what I’m going to do to you. All of the males in your family will die a horrible death. The family name of Jeroboam won’t continue after you’re gone. Dogs will eat those who die in the city, and birds will eat those who die in the country. 

“There will be only one exception to this. Your son who is now sick is a good man, the only one in your family. He will die a normal death. But he’ll die as soon as you get home. You’ll bury him, and all of Israel will mourn his death. But he’ll be the only one in your family that will be buried.

“All of this will happen because of what Jeroboam did to Israel. His sin will force me to hit Israel so hard that their roots will be ripped up from this soil. They’ll be carried away and scattered among the nations.” 

Jeroboam’s wife went home, and her son died as soon as she walked into their house. He was buried and all of Israel mourned his death. 

Jeroboam ruled for 22 years, and then died. His son became king after him. He followed the example of his father but only ruled for two years. He was killed and the entire family of Jeroboam was destroyed. It all happened just like the prophet said. 

While Jeroboam ruled Israel in the north, Rehoboam ruled Judah in the south. He also made the Lord angry by leading the people in ways that were evil. Judah became as wicked as all the surrounding nations. 

During the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Egypt came and plundered Jerusalem. They took all the gold from the Temple and the royal palace. They took the gold shields Solomon had made. 

After they left, Rehoboam replaced the shields with ones made of bronze. Whenever the king left the palace and went to the Temple, guards walked along with him, carrying the bronze shields. 

There was war between Judah and Israel as long as Rehoboam and Jeroboam lived. Rehoboam died after ruling Judah for 17 years, and his son became king after him.

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Jeroboam’s Sin

120 Jeroboam’s Sin

I Kings 12:25 – 13:8 13:33-34

Jeroboam chose the city of Shechem to be the capital of Israel. He built it up and put his palace there.
 
He realized his people had a natural tendency to be loyal to the family of David. He said to his advisors, “The people keep going to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. Eventually, they’ll decide their true loyalty is to the king from the line of David. They’ll kill me and reunite with Judah.”

To solve this problem, he made two golden calves. He put one in the south at Bethel and the other in the north at Dan. He said to the people, “It’s too hard to travel to Jerusalem several times a year. Here’s your god who brought you out of Egypt.” 

Jeroboam built shrines to these idols and appointed priests for them. The priests weren’t from the tribe of Levi but were just anyone who wanted to be a priest. He then made annual celebrations that were similar to the ones in Jerusalem. 

When he took the golden calf to Dan, people lined up behind it as it went along. Once they got there, Jeroboam made sacrifices to this new idol. He then went south to Bethel to sacrifice on the altar he had built there. 

A young man of God from Judah walked up to Jeroboam as he was standing by the altar. The prophet yelled, “Altar, altar! Hear what the Lord God says to you. ‘A king will be born in Judah named Josiah. On this altar he’ll sacrifice the priests who burn incense on it.’”
The young prophet then turned to the people, 

“The Lord gave me a sign that these things will happen. This altar will rip apart and the ashes will spill to the ground.” 

King Jeroboam got angry and pointed at the prophet. “Grab that man!” As soon as he said those words, the hand he had stretched out froze in position and he couldn’t pull it back. Suddenly the altar ripped apart and the ashes spilled to the ground. 

Seeing this, the king begged the man of God. “Please pray to the Lord and ask him to restore my hand back to me.” 

So the man of God prayed and Jeroboam’s hand returned to the way it was before. The king said, “Come with me to the palace and eat something. Then I’ll give you a gift.” 

The young prophet said, “I wouldn’t go with you even if you gave me half of everything you own. The Lord said that I’m not to eat or drink anything while I’m here. And I’m to go back to Judah a different way from how I came.” With that, he walked away. 

Even with this warning, Jeroboam didn’t repent of what he was doing. He continued to promote the worship of the two calves and appoint priests for them. Because of this sin, his kingdom didn’t continue after his death, and he had no descendants.

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The ruins of Jeroboam’s High Place at Dan, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
The location of the altar of Jeroboam’s High Place at Dan, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

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Queen of Sheba

118 – Queen of Sheba

I Kings 10:1 – 11:25; 11:42-43 II Chronicles 9:1-31

The queen of Sheba heard about the great wisdom of King Solomon. She couldn’t believe it was true. So she decided to go and test him with a list of hard questions. She organized a large band of servants to travel with her and selected presents to present to the king. She arrived in Jerusalem with a great caravan of camels loaded with gold, jewels, and spices.

