NINE MONTHS (2nd Samuel Chapters 11, 12 & 24)

David walked on the roof top aimlessly.

Then he saw her: a ravishingly beautiful naked woman, taking her bath.

He was smitten!

And that was the beginning of a series of events that lasted 9 months...

 

David sent for her.

David slept with her.

She got pregnant.

She informed him.

He tried to get her husband to sleep with her to make the child seem like his and cover his indiscretions.

The husband did not take the bait.

David had him killed.

He married the woman.

She carried the pregnancy for the entire 9 months and gave birth to a baby.

Then God came in…

 

He sent Prophet Nathan to David.

He told the King a story.

He was ANGRY!

The Prophet made the King realize the story was about him: he was the offender!

He said, “I have sinned!”

The irony is, DAVID DID NOT REALIZE HE HAD SINNED FOR OVER 9 MONTHS!

He needed to be informed.

He needed a 3^rd party to tell him.

His spirit was numb.

His network was jammed.

His wireless reception was not working.

God had to send Prophet Nathan to him before he realized what he had done.

When your Internal Receptor is bad, you will need an External Source for information.

 

Punishment was served:

His son, Amnon raped his daughter, Tamar.

His son, Absalom killed him (Amnon).

Same son (Absalom) revolted against him.

Absalom also slept with his concubines.

Shimei cursed and stoned him.

Sheba also revolted against him.

David went through hell and back.

When the kingdom was restored to him, he was broken.

He was more circumspect.

His wireless reception was sharper.

His network had full bars.

He was more spiritually mature…

 

 

A while later, David asked Joab to count the soldiers.

Joab felt it was not a good idea and told him so.

The King insisted.

Joab carried out the assignment.

It took him over 9 months to collate the numbers.

Same time frame it took between David sleeping with Bathsheba and Nathan’s visit.

But this time, David KNEW he had sinned. He did not need a Prophet Nathan to come tell him a story.

He did not need an external source for information.

HIS HEART SMOTE HIM. (2^nd Samuel 24:10)

He KNEW.

He said, “I have sinned greatly! I have done foolishly!”

Just census of soldiers, he knew he had done wrong (We could even be tempted to think what he did concerning Bathsheba and Uriah was the greater sin: why did he not KNOW he sinned then, but he knew when he asked for a census?).

 

Then entered Prophet Gad with God’s verdict.

David was given 3 options: choose 1!

He did not pick.

He simply said, “Let me fall into the hands of God for His mercies are great: let me not fall into the hands of man!”

God understood. He sent the Angel of Death to Israel. But God stopped him after just a day.

The difference between the 9 months of sin and punishment in the case of Bathsheba and Uriah and the 9 months in the case of Joab and the census of soldiers was KNOWLEDGE.

In the former, David lacked it. In the latter, he had it.

And that knowledge came through what he suffered.

Scripture says, “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Hebrews 2:10.

There is a degree of perfection you get from suffering.

There is a degree of wisdom, knowledge and understanding you get from pain.

 

When you go through stuff, it is not always wise to arrogate it to the devil: sometimes, it’s because your network is jammed and you have lost touch with Heaven.

What you are going through is to realign you with heaven.

What you are going through is to fix your network.

 

In Jonah chapter 1, God sent the Prophet to Nineveh. He ran away. He did not want to carry out the assignment.

In chapter 3, God sent the Prophet to Nineveh again. This time, he went.

Why?

Chapter 2 happened: the Whale Experience.

After that experience, Prophet Jonah was broken.

Just as David was.

 

When you lose your ability to hear from heaven and you need an external source for information, you need to go through a process for your network to be restored.

You need to go through a Whale Experience for you to get wisdom and understanding.

It is not always a pleasant experience, but trust me, it is worth it!

 

Shalom,

Haruna Daniels.