If God forgave David, why did his son have to die (12:14)?
We can only speculate about God’s mysterious ways. It seems sin often has a price tag in this life, though its eternal consequences have been paid. Some suggest there are two results of sin: (1) It separates a person from God. (2) It produces negative effects in this world. In this view, forgiveness covers the first result of sin but not necessarily the second. And unfortunately for innocent bystanders like David’s infant son, the negative effects of sin are not limited to the sinner.
