The Lord Is Not Pleased: In Chapter 11, David's actions toward Bathsheba and her husband displeased the Lord

12:1–6  The Lord therefore takes action. It was important that David and the readers of this account should realize the significance and unacceptability of what he had done. Hence, the LORD sent Nathan. What happens may be a working out of the “discipline” for David’s dynasty that had been described in 2 Samuel 7. Monarchy was new to Israel, and it was vital that standard relating to God’s expectations for the behavior of kings was set up and understood. Their authority as kings in no way exempted them from the requirement to keep God’s law for themselves.

Nathan, as in 1 Kings 1, appears suddenly. He seems to have been a trusted adviser and a recognized prophet (ch. 7), but there is …