Bathsheba, a beautiful woman, is married to Uriah. Despite being a foreigner, Uriah is loyal to the nation of Israel, King David, and God; he is an honorable man, who is off fighting in the army.
Back home, David, from his rooftop vantage, sees Bathsheba bathing. Both are at fault. David shouldn’t have been looking, and Bathsheba should have been discrete. David summons her to sleep with him.
If she goes willingly, that makes her an adulteress (and David an adulterer). If she agrees because it’s unwise to say “No” to a sovereign king, then David essentially rapes her. Regardless, she becomes pregnant.
To cover up their tryst, David summons Uriah from the front lines.
After two failed attempts to send Uriah home to the arms of his wife, David resorts to plan B. He develops a battle strategy to bring about Uriah’s death. Uriah unwittingly carries that plan with him when he returns to the front.
Uriah dies as planned. Bathsheba morns his death. David marries her.
Later, Nathan confronts David for his actions. Once exposed, David acknowledges his mistakes and seeks God. However, their love child becomes sick and dies.
Then David and Bathsheba have Solomon. Solomon eventually becomes king, just as David promised Bathsheba. Centuries later, Jesus is born, David and Bathsheba’s direct descendant, through Solomon.
[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 2 Samuel 10-12 and today’s post is on 2 Samuel 11:26-27.]
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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