“David said to Natan,
‘I have sinned against Adonai.’
Natan said to David, ‘
Adonai also has taken away your sin.
You will not die.‘”
-2 Samuel 12:13
What does God mean when He tells David he will not die?
Did it mean he would become physically immortal and never descend to the grave?
Of course not, homies.
Or did it mean he’d avoid trial or a death sentence?
No to that question as well.
As King of Israel, there was no higher authority to force him to follow civil procedure.
But, what’s interesting is that the Hebrew word for “die” being used here is MUTH or מוּת…
And it does mean to die physically.
Here are some other verses where the word is used.
“Except the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
You are not to eat from it,
because on the day that
you eat from it,
it will become certain
that you will die.”
-Genesis 2:17
“In all, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.“
-Genesis 5:5
So, how are we to take this statement?
Probably the best way to explain is to speak a little Christianese here.
It basically means David wouldn’t die and go to hell after he breathed his last breath.
In other words, his soul wouldn’t be condemned as an unrighteous person.
He wouldn’t be tossed into Gehinnom, the place of punishment where gnashing of teeth occurs.
See, back then, people believed the souls of the wicked simply ended after death.
But that wouldn’t happen with David.
He would keep on going.
This makes sense because at this time in Biblical history…
There was no idea that one died and went to heaven.
The concept just didn’t exist.
Why?
Because until the Messiah came and gave His own life to wash away sin,
Even those who died in a righteous state didn’t simply ascend straight into heaven to be with the Lord.
Instead, the righteous went to a place called Abraham’s Bosom.
This was like a safe, peaceful waiting room for those who trusted God.
They stayed there until the Messiah showed up and set them free.
Alrighty, so here’s the big takeaway coming to me like a cat leaping off a couch like it saw a ghost.
It seems like the only concern believers care about is whether or not they’ll go to hell after they die.
That’s all they care about…
I remember talking with this one dude many years ago and witnessing to him about Christ…
He was a pretty honest guy.
He said he wanted to wait and live out his life before surrendering to God…
And why?
Because he loved his whore-banging lifestyle and wanted to keep it till the very end.
Being a high-testosterone dude myself, I understood where he was coming from…
But I also understood something else he didn’t.
The sheer joy that comes from obeying God…
And the many daily miracles and blessings that come with obedience.
He couldn’t see that part…
Because he was so immersed in the fleshly things of the world.
But once you get a taste of the spiritual things of heaven…
You can’t go back homie…
You don’t wanna go back…
Ya feel me?
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”
-1 Corinthians 2:9
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