The rich man owned a very great abundance of flocks and herds. That abundance stands against the poor man's single cherished lamb, making his sparing of his own store to take that lamb a pitiless wrong demanding redress and fourfold restoration. The picture belongs to Nathan's parable sent by God to lay David's own course before him in taking Uriah's wife, until flashes of guilt became heart conviction and he passed sentence upon himself from his own lips. Awakened as from a dream in which his sinful course had seemed passable, David did not excuse his sin but bowed in bitter repentance, and God forgave his sin and spared his life yet did not excuse him but punished him because he had given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The calamity permitted to come upon him proves to after generations that however righteous and favored they once were, when the righteous turn from righteousness their past righteousness will not save them, and it lays upon God's watchmen the duty to faithfully reprove sin and not let it pass unreproved.
Parable Words and Setting
The rich man had exceedingly many, very great and abundant flocks and herds, and that great abundance is established at the outset of the story. His very great possessions in animals stand in contrast to the poor man's one cherished ewe lamb that grew up like a daughter. He spared his own great store yet took the poor man's lamb to feed a traveler, and that pitiless wrong roused the sense of oppression demanding redress. David himself declared the doer worthy to die and bound to restore fourfold because he had no pity.
The verse belongs to Nathan's figure, story, illustration and parable that pictured David's own course and set his case before him. It exposed his crime in taking Uriah's wife and portrayed the seriousness and heinousness of his offense in living colors. The detail of the many flocks and herds is not explained in itself but serves that larger exposure, leading David to pass sentence from his own lips upon himself.
Its setting is David's fall from a reign of judgment and justice in the case of Uriah and Bath-sheba. He departed from God and used God-given kingly authority contrary to divine law to command Joab to set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and retire from him that he might be smitten and die. Joab gave allegiance to the king rather than to God and obeyed, though it became sin to obey.
Reproof That Convicts Sinners
The rich man's abundance belongs to a reproof sent by a just and impartial God to convict a transgressor of divine law. It was spoken not as a man's own words but as a messenger's word in God's name, saying in effect, Thus saith the Lord God to the ruling king. The message was terrible in severity, yet it was delivered unflinchingly and with heaven-born wisdom. It appealed to David as the divinely appointed guardian of his people's rights, engaging his sympathies and arousing his conscience while laying before him all the favors bestowed upon him in order to upbraid him for mercies abused and misapplied.
The method concealed a pointed rebuke beneath a story, setting David's own case before him in a figure. It used no sensational songs or humorous anecdotes. That veiled parable to David then became the example for a later parable spoken to Simon.
The illustration caused David to pass sentence from his own lips upon himself. He declared the doer worthy to die and bound to restore fourfold because he had shown no pity. The rich man's great abundance was an essential part of that figure picturing David's own course. Flashes of guiltiness on conscience became settled heart conviction when he was told that he himself was the man.
A faithful portrayal of a sinner's true state in this manner makes the sinner aware of sins and helps him put them away when the counsel is accepted meekly and humbly before God. Therefore those who are God's watchmen in responsible positions must faithfully discharge their God-given responsibility to reprove sin and not connive at it by letting it pass unreproved. Though the work is unenviable and contrary to nature, neglect will leave them held accountable for the sins that exist and the evils resulting from them.
Repentance Forgiveness and Warning
The rebuke broke in upon David after he had been blinded and had excused his sinful course until his ways seemed passable, with one wrong step preparing the way for another, and awakened him as from a dream to feel his sin. Unlike Saul he did not excuse or palliate his sin, but with remorse and sincere grief and bitter repentance he bowed before the prophet, acknowledged his guilt, and humbled himself before God whose law he had broken. In that humbling he relied for pardon on the efficacy of Christ's blood. His meek acceptance of the faithful portrayal of his true state made him aware of his sins and helped him put them away.
Because of his repentance and humble confession God forgave his sin, averted part of the threatened calamity, and spared his life. That forgiveness did not in any degree sanction, excuse, or justify him, but He punished him because he had given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The title man after God's own heart belonged to him only when he was pure and walking in counsel, not when he departed and stained his character and reputation by crime after turning from instruction. God's displeasure at his plurality of wives was shown by judgments, permitting evils to rise up against him from his own house.
The terrible calamity permitted to come upon David stands to after generations as proof that God will surely punish the guilty in transgression of His commandments however righteous and favored they once were while following the Lord in purity of heart, for when the righteous turn from righteousness and do evil their past righteousness will not save them from the wrath of a just and holy God. The account is the Bible way of producing true and thorough conversion by heart work through the law and faith in the Redeemer, in contrast to excitement and feeling-based revivals. The rich man's taking despite already having abundant flocks and herds exposes his act as grasping injustice in taking what belonged to another, and thereby brings David's treatment of Uriah to light. That same abundance that contrasts with the single ewe lamb applies to those with buildings, machinery, and workers who took from the Southern field as the rich man took the lamb, diverting resources raised for that field and leaving the consequences to others.
