from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

2 Samuel 12:14-25

Lust. Adultery. Deceit. Murder. Abuse of power.

David had set a dreadful example for God’s people. What’s more, instead of being God’s light to the peoples around Israel, David had shamed God’s reputation among them (2 Samuel 12:14). As a result, God decreed that the sorrow and death David had brought into his home would begin with his newborn son. The child would die. And he did.

But here is where the story takes an amazing turn. One might have expected that David’s illicit union with Bathsheba would be cursed, or at least that no good fruit would come of it. The opposite happens. The Lord blesses their union with another child, a boy, and the scripture says specifically that “the Lord loved him” (12:24).

The child was Solomon. His name comes from the Hebrew word “shalom”, meaning “peace”. He was also given the name “Jedidiah”, which in Hebrew means “loved of the Lord” (12:25). Of all David’s children, he was selected to inherit the throne at David’s death. God chose him to build His house, the temple, and God blessed him with wisdom and riches beyond imagination. What’s more, the Messiah would come from Solomon’s line, from the line of David and Bathsheba.

What a marvelous story of God’s forgiveness! While David’s sin had destructive consequences, God also blessed his line with compassionate, life-giving renewal. This is a foretaste of what God would do in Jesus Christ:

Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. (Romans 5:20, NASB)