David's sin has filtered down to his children. David's oldest son Amnon shows some of the same character flaws of David in his dealings with his sister Tamar. In this episode, we will see the level of depravity of sin and what it has done to David's family. 

Absalom has led a revolt against David and now David is running for his life. He is in the Judean desert and this Psalm likens the desire for water in a dry place to a desire for God's presence and deliverance. 

Nathan the prophet tells David a parable of how a rich man takes advantage of a poor man. David is incensed by this story and wants justice for the poor man. Nathan informs David that he is the oppressor. He took the wife of Uriah and God is not pleased. David was not content and wanted what was not his and now he will be punished for his sin. 

David has tried to cover up his sin by duplicity and treachery. The phrase in this chapter is, "the Lord was displeased." God will hold David accountable for his actions and the life of David will never be the same again. 

In this episode, we see a sin that will cast a shadow over the entire reign of David. We will witness how sin makes a wise king a fool. 

Just as in 2 Samuel 9, David wants to show love and compassion to someone for the sake of how their father treated David. Nahash was the king of the Ammonites and Nahash had given refuge to David when he was pursued by Saul. David wants to show compassion to Nahash's son Hanun but Hanun rejects David's kindness.

Psalm 51 bears out a man's heart that is broken by sin. David has been confronted by Nathan the prophet for his mighty transgression. David is seeking forgiveness, cleansing, and renewal. This is one of the most powerful confessions in all of Scripture. 

In this reading, David shows unusual kindness to the son of Jonathan. David's covenant kindness to Mephibosheth is a picture of God's love for us. 

David brings the Ark of God into Jerusalem and totally transforms the worship of Israel to focus on remembrance and thanksgiving. These two themes of remembering and thanksgiving are part of the heart and soul of Christian worship.  

In this chapter, David defeats all the enemies that surround his kingdom. The key phrase in this chapter is "the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went."