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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