The rich man owned a very great abundance of flocks and herds. That abundance stands against the poor man's single cherished lamb, making his sparing of his own store to take that lamb a pitiless wrong demanding redress and fourfold restoration. The picture belongs to Nathan's parable sent by God to lay David's own course before him in taking Uriah's wife, until flashes of guilt became heart conviction and he passed sentence upon himself from his own lips. Awakened as from a dream in which his sinful course had seemed passable, David did not excuse his sin but bowed in bitter repentance, and God forgave his sin and spared his life yet did not excuse him but punished him because he had given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The calamity permitted to come upon him proves to after generations that however righteous and favored they once were, when the righteous turn from righteousness their past righteousness will not save them, and it lays upon God's watchmen the duty to faithfully reprove sin and not let it pass unreproved.
Parable Words and Setting
The rich man had exceedingly many, very great and abundant flocks and herds, and that great abundance is established at the outset of the story. His very great possessions in animals stand in contrast to the poor man's one cherished ewe lamb that grew up like a daughter. He spared his own great store yet took the poor man's lamb to feed a traveler, and that pitiless wrong roused the sense of oppression demanding redress. David himself declared the doer worthy to die and bound to restore fourfold because he had no pity.
The verse belongs to Nathan's figure, story, illustration and parable that pictured David's own course and set his case before him. It exposed his crime in taking Uriah's wife and portrayed the seriousness and heinousness of his offense in living colors. The detail of the many flocks and herds is not explained in itself but serves that larger exposure, leading David to pass sentence from his own lips upon himself.
Its setting is David's fall from a reign of judgment and justice in the case of Uriah and Bath-sheba. He departed from God and used God-given kingly authority contrary to divine law to command Joab to set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and retire from him that he might be smitten and die. Joab gave allegiance to the king rather than to God and obeyed, though it became sin to obey.
Reproof That Convicts Sinners
The rich man's abundance belongs to a reproof sent by a just and impartial God to convict a transgressor of divine law. It was spoken not as a man's own words but as a messenger's word in God's name, saying in effect, Thus saith the Lord God to the ruling king. The message was terrible in severity, yet it was delivered unflinchingly and with heaven-born wisdom. It appealed to David as the divinely appointed guardian of his people's rights, engaging his sympathies and arousing his conscience while laying before him all the favors bestowed upon him in order to upbraid him for mercies abused and misapplied.
The method concealed a pointed rebuke beneath a story, setting David's own case before him in a figure. It used no sensational songs or humorous anecdotes. That veiled parable to David then became the example for a later parable spoken to Simon.
The illustration caused David to pass sentence from his own lips upon himself. He declared the doer worthy to die and bound to restore fourfold because he had shown no pity. The rich man's great abundance was an essential part of that figure picturing David's own course. Flashes of guiltiness on conscience became settled heart conviction when he was told that he himself was the man.
A faithful portrayal of a sinner's true state in this manner makes the sinner aware of sins and helps him put them away when the counsel is accepted meekly and humbly before God. Therefore those who are God's watchmen in responsible positions must faithfully discharge their God-given responsibility to reprove sin and not connive at it by letting it pass unreproved. Though the work is unenviable and contrary to nature, neglect will leave them held accountable for the sins that exist and the evils resulting from them.
Repentance Forgiveness and Warning
The rebuke broke in upon David after he had been blinded and had excused his sinful course until his ways seemed passable, with one wrong step preparing the way for another, and awakened him as from a dream to feel his sin. Unlike Saul he did not excuse or palliate his sin, but with remorse and sincere grief and bitter repentance he bowed before the prophet, acknowledged his guilt, and humbled himself before God whose law he had broken. In that humbling he relied for pardon on the efficacy of Christ's blood. His meek acceptance of the faithful portrayal of his true state made him aware of his sins and helped him put them away.
Because of his repentance and humble confession God forgave his sin, averted part of the threatened calamity, and spared his life. That forgiveness did not in any degree sanction, excuse, or justify him, but He punished him because he had given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The title man after God's own heart belonged to him only when he was pure and walking in counsel, not when he departed and stained his character and reputation by crime after turning from instruction. God's displeasure at his plurality of wives was shown by judgments, permitting evils to rise up against him from his own house.
The terrible calamity permitted to come upon David stands to after generations as proof that God will surely punish the guilty in transgression of His commandments however righteous and favored they once were while following the Lord in purity of heart, for when the righteous turn from righteousness and do evil their past righteousness will not save them from the wrath of a just and holy God. The account is the Bible way of producing true and thorough conversion by heart work through the law and faith in the Redeemer, in contrast to excitement and feeling-based revivals. The rich man's taking despite already having abundant flocks and herds exposes his act as grasping injustice in taking what belonged to another, and thereby brings David's treatment of Uriah to light. That same abundance that contrasts with the single ewe lamb applies to those with buildings, machinery, and workers who took from the Southern field as the rich man took the lamb, diverting resources raised for that field and leaving the consequences to others.