Bathsheba Was a Little Lamb

David is often called “A man after God’s own heart.” God even promised that the coming Messiah would come from David’s descendants. But although David served God with all of his heart, he still messed up big time.

I’m sure that most of you are familiar with the Old Testament story of David and Bathsheba.  Beautiful woman bathing in what she thinks is a private courtyard or balcony, but from the roof of the palace King David could see her.

Now it is not a sin to accidently see a beautiful woman, even if she is naked. What is sinful is what happened next: one glance led to looking lustfully. Lust led to sending someone to find out who she was. It turned out that she was a married woman. Her husband was Uriah, and he was away fighting in David’s army. David then sent messengers to get her and bring her to the palace.

The Scripture record does not reveal Bathsheba’s willingness to go with the king’s messengers.  My thought is that if the king said ‘come’ people usually complied. What is recorded is that Bathsheba was returned to her home, and soon sent word back to David saying, “I am pregnant.”

David’s first response was to try to cover his tracks. He arranged for Bathsheba’s husband to return from the war. Back then, without ultrasound machines or DNA labs, it was much easier to hide the paternity of a child. David sent a gift basket of some sort next door, and told Uriah to go home. Uriah, however, did not go home. He was loyal member of the King’s army, and he would not even think of going home when the rest of the army were camping in the fields. He instead joined the palace servants who slept at the entrance to the palace.

In the morning, a servant told David that Uriah had spent the night at the palace. The plan was not working. Time for more desperate measures.

He sent for Uriah, and invited him into the palace to eat and drink with him. “Stay here one more day,” David requested, “tomorrow is soon enough for you to go back to the battle.” David’s new plan was to get Uriah drunk. But even in a drunken state, Uriah refused to go home to Bathsheba.

So now, plan A for covering up the paternity of the child was not working. It is possible that Uriah either knew or had a hunch about what David had done. What should a God-fearing king do in such circumstances? Could he admit his wrong doing, ask forgiveness from Uriah? The penalty for adultery was death by stoning. Would the people stone their own king?

David moved on to plan B. He sent a message to Joab, the commander of his army. In it he wrote, “Put Uriah in a place where the fighting is fiercest. Then retreat from him so he will be struck down and die.” Joab made the decision to obey his king rather than God, so he put Uriah at a place where he knew there was the most danger. Then he sent word back to David when Uriah died.

When Bathsheba received the message that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. David waited for the prescribed Jewish time of mourning to end, and then he brought her to the palace to become his wife. The Bible does not give her side of the story, but I think that she really did love David, despite the agony he put her through. She gave birth to David’s son.

The Lord was not pleased with David’s actions. He sent the prophet Nathan to visit David. Nathan told the king this tale, “There were in a certain town, two men. One was rich. He owned a huge herd of cattle and, and an even larger flock of sheep.  The other man was very poor. He had no flocks or herds. He had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought and raised like one of his children. His family kept the little lamb as a pet. It shared their food, and even slept in the house. One day the rich man gave a banquet for a traveler who came to visit. The rich man had plenty of sheep and cattle, and could easily have butchered one of them for the banquet. But instead, he took the little lamb from the home of the poor man’s family, and had it prepared and served for his guest.”

David was enraged by the despicable actions of the rich man. He said to the prophet, “This man must be brought to justice! Bring him to me. He must be made to give the poor man four lambs for the one that he took!”

Nathan’s response turned David’s wrath instantly into sorrow. “You are the man!” he said.  You were anointed king over Israel, and you have a harem full of wives. But despite the abundance of what you have been given, you had Uriah killed and took his wife.”

David realised that Bathsheba was that little lamb. By his selfish, lustful actions, he caused her to also commit adultery, and he made her a widow. He ruined his own reputation, both among his own people and the people of enemy nations.   

He was not just sorry that he got caught, since kings of that day and age could do pretty much anything they wanted, and loyal servants would cover it up.

David was repentant because he had displeased God. He said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” No excuses, no rationalizations, no deal making. Just sorrow for his sin.

Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. He will not put you to death. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.”

There is more to this story. You could read it yourself in 2 Samuel 12. To make a long story slightly shorter, the child born out of David’s sin died. But God showed His forgiveness by allowing David and Bathsheba, now that they were legally married, to have another son. You have likely heard of him. His name was Solomon.

For more reading about God’s love and mercy, justice and forgiveness, see:
If I die while committing a mortal sin will I go straight to hell?
Can a mass murderer get to heaven?