She met with the king and asked him her list of questions. He was able to answer every single question. None of them was too difficult for him to explain to her. She was amazed to see the palace he had built, the variety of food at every meal, the way his servants were dressed, and the burnt offerings he made at the Temple. She said, “Everything I heard about you is true, but I couldn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. Now I find that I wasn’t told half of what is true about you. May your God continue to bless you as you carry out justice and righteousness.” 

She gave him a half a ton of gold, and more spices than had ever come to Jerusalem. Solomon also gave her many gifts before she and her servants returned home.

Every year, Solomon received 25 tons of gold in addition to normal trade. Because of this, he covered many things with gold—ornaments, drinking cups, dishes, and his throne. He didn’t use silver because he didn’t think it was valuable.

Solomon crafted 200 large shields, each made with 15 pounds of hammered gold. He also made 300 smaller shields with 4 pounds of gold in each one. No other king in the world was as rich and wise as Solomon.

He accumulated a large herd of horses for his military. These were imported from many countries around that part of the world.

Unfortunately, Solomon also accumulated many women, which was a direct violation of God’s law. He had 700 wives, all daughters of kings. Each one worshiped the gods of her country. He also had 300 concubines.

When Solomon got old, these women convinced him to build a shrine for each of their gods. Eventually, every hill around Jerusalem had a shrine on it, honoring their many gods. Solomon started burning incense at these places and offering sacrifices. Finally, he departed from worshiping the Lord and joined his wives in worshiping their gods. Wickedness filled his heart.

God was angry with Solomon because he departed from following the ways of David. The Lord said, “I’m going to tear your kingdom in two, and give one part to a servant of yours. But I won’t do this in your lifetime because of my promise to David. Your son will lose most of your kingdom.”

Then God allowed the enemies of Solomon to organize against him, so there was no longer peace in the land. Finally, Solomon died. He had been king of Israel for forty years.

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Death of David & Joab

115 – Death of David & Joab

I Kings 2:1-46

Before David died, he gave Solomon instructions on how he should rule as king. He said, “To be successful, you must be strong and brave, and always walk in the ways of God’s commandments.

“Kill Joab when the time is right. He murdered two commanders of Israel—Abner, Saul’s commander, and Amasa, his cousin. He didn’t kill them on the battlefield. Both of these men trusted him because it was a time of peace. Don’t let him grow old peacefully.

“Remember that Shimei cursed me when I was running from Absalom. He begged for mercy and I said he could live. It’s up to you to punish him. Deal with him according to your wisdom.” 

Soon after that, David died and they buried him in Jerusalem. He had been king for forty years.

Later, Adonijah went to Bathsheba and said, “You know that all of Israel expected me to become king. I accept Solomon as king, because it’s God’s will for Israel. I just have one request.”

“What is it?”

“The king won’t refuse anything if you ask for it. So please, go and ask if I can have David’s nurse as my wife.”

So Bathsheba went to Solomon. He stood and greeted her and called for a throne to be set at his right hand.

She sat down and said, “I have one little request. Please don’t turn me down.”

“Mother, ask and I’ll give it to you.”

She said, “Please let Adonijah have David’s nurse as a wife.”

Solomon was shocked. He said, “This is the same as asking if he could be made king. This request will cost Adonijah his life. He’ll be dead before this day ends.” Solomon then gave the order, and Adonijah was killed.

The high priest had supported Adonijah, so the king took his job away from him. He was the last priest from the line of Eli. This fulfilled the prophecy given about him.

Joab knew that his time had come, so he went to the Tabernacle and grabbed the horns of the altar. Solomon heard about this and told a guard, “Go kill him.”

The guard went and told Joab, “Come out here.”

He said, “No, I’ll die here.”

The guard went back and told the king. Solomon said, “Do as he asked. Kill him there! He deserves to die for murdering two good men who were better than himself.” So Joab was killed at the altar and buried near his home.

Solomon then called for Shimei. The king said, “Build a house in Jerusalem and live there. You’re not to leave this city for the rest of your life. If you leave, you’ll die. So, your life is in your hands.”

Shimei said, “This is fair. I’ll do as you have said.”

He lived in Jerusalem for three years. One day, two of his slaves ran away, so Shimei went after them and brought them back.

Solomon had him brought in. “You ignored the command I gave you. Now you’ll pay for what you did to my father. You cursed him, yet his kingdom will last forever.” With that, Shimei was killed.

So Solomon established himself as King of Israel.

