2 Samuel 12:26-31

God’s faithfulness to David 12:26-31

In spite of David’s rebellion, God granted his army victory over the Ammonites. David’s military leaders evidently executed the defeated warriors (1 Chronicles 20:3) and forced many of the people to do labor of various kinds to support Israel (2 Samuel 12:31). [Note: On the crown mentioned in 2 Samuel 12:30, see Siegfried H. Horn, "The Crown of the King of the Ammonites," Andrews University Seminary Bulletin 11:2 (1973):170-80. For an explanation of David’s actions in 2 Samuel 12:31, see G. C. O’Ceallaigh, "’And So David Did to All the Cities of Ammon,’" Vetus Testamentum 12 (1962):179-89.]

Chapters 10-12 contain very important revelation that helps us understand the complexity of God’s righteous ways. We often think too superficially about the way God deals with sin in His people’s lives. We see in these chapters that David’s great sins did not completely wash out his past record of godly behavior. God continued to bless him in part because God had chosen him as His anointed, but also because he genuinely had a heart for God and usually sought to please God. His sins had terrible consequences, as we shall see, but God did not cast David off. The most important factor seems to be David’s basic heart attitude toward God. In this he was very different from Saul, and it is for this reason, I believe, that David did not end as Saul did. When David sinned, he confessed his sin. When Saul sinned, he made excuses. [Note: For a structural analysis of chapters 10-12, see Roth, "You Are . . ."]