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David, Bathsheba and Nathan's parable

Prophet Nathan confronts David about adultery and murder.
Contributed by Sweet Publishing
Story also available on our translated websites: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, German, Hindi, Simplified Chinese
1
In the spring, David sent his army under the command of Joab to lay siege to the Ammonite city of Rabbah. David chose to stay at home in Jerusalem. – Slide 1
2
One evening David walked around on the roof of the palace and saw a very beautiful woman washing. David sent someone to find out who she was. He was told she was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite who was away fighting in David’s army. – Slide 2
3
David sent messengers to get Bathsheba. When she arrived he seduced her and slept with her. Bathsheba then returned home. – Slide 3
4
A while later Bathsheba got a message to David saying, ‘I am pregnant.’ – Slide 4
5
David sent a message to Uriah the Hittite to come and see him. Uriah left the siege and returned to Jerusalem. – Slide 5
6
David asked Uriah how the siege was going then sent him to spend the night at home with his wife. He was hoping that Uriah would sleep with Bathsheba and later think the child was his. But Uriah did not think it was fair that he should be at home while the other troops were living in tents. So he slept at the entrance of the palace with the other servants. – Slide 6
7
The next day David found out that Uriah had not spent the night with Bathsheba. So that day he got him drunk. But again Uriah did not return home but slept on a mat by the palace entrance. David’s plan had failed. Uriah returned to the siege of Rabbah. – Slide 7
8
David wrote a letter to Joab with an order. ‘Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so that he will be struck down and die.’ – Slide 8
9
Joab obeyed the order. He put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders of the city would be. Several of Joab’s soldiers were killed, one of them was Uriah, who was shot with arrows. – Slide 9
10
When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David brought her to his house and she became his wife and bore him a son. But David’s actions had greatly displeased the Lord. – Slide 10
11
The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan told David the following story. – Slide 11
12
‘There were two men, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. – Slide 12
13
‘Now a traveller came to the rich man, but instead of taking one of his own sheep to prepare a meal for the traveller, he stole the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man. He killed the lamb and prepared it as a meal for his guest.’ – Slide 13
14
David was furious. ‘As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!’ he told Nathan. ‘He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a bad thing and had no pity.’ – Slide 14
15
Nathan then said to David, ‘You are that man! This is what the Lord says, “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from Saul. I gave your master’s house and wives. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And I would have given you even more. Why did you disobey and do such evil? You murdered Uriah the Hittite and took his wife to be your own. From now on bloodshed shall never depart from your family.”’ – Slide 15
16
David cried, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan replied, ‘The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.’ – Slide 16
17
After Nathan had gone home, the child born to Bathsheba and David became ill.  David pleaded with God to spare the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.  – Slide 17
18
Seven days later the child died. David was told the sad news. He stopped fasting and praying then he went in to see the child and comfort his wife. – Slide 18
19
Some time later David and Bathsheba had another baby boy whom they named Solomon. The Lord loved him and sent word through Nathan the prophet to bless him with the name Jedidiah meaning ‘Friend of God’. Solomon grew up to become the next King of Israel. – Slide 19
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