Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
From: 2 Samuel 12:1-17
David’s Repentance
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[1] And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. [2] The rich man had very many flocks and herds; [3] but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his morsel, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. [4] Now there came a traveller to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” [5] Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; [6] and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
[7] Nathan said to David, “You are the man. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul; [8] and I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. [9] Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites. [10] 'Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. [12] For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.'" [13] David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. [14] Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child that is born to you shall die.” [15] Then Nathan went to his house.
And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became sick. [16] David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon 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.
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Commentary:
12:1-25. Nathan’s intervention (vv. 1-15), David’s repentance (vv. 16-19), and the birth of Solomon (vv. 20-25) are the main subjects in this chapter. Nathan makes an appeal to David with one of the most beautiful parables in the Old Testament and gets the king to condemn his own conduct: “the man who has done this deserves to die” (v. 5). In reply, Nathan tells him the penalty the Lord has decreed, which in line with the law of vengeance or retaliation has three parts to it, corresponding to David's triple crime--murder, adultery and the fact that the victim was a blameless man. On account of the murder, the sword will not depart from David’s house (V. 10): this punishment will affect his eldest sons, Amnon, Absalom and Adonijah, who will die violent deaths. For the adultery, his wives will be violated in public (v. 11), which will happen when Absalom takes his father’s harem (cf. 16:20-23). And for the killing of an innocent man, his own recently born son will not survive (v. 14).
David’s repentance is exemplary (vv. 16-19): he weeps for his sin, and fasts and pleads for his little son: so, in spite of his weaknesses and sins, he still trusts in the Lord and shows himself to be “a man after (the Lord’s) own heart” (1 Sam 13:14). David is a model of penance because, by acknowledging his sin, he obtained divine forgiveness. His repentance finds expression in Psalm 51, which so beautifully and piously records the sinful king’s supplication to the Lord: “Have mercy on me, 0 God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Ps 51:1-2).
The birth of a new son (vv. 20-25) brings this account to an end and makes it clear that Solomon was born within marriage; his birth causes David great joy and he is given a second name in a message from Nathan--"Jedidiah" (v. 25); beloved of the Lord. This means that, from birth, Solomon is the one chosen by God to advance his plan of salvation for Israel.
Great was David’s sin, and heartfelt his contrition. But God’s forgiveness is greatest of all. “In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal himself to theirs, a single motive for choosing them from among all peoples as his special possession--his sheer gratuitous love. And thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was again out of love that God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins” ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 218).
The Calming of the Storm
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[35] On that day, when evening had come, He (Jesus) said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." [36] And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them just as He was, in the boat. And other boats were with Him. [37] And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat so that the boat was already filling. [38] But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care if we perish?" [39] And He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. [40] He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" [41] And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?"
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Commentary:
35-41. The episode of the calming of the storm, the memory of which must have often helped the Apostles regain their serenity in the midst of struggles and difficulties, also helps us never lose the supernatural way of looking at things: a Christian's life is like a ship: "As a vessel on the sea is exposed to a thousand dangers--pirates, quicksands, hidden rocks, tempests--so man in this life, is encompassed with perils, arising from the temptations of Hell, from the occasions of sin, from the scandals or bad counsels of men, from human respect, and, above all from the passions of corrupt nature [...]. This should not cause him to lose confidence. Rather [...] when you find yourself assaulted by a violent passion [...] take whatever steps you can to avoid the occasions [of sin] and place your reliance on God [...]: when the tempest is violent, the pilot never takes his eyes from the light which guides him to port. In like manner, we should keep our eyes always turned to God, who alone can deliver us from the many dangers to which we are exposed" (St. Augustine, "Sermon 51; for the Fourth Sunday After Epiphany).