Past Commentary by a Common Terry
Guilty and in a fog
August 16, 2026
People who study such things will tell us that when a person is carrying around unresolved, unacknowledged guilt, it can cause other problems. That person may become depressed or self-loathing. He or she may act out, behaving in ways that are unusual. Patience thins. Anger increases. Common-sense judgment, especially when it comes to the actions of others, becomes clouded.
Welcome to David in II Samuel 12. A thumbnail review: David was not at war as he usually was. He had time on his hands and kingly power to exert if he wanted. He spotted a beautiful woman, Bathsheba, bathing in her private residence (he saw her from the vantage point of the high rooftop of the royal palace). He sent for her. He had sex with her. She became pregnant. He tried to manipulate her husband to spend intimate time with her to convincing everyone the child wasn’t his. Her husband, Uriah, refused. He had been brought back from the battlefront. He would not, under any circumstance, enjoy the comforts of home while his fellow soldiers remained in the battlefield. In a sealed letter that Uriah carried back to the battle-front, David instructed his general, Joab, to make sure Uriah was left unprotected in the heat of the battle, guaranteeing his death. And it happened just that way. The chapter ends with Bathsheba mourning for her husband, her marriage to the king, and the birth of their son.
Whew! That’s a lot in one chapter. Did David know he sinned? You bet he did! Why else did he send for Uriah when he found out Bathsheba was pregnant? Did he know his commands to Joab to make sure Uriah died in battle were so very wrong? Absolutely. When a messenger came from the frontline and told David of Uriah’s death, he sent back a message to Joab, saying, “Do not let this matter displease you…” (II Samuel 11:25)
In chapter 12, we jump forward and the child is born. Enter the prophet Nathan, who consults with, encourages, advises, and, most importantly, informs the king of God’s words. Nathan traps King David in his own guilt. He tells him of a rich man who had many sheep. His neighbor, a poor man with very little, has one sheep. It is a pet, loved as only a family pet can be. This man fed this little ewe lamb from the table. He let it drink from his own cup. The lamb was, “...like a daughter to him.” (II Samuel 12:3)
The rich man had a visitor drop in. Instead of taking a sheep from his flock, he took the poor man’s pet lamb, killed it, and served it. David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man...and he said..., “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” (II Samuel 12:5-6)
David was absolutely right under the Law that the rich man would repay the poor man four times over. (Exodus 22:1) But, deserving of death? That’s not the Law. There was nothing in the Mosaic Law about capital punishment for the theft of livestock. Did David really want to enact the death penalty? I’m not sure. But he was indignant enough that he wished it! He said that the man, “...deserves to die!” David could see the offense so clearly in someone else, and perhaps even overreact in his assessment, but could not yet see the message Nathan brought to him.
Then Nathan speaks one of the boldest single sentences by a prophet in scripture. Nathan said, “You are the man!” (II Samuel 12:7) David took another man’s wife—a much more severe action than the theft of one solitary sheep. God anointed him king, delivered him from Saul and his enemies, and blessed him with the kingdom. How had he repaid God? By doing this evil thing!
David said the rich man in Nathan’s scenario would have to pay back fourfold the sheep he took. Is it a coincidence the Bible narrative from that time on will record the tragic deaths of four—four!!—of David’s sons? His child born from Bathsheba, and then his sons Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah. David inflicted terrible pain through his sin. He could not recognize it until Nathan forced him to look at himself.
The one saving aspect of this is that once David’s eyes were opened and he could see himself more clearly, he did what we all need to do. He repented. He did not justify or defend himself: “I have sinned against the Lord.” (II Samuel 12:13)
Next week—repentance.
Welcome to David in II Samuel 12. A thumbnail review: David was not at war as he usually was. He had time on his hands and kingly power to exert if he wanted. He spotted a beautiful woman, Bathsheba, bathing in her private residence (he saw her from the vantage point of the high rooftop of the royal palace). He sent for her. He had sex with her. She became pregnant. He tried to manipulate her husband to spend intimate time with her to convincing everyone the child wasn’t his. Her husband, Uriah, refused. He had been brought back from the battlefront. He would not, under any circumstance, enjoy the comforts of home while his fellow soldiers remained in the battlefield. In a sealed letter that Uriah carried back to the battle-front, David instructed his general, Joab, to make sure Uriah was left unprotected in the heat of the battle, guaranteeing his death. And it happened just that way. The chapter ends with Bathsheba mourning for her husband, her marriage to the king, and the birth of their son.
Whew! That’s a lot in one chapter. Did David know he sinned? You bet he did! Why else did he send for Uriah when he found out Bathsheba was pregnant? Did he know his commands to Joab to make sure Uriah died in battle were so very wrong? Absolutely. When a messenger came from the frontline and told David of Uriah’s death, he sent back a message to Joab, saying, “Do not let this matter displease you…” (II Samuel 11:25)
In chapter 12, we jump forward and the child is born. Enter the prophet Nathan, who consults with, encourages, advises, and, most importantly, informs the king of God’s words. Nathan traps King David in his own guilt. He tells him of a rich man who had many sheep. His neighbor, a poor man with very little, has one sheep. It is a pet, loved as only a family pet can be. This man fed this little ewe lamb from the table. He let it drink from his own cup. The lamb was, “...like a daughter to him.” (II Samuel 12:3)
The rich man had a visitor drop in. Instead of taking a sheep from his flock, he took the poor man’s pet lamb, killed it, and served it. David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man...and he said..., “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” (II Samuel 12:5-6)
David was absolutely right under the Law that the rich man would repay the poor man four times over. (Exodus 22:1) But, deserving of death? That’s not the Law. There was nothing in the Mosaic Law about capital punishment for the theft of livestock. Did David really want to enact the death penalty? I’m not sure. But he was indignant enough that he wished it! He said that the man, “...deserves to die!” David could see the offense so clearly in someone else, and perhaps even overreact in his assessment, but could not yet see the message Nathan brought to him.
Then Nathan speaks one of the boldest single sentences by a prophet in scripture. Nathan said, “You are the man!” (II Samuel 12:7) David took another man’s wife—a much more severe action than the theft of one solitary sheep. God anointed him king, delivered him from Saul and his enemies, and blessed him with the kingdom. How had he repaid God? By doing this evil thing!
David said the rich man in Nathan’s scenario would have to pay back fourfold the sheep he took. Is it a coincidence the Bible narrative from that time on will record the tragic deaths of four—four!!—of David’s sons? His child born from Bathsheba, and then his sons Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah. David inflicted terrible pain through his sin. He could not recognize it until Nathan forced him to look at himself.
The one saving aspect of this is that once David’s eyes were opened and he could see himself more clearly, he did what we all need to do. He repented. He did not justify or defend himself: “I have sinned against the Lord.” (II Samuel 12:13)
Next week—repentance.