“2 Samuel 11–12: David’s Tragic Mistakes,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide (2002), 101–2
“2 Samuel 11–12,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide, 101–2
David’s Tragic Mistakes
Sometimes we don’t recognize the importance of some of the “little” decisions we make in our lives. Elder Gordon B. Hinckley gave an example of the importance of little decisions when he told about an experience he had working for a railroad company. He said he received a call from New Jersey that a passenger train arrived without the baggage car.
“We discovered that the train had been properly made up in Oakland, California, and properly delivered to St Louis. … But in the St. Louis yards, a thoughtless switchman had moved a piece of steel just three inches.
“That piece of steel was a switch point, and the car that should have been in Newark, New Jersey, was in New Orleans, Louisiana, thirteen hundred miles away” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1972, 106; or Ensign, Jan. 1973, 91).
When you first read about David, he appeared to be the model for a king in Israel. Chapters 1–10 of 2 Samuel record the great success he had as the leader of the country. As you read 2 Samuel 11–12, look for “switch points” in David’s life that put him on a different “track” than the one he started on in his younger years.
Studying the Scriptures
Do two of the following activities (A–E) as you study 2 Samuel 11–12.
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Switch Points
Make the following chart in your notebook, and then fill in the blanks with information you learn from 2 Samuel 11 as well as with your own thoughts. There may be more than one item in the middle column.
Decisions That Changed David’s Life
Verses
What David did
What David should have done
1
2
3
4
6–8, 14–17
26–27
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Switch Points Today
You probably noticed that each “switch point” brought David closer and closer to sin. Write a short letter as if you were writing to someone your age and warn him or her about “switch points” you believe will be faced that could lead to immoral actions. A For the Strength of Youth booklet (36550) may provide some suggestions. Also use David’s story to help this person see the consequences of such choices.
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Interpret the Parable
Explain Nathan’s parable in 2 Samuel 12:1–4 as it applied to David. Tell what each specific part of the parable represents.
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Feelings of Remorse
Sometime after his discussion with Nathan, David wrote Psalm 51. Read Psalm 51 and write what you think David would say to someone who believes that sin is nothing to worry about because you can always repent (see also D&C 132:38–39).
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A Big Change
Compare the kind of man David was when he fought Goliath to the kind of man he was in 2 Samuel 11–12 when he committed serious sins. Why do you think there is such a difference? How can people change so drastically?