Today’s reading is a story so good that it took no effort to read, you literally cannot put the book down…waiting to see what happens next.
Read selected passages (NLT)
What should we learn from this story of David and Bathsheeba? Should we learn not to bathe on rooftops, or not to watch women bathing? I hardly think that either of these are the intended point of the story. In fact, I don’t think the story was told for the purpose of teaching at all. It is simply a record of what happened, and a brief explanation of why it happened. But David and Bathsheeba aren’t “what’s happening” they are WHY it happened. Let me explain. Later in David’s life there is an internal battle with one of his sons that nearly collapses the kingdom. Things really fall apart, and David literally runs for his life from his own son. Some of the Psalms that we have been reading would fit with this time period (I am without friends, everyone is trying to kill me, I have been betrayed, etc.)
Someone might ask themselves “why would God allow such a terrible thing to happen to a man that He appointed, and that He loves?” The answer of course is: “Because of David’s sin with Bathsheeba, and the murder of Uriah”. So today’s reading is the explanation of future events. Today we read that the child born to them died of an illness. That child was innocent, and David’s actions doomed it. I never thought of this before, but I bet we will see that child in heaven. While my mind is wandering, I am wondering “just how beautiful was Bathsheeba?” She must have really been something. Or, was she simply a beautiful woman who fell under the gaze of a man with lust or impulse issues?
I am reminded that David wasn’t perfect, and neither are we. There are times when our imperfect, unredeemed nature exerts itself and we do something that we shouldn’t. When it happens, we should immediately repent, and take whatever measures the Holy Spirit leads us to take.
Thinking of Uriah, he must have really been something special. Only the highest quality leader would be sleeping with the palace guard instead of with his wife. I am almost certain that he was an officer, and probably a commander who had the loyalty and respect of his men. In 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11 we see that he was one of David’s 37 “mighty men”. Okay, so now that I can place him in that select group I know something more about him. Uriah would have been revered by the whole army, he and his “platoon” of cohorts would have been like rock stars in the military. The exploits of the mighty men are all throughout scripture. In fact, if you look at the second part of the reading, these guys were battling giants and killing them. They were the genuine article.
For David to steal the wife of anyone is terrible. To take the wife of one of his mighty men is to betray one of his closest friends, a man who could have been with him from the time he was hiding from Saul. David would have known Uriah personally, and intimately. It wouldn’t be unusual for Uriah to be called to the palace, and to drink with the king. That’s the status this guy had. I hadn’t thought about it quite like this before. Again, what David did was wrong regardless of who Uriah was, or how popular he was…but the fact that it was a close friend makes it sting a little more sharply, doesn’t it? The irony of David the poet who often writes of being betrayed now betraying a friend, hasn’t escaped me.
If David, who was devoted can commit such a heinous act, then so could we. If God would punish David, whom He loves…then He will also punish us. This is a picture of God’s justice, God is always fair. The difference between David and Saul at this point is that David repents immediately, and after his time of grieving the death of his child, he goes to the temple to worship before eating anything.
Perhaps David’s tenderness and repentance before the Lord helped Bathsheeba relate to him. I would see her resenting David, but that is never mentioned in Scripture. Maybe the women of his day didn’t think too much about being used in such a way….because they were considered second class citizens anyway. Again, I’m not saying it’s right, but only that it happened. I would think that Bathsheeba would be comforted somewhat by seeing David weep and fast over their child, it may help her realize he was not a selfish monster who took whatever he wanted and killed whoever was in his way.
Lessons: We aren’t perfect, but repentance will lead to restoration.
The original sin was bad, but David’s attempt to cover it up almost cost him the kingdom, and certainly cost him the child’s life.
if we thought before the consequences before we sinned, we wouldn’t sin.
There are consequences for our actions, even if we are forgiven, perhaps so that others may learn not to sin in the first place.
We would be wise to take action to prevent or block ourselves from sinning in areas where we know we are weak
God can bring good from a bad situation (Solomon becomes the next king)
Some temptations are handed down from father to son (Solomon takes inappropriate wives)
Sometimes the actions of a sinful person cause the death of a righteous man (Uriah had done nothing wrong)
Faithfully
PR