2 Samuel 12:19–25

When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?”

And they said, “He is dead.”

So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”

And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the LORD loved him, and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

When the child dies, David seems to stop mourning. Now his servants are really perplexed. David seems to have it all backwards. You’re supposed to mourn for a week after the child dies, David.

But David’s grief isn’t simply about the child; he’s grieving for his own sin and for the child paying what David rightfully owes. His mission to keep the child from dying has failed, but it’s over. “But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again?”

But then we hit the creepy line, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” The second part is just the answer to the question, “Can I bring him back again?” But the first part sounds like a reference to David ultimately meeting this son in the afterlife.

This supports the belief that those who die in infancy go to heaven.

The last paragraph isn’t entirely about what happened immediately afterwards. 1 Chronicles 3:5 indicates that Solomon wasn’t even Bathsheba’s next son. Instead, it shows simply that Bathsheba and David were eventually reconciled.

We shouldn’t gloss over that, thinking it was easy. Bathsheba could have easily spent the rest of her life plotting paybacks for David. Many women would have—with plenty of justification. Her pain was great. We aren’t told exactly how this played out, but it’s a good reminder that sin’s tentacles reach a long way.

Then Bathsheba bears the royal and messianic line. Wow. God blesses her and her marriage to David greatly. All that sin, all that pain, is not the end of the story.

God has yet another trick up His sleeve. He glorifies Himself in amazingly glorious ways.

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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Saturday ones are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to the DEEP click here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.