More springtime fun in the snow!

2 Samuel 11

Everyone, Christian and non-Christian, knows David for two things. David and a Goliath and David and Bathsheba. His greatest triumph and his greatest act of sin and wickedness. If I were reading this book for the first time and I didn’t know anything about David, chapter 11 would come without warning. I wouldn’t see it coming. But then again, that is probably one of the main lessons we can learn. “Be careful ye who stand lest you fall.” Perhaps pride was creeping in. Perhaps boredom, selfishness, arrogance, certainly boredom, imagination and lust. More likely a combination of negative emotions, left unchecked, without accountability were in play. Also, add just plain stupidity. The initial sinful act is described in just a couple verses. Not a lot of detail.

Don’t retire from God’s work

David stays in Jerusalem when all his mighty men are out in battle. Wrong thing to do. He’s probably bored and left without accountability. He looked out from his balcony and could see the image of a beautiful woman. He stared, he looked, and he lusted. Rather than looking away, going inside and closing the door, he inquired who she was. She was the daughter of Eliam and wife of Urriah, two of David’s faithful soldiers. Just to stare and lust is a violation of not only the woman but also two of his loyal mighty men. At some moment during this process his “curiosity turned to determination.” That is the critical turning point when such sins transition from thoughts to action. This is a critical juncture; we have all been there. David’s determination quickly turned into action and he had Bathsheba brought to him. There not much of a description of the details of the subsequent events except it says, “he lay with her”. This term doesn’t necessarily imply rape, but it doesn’t ensure consent either.  It simply refers to sexual intercourse.

What about the Bathsheba?

There is no indication of Bathsheba’s heart in all this. Therefore there is much speculation out there. Some say she was complicit and maybe even the tempter; other says she was a victim of a massive misuse of power. There’s simply no way to know for sure. The narrative is written with a focus on David’s sin but to me, the most likely scenario is a tragic misuse of power over a servant in his kingdom.

This would never happen to me

Some say there’s no indication she resisted??? Come on! Defying a king’s request could result in death. She was put in an impossible situation and David’s action put her in that terrible situation. She is a subject to the king and the king exercised abusive power over one of his subjects. That’s my take on it, but once again, there is no indication of the true heart and motives of Bathsheba. The focus of the text is on the sin of David. This was the initial sin that lead to even greater wickedness. More next time.

Lord, this is such a tragic story. Your man of God, your chosen king, your man with a heart for You fell into deep sin and fell hard. If I say, “this would never happen to me” then I might relax on the proper disciplines and accountability I need to always apply to my life to avoid such sins. So help me resist overconfidence and instead stay close to you, disciplined in my daily actions of seeking you, avoiding temptations and remaining accountable to the people close to me in my life. Amen.