“Adonai struck the child that Uriyah’s wife had borne to David, and it became very ill.”-2 Samuel 12:15
We’re diving into some deep Torah principles today.
So, to keep things fun and interactive, let’s explore them in a quiz format.
Cool?
So, put on your thinking caps and see if you can answer the next two questions!
QUESTION 1:
Why did God cause the death of David and Bathsheba’s innocent child in verse 15?
QUESTION 2:
What Torah-principle or pattern was at play in the death of David’s baby son?
Take a second to think about it.
You might even wanna jot down your answers on a piece of paper or something before reading on.
Done?
Okay, here are the answers.
ANSWER TO QUESTION 1:
Sin always comes with a price.
David had committed a murder.
He incurred what the Torah calls “blood-guilt.”
This meant that under normal circumstances, David would’ve been executed.
However, the Lord decided NOT to take David’s life even though that’s what the law required…
And you had best believe David was thanking his lucky stars for that decision.
However, someone’s life had to be paid for David’s sin.
Sadly, that life would be paid for by the baby that Bathsheba gave birth to as a result of the adulterous affair.
ANSWER TO QUESTION 2:
The answer to this question is the Torah principle called “vertical retribution.”
Boy, it’s been a long time since we first studied that.
So a quick review is in order.
Vertical retribution is just a fancy way of saying that God will sometimes let the punishment for a sin fall on someone’s kids or even grandkids long after the original sin took place.
I get that this idea might sound weird to us modern folks today.
But back then, it was REAL.
God ALLOWED it…
And the ancient Israelites BELIEVED it and LIVED by it.
Another phrase used to describe this is “generational curses.”
However, I should clarify this ain’t the same thing as laying blame on the son for the father’s sins.
This was called “transgenerational punishment” and was banned by Torah.
People simply weren’t allowed to do it.
So what’s the difference?
Transgenerational punishment is when humans try to punish someone for another person’s sin…
Like putting a son in jail for a crime his dad committed.
This was against the Law.
If the father committed murder…
Only he could be punished…
Not his kids.
Vertical Retribution is different in that it comes straight from God.
It’s not part of any human law or court system.
God decides when and how to carry it out.
No person gets to choose…
Or can even control how it’s carried out.
The innocent baby born to David and Bathsheba, who got sick and died…
This was NOT man-made punishment.
This was vertical retribution.
It was God-ordained…
And it happened fast.
Alrighty, we’ve covered a lot today…
So I think I’ll end it right here.
See ya all next time.
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