118
THE MAN
WHO DID THIS
MUST DIE
2 SAMUEL 12:5, DAVID AND BATHSHEBA
I
nitially revered as a wise king,
David is in the 11th year of his
reign when he breaks God’s
laws. The events that then unfold
warn of the dangers of monarchy
if the king does not obey God—a
theme explored elsewhere in the
Book of Samuel.
David’s transgression occurs
during a time of war. Having
secured the kingdom, he stays
behind in Jerusalem rather than
leading his army into another
battle. While resting in his palace,
the king spots a beautiful woman
bathing on the roof of a nearby
house. He immediately sends oneof his servants to discover her
identity. The servant tells him her
name is Bathsheba and that she
is the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a
warrior serving in David’s current
campaign against the Ammonites.Succumbs to sin
Despite his strength in battle,
David gives in to desire. He sends
for Bathsheba and sleeps with her.
This seemingly uncharacteristic
action by David shows us that even
great men can struggle against
sin. However, David’s actions soon
catch up with him when Bathsheba
sends word that she is pregnant.IN BRIEF
PA S SAGE
2 Samuel 11–12THEME
Sins of the righteousSETTING
Around 1000 bce Jerusalem.KEY FIGURES
David Israel’s well-respected
second king, who ascends to
the throne after Saul’s death.
He sins against God by
sleeping with Bathsheba.Bathsheba The wife of Uriah
the Hittite, who commits
adultery with David and
later marries him.Joab The commander of
David’s army.Nathan A prophet and one
of David’s closest advisers.Uriah the Hittite A high-
ranking officer in David’s army
who is married to Bathsheba.Adultery and polygamy
One of the most frequently and
severely condemned sins in the
Bible is adultery. It is mentioned
52 times, including in the Ten
Commandments, where it is
specifically prohibited; all four
New Testament Gospels; and
in ten other books of the Bible.
Only the sins of idolatry, self-
righteousness, and murder are
mentioned more often. Leviticus
20:10 makes it clear how sternly
God judged the crime, saying
that “both the adulterer andadulteress are to be put to
death.” The method of execution
was by stoning.
While God hates adultery,
polygamy seems to be both
accepted and commonplace.
According to Genesis 4, Cain’s
descendant, Lamech, had two
wives, while Abraham, Jacob,
and possibly Moses are also
polygamous. Scholars believe
David may have had as many
as 12 wives; Solomon, who
“loved many foreign women”
(1 Kings 11:1), had 700 wives
and 300 concubines.US_118-119_David_and_Bathsheba.indd 118 21/09/17 11:30 am
119
Bathsheba inhabits a 16th-century
world in this painting by Hans Sebald
(1500–1550). She may have been taking
a mikveh, a ritual bath performed after
menstruation, when David spies her.See also: Esau and Jacob 54–55 ■ The Ten Plagues 70–71 ■ The Ten Commandments 78–83 ■ Samson 104–07 ■
The Fall of Jerusalem 128–31 ■ The Disobedient Prophet 166–67THE HISTORICAL BOOKS
As both Bathsheba’s husband
and many other members of her
family hold important positions
in court, David wishes to avoid
a scandal at all costs.David plots
The king’s first move is to recall
Uriah from the battlefront on the
pretext of wanting to hear a first-
hand account of the war’s progress.
Once Uriah is back in Jerusalem, it
would be only natural for him to
sleep with his wife, who could then
claim her unborn child as his.
However, Uriah decides to sleep
on a mat in the palace rather than
go home. Demonstrating a stricter
ethical code than King David, he
protests that it would be unfair
for him to feast and make love to
his wife while his fellow soldiers
are away fighting.
David invites Uriah to dine
with him and plies him with
alcohol, hoping this will make himforget his scruples. However, once
again, Uriah does not return home.
As David gets more desperate,
one sin leads to another, and his
thoughts turn to murder. He feels
desire for Bathsheba and wants to
marry her himself.
When Uriah returns to the
battlefield, the king gives him a
letter for his commander Joab in
which he tells Joab to order Uriah
“out in front where the fighting is
fiercest. Then withdraw from him
so he will be struck down and die”
(2 Samuel 11:14). Joab carries out
David’s orders and sends word
that Uriah has been killed. Once
Bathsheba’s period of mourning is
over, David promptly marries her.God’s anger
The Lord is displeased by David’s
actions and sends Nathan the
prophet to confront the king.
Nathan tells David a parable about
a rich man who, despite his wealth,takes and kills a poor man’s only
lamb. When David condemns the
injustice, saying “the man who did
this must die!” (2 Samuel 12:5),
Nathan replies tersely “You are the
man!” (12:7) and denounces the
enormity of David’s sins. David
repents, but God still punishes
him. When Bathsheba bears their
son, the child dies within days
of the birth.
As well as showing how even
the most righteous can fall into sin,
this story is a cautionary tale about
the dangers of power. Through
committing the heinous sins of both
adultery and murder, King David
acts as though he considers himself
above the laws of God. Only his true
repentance for the harm he has
done allows him to recover God’s
favor and even then, he and his
family will continue to suffer the
consequences of his actions. ■Why did you despise the
word of the Lord by doing
what is evil in His eyes?
You struck down Uriah the
Hittite with the sword and
took his wife to be your own.
2 Samuel 12:9US_118-119_David_and_Bathsheba.indd 119 21/09/17 11:30 am