Conclusion
We have lingered long on this sad incident in which David finds joy and comfort, but allow me to conclude by pointing out several areas of application.
First, this text (along with the others I have mentioned) offers comfort to all those who have suffered (or will suffer) the loss of a little one. I believe that our Lord summed it up as concisely as possible when He said, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Luke 18:16). What comfort there is to know that our little ones are in His arms.
Second, we learn from this incident that even when God forgives our sins He does not remove all painful consequences. David’s sins with Bathsheba and with Uriah were forgiven, but the death of this child was still necessary. Sin has painful consequences. Even though our sins are forgiven, they are never worth the price tag that comes in terms of consequences.
Third, God is more concerned with His reputation than our happiness. Some people think that God is a kind of magic Genie, who awaits our every command, and who seeks to satisfy our every whim. David would have been happy to receive his child back, but God’s reputation required that He deal with sin in a way that makes it very clear how a holy and righteous God feels about sin.
Fourth, we can learn a lesson about unanswered prayer. David prayed as earnestly as a man could pray, but God clearly answered, “No!” David was content with that. He did not protest or complain. He accepted God’s will as that which was best. He worshipped God in spite of his loss and his pain. He did not agonize that he simply lacked faith. He knew God had heard him and He had answered. How many of us praise God when He has told us “No!”?
Finally, the believer’s hope and joy in the midst of trials and tribulations is the context for witnessing to our faith in Jesus Christ. David’s servants expected him to (re)act in a very different way, once he learned that his son was dead. They were amazed at the way he found comfort, joy, and a desire to worship God when his family was struck by tragedy. They asked David concerning this hope, and David was able to give an explanation of that hope. Our response to our sufferings and trials affords us the same opportunity. Let us learn to rest in Him in Whom we have placed our hope, and then to share this hope with those who do not possess it (see 1 Peter 3:15).
Lesson 13: Tragedy in the Royal Family
(2 Samuel 13:1-36) Introduction
A few years ago, several of our daughters were with my wife Jeannette and me on the way home from a school function. We pulled into a store to buy some ice cream for dessert. As we turned back onto the road toward home, a car suddenly appeared from behind us traveling at a fairly high rate of speed. As I watched him approach, I decided he was going to rear-end us, so I quickly changed lanes. I was wrong. Either the driver was not paying attention (or was not sober), or he had intended to change lanes at the last moment. I'm not sure which. The moment I moved from the far right hand lane to the center lane, so did he. I was driving one of my diesel-powered automobiles and did not have much chance to increase my speed quickly. The driver saw what was happening and swerved yet another lane to the far-left lane -- too quickly -- and at too high a rate of speed.
We watched as the man sped past our car, lost control, and ran up over the center divider. As he did so, the concrete divider ruptured his gas tank and gasoline streamed out, leaving a wet trail behind the still speeding car. The metal on the underside of his car was also scraping against the concrete, creating a shower of sparks. What happened next was inevitable. The sparks ignited the trail of gasoline left in the path of the careening car. All this happened along side and then to the front of us. We could not stop any more than he could. Finally, his car bounced over the center divider, over the three on-coming lanes, and up onto the other side of the road. We watched it all, horrified by the wall of fire that had ignited, separating us from the car and its driver. Helpless, we watched the trail of fire catch up to the now finally stopped car. The gas tank ignited, and from our point of view, it looked as though the driver was engulfed. We could not get to him as we were too far away, and the wall of fire separated us from him. It was with great relief that we watched a bystander pull the man from the car, shortly to be taken away by an ambulance.
When I read chapter 13 of 1 Samuel, I have very similar feelings of impending tragedy, knowing I am not able to stop what is about to happen. We read of Amnon, son of King David, who desires Tamar, daughter of David by a different mother. We watch incredulously as David orders Tamar to the house of Amnon, marveling at his gullibility. We shudder as we hear Amnon ordering everyone but Tamar to leave. We look on helplessly as Tamar tries to resist, only to be raped by her brother. And then, adding insult to injury, we see Amnon's “love” turn to hate, so that he has Tamar thrown out of the house, destined to live desolate the rest of her life.
How could this happen? How could David have been a part of it? Why does God allow the innocent to suffer at the hand of the wicked? How is this incident relevant to present day life? What lessons does God have here for the Old Testament saints who read it? What lessons are here for us? Let us listen and learn well, for there is much for us to ponder, much to learn, and much to apply.
This message is entitled, “Tragedy in the Royal Family.” I am not trying to be cute, nor do I wish to capitalize on the recent tragedy of Princess Diana's death. The title very accurately describes the content of our text and of this message. There are a great many benefits to being a part of a royal family, and as recent events make clear, there are also many liabilities. From the media's point of view (at least at this time), the privacy of the royal family has been undermined and attacked by a few aggressive photographers, who would seemingly get a priceless picture no matter what the cost to members of the royal family. In our text, there are no intruding, harassing photographers. The sins committed within the royal family become public knowledge, exposed by their own actions and recorded by the inspired author for our edification. We dare not attempt to read the account of this tragedy as some would a sleazy tabloid. This is a Word from God to us, teaching us the high price of sin.
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