Much
have been said about King David and Joab the commander of his army. They were
clearly feeding off each other’s ruthlessness. Uriah was sadly the innocent and
unfortunate victim of their heartlessness. Before we leave 2 Samuel 11, let us
spare some time and examine the life of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah.
Was she merely the unwitting and innocent victim caught in the web of David’s
lust or was she just as guilty as the king who initiated the tryst? How much do
we know about Bathsheba besides the fact that she cheated on her husband Uriah
and ended up pregnant?
Bathsheba
was the daughter of Eliam according to
verse 3 of 2 Samuel 11. And Eliam was the son of Ahitophel (2 Samuel 23:34),
thus making Bathsheba his granddaughter. To take revenge for Uriah, his
grandson-in-law, Ahitophel would later act against David by being a counselor
to Absalom the king’s son in his rebellion. This, however, is a subject of
discussion for another time. For now, let us take a closer look at
Bathsheba.
Firstly, Bathsheba was a beautiful lady. And beauty can be both an asset
or a liability depending on how one steward it. It can be harnessed
to enhance one’s life or exploited to entrap the opposite gender. Proverbs
31:30 says, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a
woman who fears the Lord, she shall be
praised.” For all ladies, take a wise counsel from 1 Peter
3:3-4. His advice for women is for them not merely to concentrate on the adornment of the
external, “…such as braiding the hair, and wearing
gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let
it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a
gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”
Secondly, Bathsheba seemed to be lacking moral restraint. When summoned
by David, she offered no resistance but instead responded willingly and
immediately. Questions had been asked about her morality. Why did she
deliberately take her bath in the open? Didn’t she know that where she was
taking her bath was within the eyeshot of the king’s palace? These and many
other questions had been raised. Though they may border on mere speculation,
they remind people with good looks, male or female, to be more discrete in
handling their morality. The purity of moral life would be more preferred.
Every one of us should guard our moral life so that we do not become a
stumbling block to others.
Thirdly, Bathsheba showed a lack of marital fidelity. It could well
be that she was flattered by the king’s attention. She was a willing party to
the king’s lustful overtures. Had she taken thought of her marital
fidelity, she would have been more careful and David’s advance could have been
checked. Marital fidelity is to be prized in our days of promiscuity. It pays
to take our marriage vows seriously.
Finally, Bathsheba was scrupulous with the ceremonial but not on the
moral law. This was fully in display when she lamented and mourned for Uriah’s
death. The last verse of 2 Samuel 11 said that when her mourning was over,
David sent for her and made her his wife and she bore him a son. Everything
looked to be meticulously dealt with outwardly, but this is furthest from the
truth. The last line of the last verse screams so loudly. “But the thing that David had done displeased
the Lord.” It is true
that man looks at the outward, but God looks at the heart. It is fitting for us to close this discussion with
Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:15-17. "Therefore be
careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the
most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be
foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." So
live scrupulously!
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