The Story of David

11.12.13

     On Tuesday I had a conversation with one of the missionaries from my church about going back to work. Chris and Brandi live in Kenya and three years ago I went on a trip for about a week to serve with them (this is where I know Charlie and Becky from that came to the hospital). Brandi was a pediatric nurse before she and Chris decided to move to Kenya.
     One of the most helpful things that Brandi told me was to take some verses out of the Bible and keep them ready to explain to people what I believe and why I believe it. I know what I believe, but I had a hard time putting the logistical/rational side into words, so I thought this was extremely helpful.
The verses I liked about Jesus came from Matthew 18:2-4, Mark 10:13-16, and Romans 5:5.
     And then I stumbled on the story of David. I grew up in the church, but somehow the story of David losing his child was not one of the stories that stuck with me, until now.

2 Samuel 12 starting in verse 15 (This is in the New Living Translation, just because its easy to read)

15 After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife. 16 David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. 17 The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused.

18 Then on the seventh day the child died. David’s advisers were afraid to tell him. “He wouldn’t listen to reason while the child was ill,” they said. “What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?”

19 When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. “Is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”

      We could stop there. Just the fact that this is in the Bible and that I stumbled upon it during this period of my life is awesome. But the story continues:
  
20 Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions,[b] and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate.

     Again, we could stop here. Here we have the story of one of the great Kings of Israel and somebody everyone knows suffering the loss of a child and his response to the Lord when his child is gone.
     A friend recently argued with me that the Bible is not timeless. Oh dear friend, I beg to differ. Here we are 2000+ years after the time of David and his story is speaking to me. His actions are showing Alex and I how to worship after sorrow.
      And we could stop here. But the story goes on:

21 His advisers were amazed. “We don’t understand you,” they told him. “While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again.”

22 David replied, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.”

      BLESSED. Good gracious our God is amazing. For this story to be kept in the sacred word of God to provide such comfort for those of us who have lost a child. For King David's words and actions to line up as such a marvelous example of who we are called to be. I love his response to his advisers, who were wise men. I love that he flat out calls it in such a blatant way. I love it that the second part of verse 23 has so many meanings. It means David could physically go to be with his son, but his son was not there. It means that he will go to Heaven spiritually, but his son will not return to earth. 
      We could stop there, but again, the story continues.

24 Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David[c] named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child 25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the Lord”), as theLord had commanded.[d]

        Oh the promises of God! Even though David and Bathsheba had lost their first child, God used them to create another being that would go down in history books as one of the most loving and wise kings of Israel. I couldn't believe that I didn't remember this story from all those years of Sunday school! That is amazing to me. God was waiting to show me this story at this exact moment in this exact period of my life. What a phenomenal God we serve, and what a promise to hold tight to.