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David’s Tomb building from north, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
David’s Tomb cenotaph, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
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Absalom’s Revolt

108 – Absalom’s Revolt

II Samuel 15:1 – 17:23

Absalom was a handsome man with beautiful thick hair. He was also ambitious and wanted to be king. To impress people, he rode in a chariot with 50 men running ahead of him. 

In the morning, he stood by the road that went to the city gate. He honored anyone who bowed down to him. If he saw someone going to see the king about a problem, he asked, “What city are you from?” If they were from one of the northern tribes, he’d say, “I understand your problem. It’s too bad the king won’t listen to you. If I were king, I’d make sure you were heard.”
 
Soon, the northern tribes of Israel became loyal to Absalom. When the time was right, he sent messengers to them saying, “Listen for the ram’s horn. When you hear it, shout, ‘Absalom is king!’” 

The conspiracy spread quickly. More and more people started supporting Absalom. He left the city and enlisted the help of Ahithophel, one of David’s advisors. Both David and Absalom knew that Ahithophel’s wisdom was a gift from the Lord.

David didn’t hear about this until it was too late. By then he knew his life was in danger, so he and his servants quickly left the city. He took off his shoes, covered his head, and openly cried as he walked up the Mount of Olives. People came and cried along the path.

Once he arrived on top of the Mount, he saw Hushai, one of his friends and advisors. David said to him, “Don’t come with me. Go tell Absalom that you’ll serve him just like you served me. Advise my son against Ahithophel’s counsel if you can.” 

They then set up a way Hushai could send David information about Absalom’s plans. Hushai returned to Jerusalem just as Absalom and a large crowd were entering the city. Ahithophel was at his side. Hushai bowed before Absalom and said, “Long live the king!”

Absalom said, “Why didn’t you go with your friend?”

Hushai said, “I’ll serve the one the Lord and the people have chosen. I’ll serve you just as I served your father.”

As David was leaving, he passed by the home of a man named Shimei. He was from the family of Saul. Shimei started throwing stones at David and yelling, “You deserve this, you filthy murderer! God is judging you for what you did to King Saul. Go hide in a hole, where you belong.”

A soldier pulled out his sword and said, “This filthy dog is dead! I’m going to cut off his head!”

David turned to him, “Why would you do that? It was the Lord who said to him, ‘Shimei, go curse David!’ Why would we fight God at a time like this? Maybe the Lord will see what I’m going through and have pity on me.” 

So David and his men continued down the road with Shimei on a ridge above them. He kept yelling curses and throwing stones and dirt at David.

Once Absalom was in the palace, Ahithophel said, “Allow me to take 12,000 men and chase after David tonight. I’ll attack him while he’s weak and tired. This will cause his people to panic and they’ll scatter. I’ll only kill the king, and bring all the others back to you. We’ll have peace when people see that you’ve only killed the king and allowed everyone else to live.”

This proposal seemed good to Absalom, but he said, “Send for Hushai. I want to hear his advice.”

When Hushai heard this plan, he said, “Oh no! Don’t do that. You know your father and his men. They’re warriors. Right now they’re like a wild bear, robbed of her cubs. Your father knows how to fight. He’s probably hiding in one of the caves, waiting for your men to come out. If you act now, some of your men will get killed. Once the people hear that, they’ll say that David is slaughtering your forces. Everyone will believe it because they know your father is a skilled warrior.

“Here’s what you should do. Gather a great army from all over Israel. Personally lead them into battle. Attack David wherever you find him. With a massive army, you can make sure he doesn’t escape. If any city hides him, totally destroy that city and don’t leave one stone on top of another.”

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Kidron Valley, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Jerusalem Old City and Kidron Valley from northeast,from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

Tamar

106 – Tamar

2 Samuel 13:1-39

Amnon was David’s oldest son—and his favorite. Amnon had everything he wanted, except one thing. He wanted his half-sister Tamar. She was beautiful and a virgin. He thought about her all the time. He literally got sick wishing he could go to bed with her.

He had a cousin who was known to be crafty. Once he heard how Amnon felt, he came up with a plan.  He said, “Lay in your bed as if you’re sick. When the king asks about you, tell him you want Tamar to come make some bread in your room. Tell him you want her to feed it to you.”

Amnon followed this plan, so the king asked Tamar to go help her brother with some food. While she was there, Amnon sent all the servants out of the room. As she handed him some food, he grabbed her and said, “Get in bed with me!”

She begged him, “No, please. Stop this. This is a horrible sin. You’re putting me to shame. Ask the king and he’ll give me to you. He’ll give you anything.”

