Teaching By Example
II Samuel Chapter 12, the Strange and the Spectacular
Verses: 31
Is It Read At Synagogue?: No.
Famous Quotes/Phrases: David justifies his curious behavior following the death of his infant son with stunning stoicism: “Now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will never come back to me” (Verse 23). For better or for worse, this quote has been cited at funerals even in modern times. It’s not my practice to cite it in those cases, but I suppose there are some who find it comforting.
Basic Plot: The prophet Nathan tells David the parable of the rich man and the poor man, in which the wealthy man takes the poor man’s sole lamb to serve to his guest. David says that the rich man deserves to die, and Nathan responds that, by leading Uriah to death and marrying his widow Batsheva, David has acted in the same manner as that rich man. Nathan goes on to say that God will cause calamity in David’s house, another man will sleep with his wives, and “the sword shall never depart from your house.”
David acknowledges his guilt, and Nathan responds that the son that he had with Batsheva would die. David prays on that son’s behalf, but to no avail. He accepts the boy’s fate as described above, and then he and Batsheva conceive another son: Solomon, whom God calls Yedidyah (more on that in a moment).
Yoav, meanwhile, attacks the Ammonite city of Rabbah, and tells David to return the battlefield to complete conquering the city, or else Yoav will claim the city in his own name. David responds in kind, capturing the city as well as the other Ammonite towns, enslaving their residents.
What’s Strange: This chapter is our introduction to Solomon, a man who represents the best of times and the worst of times in the era of the Israelite kings. God’s name for Solomon, Yedidyah, means “Beloved of God”, and Solomon will one day both justify and betray that love. A.H.J. Gunneweg comments in his book Understanding the Old Testament, “Kingship is in fact an obvious illustration of the problem of Israel’s existence. [The text says,] ‘And God loved him’. Yet Solomon, this beloved son, had his father’s most faithful followers murdered in their old age. Was this the religious answer to brutal tyranny? Or the political perversion of faith? Or both?”
What’s Spectacular: Nathan’s use of a parable to make David realize his wrongdoing is one of the Bible’s most important lessons about the importance of pedagogy. The prophet could have easily approached David with only a heavy hand, excoriating him for his obvious wrongdoing. But would David have been receptive to that approach? Would he have lied to Nathan, saying he had done nothing wrong, or tried to justify his actions somehow? Nathan decides instead to lead David to take ownership of his misconduct. It proves to be an effective strategy. The best teachers are those who don’t just provide information, but enable their students to maximize their brainpower while enhancing their wisdom.
Shabbat Shalom!