I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Samuel 12-13.

    I was going to write about Nathan’s message to David, God’s judgment on David, and David’s failings as a father. However, as I re-read the passage in order to compose my thoughts, I was struck by David’s reaction to the illness and death of his son by Bathsheba. While the child was sick, David fasted and prayed. He laid on the bare floor and pleaded with God for the boy’s life. He did this to such a degree that his advisers and servants were afraid to tell him that the boy had died. However, when David realized that the boy had died, he got up, cleaned himself, got dressed, and went to worship God. Then he came back and ate. David’s advisers did not understand his actions.

    However, as Christians we should understand David. While the child was alive, David fasted and prayed. He had hope that God would be gracious and return the boy to health. However, once the child had died David knew that he was suffering no more. The child was with the Lord, where David could join him one day. The message of this passage really strikes home to me right now. In the last week my family held a funeral for a cousin who died after a long, painful struggle with cancer and celebrated my Mom’s 90th birthday. We should fast and pray for our loved ones when they are sick, asking God to end their suffering by healing them. However, if and when they die, we should rejoice because God has ended their suffering and one day we will be reunited with them in His presence. This is easier said than done.