Matthew Henry Commentary 2 Samuel 12:15-25

"And Nathan departed unto his house. And Jehovah struck the child that Uriah`s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose, [and stood] beside him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he hearkened not unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead! But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; and David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel; and he came into the house of Jehovah, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knoweth whether Jehovah will not be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me. And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon. And Jehovah loved him; and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, for Jehovah`s sake." — 2 Samuel 12:15-25 (ASV)

David now penned the 51st Psalm, in which, though he had been assured that his sin was pardoned, he prays earnestly for pardon and greatly laments his sin. He was willing to bear the shame of it, to have it always before him, to be continually reproached for it. God allows us to be earnest with him in prayer for particular blessings, from trust in his power and general mercy, even though we have no particular promise to build upon.

David patiently submitted to the will of God in the death of one child, and God made up for the loss to his advantage in the birth of another. The way to have creature comforts continued or restored, or the loss compensated in some other way, is to cheerfully resign them to God. God, by his grace, particularly acknowledged and favored that son, and ordered him to be called Jedidiah, Beloved of the Lord.

Our prayers for our children are graciously and just as fully answered when some of them die in their infancy, because they are well taken care of, and when others live, Beloved of the Lord.