But Amnon wouldn’t listen. He pulled her into bed and raped her. As soon as he was done, he no longer wanted her. In fact, he hated her. He said, “Get out of here!”

She yelled, “No! Don’t throw me away. What you’ve done is wrong, but sending me away is worse.”

He shouted for his servant. “Take this woman out of here and lock the door behind her.”

After Tamar was put out, she tore her clothes, the ones that showed she was a virgin. She put ashes on her head and cried as she walked along. 

Her brother was Absalom. As soon as he heard what happened, he vowed to kill Amnon. But he knew it had to be planned out carefully. So, he had his sister move into his house. He told her, “For now, try to put it out of your mind. Don’t say anything about it.” 

From that day on, Tamar was sad and moody, and Absalom totally stopped speaking to Amnon. The king was furious when he heard about the rape. Still he didn’t do anything about it. 

Two years later, Absalom held a sheep shearing party and invited all of David’s sons. He made sure Amnon would be there. Absalom provided a large banquet for the occasion. Everyone had plenty to eat and drink. 

Absalom told the servants to watch Amnon carefully. He said, “Wait until he’s had plenty to drink, then kill him. Don’t be afraid. You won’t get into trouble. You’re simply following my orders.”

They did exactly as they were told. When the time was right, they killed Amnon. The other sons ran for their lives. 

News of this quickly got back to the king. He was told Absalom had killed all of the king’s sons. David ripped his clothes and fell to the ground. Finally, someone told him that it wasn’t true. Only Amnon had died. They said, “Absalom has been planning this since his sister was raped.”

Finally, the other sons of David came down the road and went before the king. Everyone cried together.

Absalom ran to a neighboring country to hide from his father. David grieved for Amnon for three years.

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Nathan’s Story

105 – Nathan’s Story

II Samuel 12:1-31 Psalm 51:1-19

Only God knew about David’s sin with Bathsheba. He sent the prophet Nathan, who stood before the king and told this story: “There were two men who lived in the same city. One was rich. He had a large herd of cattle and a large flock of sheep. The other was poor. He only had one small lamb, but she was like a daughter to him. The lamb grew up with his children as a pet. She ate from their bowls, drank from their cups, and even slept with them at night.

The rich man had a friend come to visit from a far off city. When it came time for a meal, the rich man didn’t want to use one of his own sheep. Instead he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.”

David became angry. He stood up and shouted, “That’s disgusting! How could he be so heartless? He deserves to die. He’ll give the poor man four lambs for what he’s done.”

Nathan pointed at David and said, “You are the man! The Lord says, ‘I made you king over Israel and gave you all you have. I would’ve given you more if you had asked for it. So why have you despised me and done this evil? You killed Uriah with an Ammonite sword, and took his wife. Because of this, the sword will never leave your house. You did all of this in secret, but I’ll judge you openly.’ ”

David broke down before Nathan. “I have sinned against the Lord.” 

Later, he wrote this prayer:

“Oh God, have mercy upon me. 

Hold me tight within your love.

In your compassion, remove my rebellion.

Wash my guilt, and remove 

the stain of my sin.

I know I’m rebellious. 

My sin haunts me day and night.

You’re the one I fought against.

This evil is against you.

You’re right to be angry and throw me away.

I’ve been this way all my life.

But I know you want to teach me.

Go deep inside of me and put wisdom there.

Use harsh cleansers until 

everything is absolutely clean.

Replace my depression with joy.

Remove my sin and give me 

a clean new heart.

Give me a determined spirit, 

and restore the joy of my salvation.

If you do these things, I’ll teach others about your ways.”

Nathan went to David and said, “The Lord has heard your prayer and has taken away your sin. You’ll not die, but the child will die because of how you treated the Lord.”

Suddenly, the child became sick. David begged God to spare him. The king wouldn’t eat, but spent day and night on the ground pleading with God. His servants tried to get him to eat, but he refused.

On the seventh day, the child died. The servants were afraid to tell David. They had watched him agonize while the child was still alive. They thought he would do something desperate when he found out the child was dead.

He saw them whispering to one another. He said, “Is the child dead?”

“Yes, he is dead.”

So David got up off the ground, took a bath, and put on clean clothes. He worshipped in the house of the Lord and then sent for something to eat.

The servants were amazed. He explained it to them. “While the child was still alive, I pleaded with the Lord in case he would be gracious and let the child live. But now that he’s dead, there’s nothing I can do. He can’t come back to me, but I can go to him.”

 Later, Bathsheba gave birth to another son, and David named him Solomon. The Lord loved Solomon, and said he would be the next king of Israel.

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