2 Samuel 12:15-25--David's Child Dies and Solomon is Born

2 Samuel 12:15-25
English Standard Version

David's Child Dies
16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing 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.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

Solomon's Birth
24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him 25 and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

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Nathan's prophetic message from the LORD comes true in this section.  The child became ill and David fasted and prayed, laying on the ground all night and he did not eat.  For a whole week, he mourned until the child died on the seventh day.  On that day, David's servants feared to tell him that the child had died, but David saw them whispering and figured out what the news was that they didn't want to tell them.  He asked them plainly, "Is the child dead?"

When they told him that the child was indeed dead, the took off his clothes of mourning, washed and anointed himself, and put on his royal regular clothes again.  His servants did not understand how it was that while the child was alive he was sad, but now that the child is dead, he seemed to no longer grieve.  David explains that his mourning was an act of contrition and repentance, hoping that the LORD perhaps might change His mind and spare the child's life, but he knew that the child who had done nothing wrong was with the LORD, and one day he'd see the child again (in the LORD's presence that they called Paradise or Abraham's Bosem and ultimately in the Kingdom of God that we call The New Heavens and the New Earth).

So then, we too as Christians are not to mourn like the world when we lose others who are part of the Body of Christ.  See the following verses which are to give us hope not only for those who precede us in death, but for those who remain that one day we will all be reunited.


1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
English Standard Version
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The Coming of the Lord
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

I wanted to finish this section with a message of hope.  Even in the midst of this very sad passage, there is a glint of hope, and it's not unintentional as this next child that would be born of David and Bathsheba would be the one that would be the first one to succeed his father David, and he would build the Temple that David could not, and the LORD would greatly bless him.  The name Solomon was the name chosen by his parents (and the one we know him by), but his name was also called Jedediah which means, "Beloved of the LORD."  The LORD would love Solomon for the sake of his father David.  That is not to say that Solomon will be the perfect fulfillment of the LORD's covenant with David, but he will partially fulfill this covenant and point towards the ultimate fulfillment that will come through Christ.