121 Then the Lord sent Nathan to David . And he came to him and said , "There were two men in one city , the one rich and the other poor . 2 "The rich man had a great many flocks and herds . 3 "But the poor man had nothing e except e one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished ; And it grew up together with him and his children . It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom , And was like a daughter to him. 4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man , And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd , To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." 5 Then David's anger burned greatly against the man , and he said to Nathan , "As the Lord lives , surely the man who has done this deserves to die . 6 "He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold , because e he did this thing and had no compassion ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 2 Samuel 12:1-6
Commentary on 2 Samuel 12:1-14
(Read 2 Samuel 12:1-14)
God will not suffer his people to lie still in sin. By this parable Nathan drew from David a sentence against himself. Great need there is of prudence in giving reproofs. In his application, he was faithful. He says in plain terms, Thou art the man. God shows how much he hates sin, even in his own people; and wherever he finds it, he will not let it go unpunished. David says not a word to excuse himself or make light of his sin, but freely owns it. When David said, I have sinned, and Nathan perceived that he was a true penitent, he assured him his sin was forgiven. Thou shalt not die: that is, not die eternally, nor be for ever put away from God, as thou wouldest have been, if thou hadst not put away the sin. Though thou shalt all thy days be chastened of the Lord, yet thou shalt not be condemned with the world. There is this great evil in the sins of those who profess religion and relation to God, that they furnish the enemies of God and religion with matter for reproach and blasphemy. And it appears from David's case, that even where pardon is obtained, the Lord will visit the transgression of his people with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. For one momentary gratification of a vile lust, David had to endure many days and years of extreme distress.