Category Archives: Women of the Bible
What’s the right price for faith?
It’s been almost two years since we bought this house. It’s a beautiful house. Spacious. Traditional. Inviting. It enchanted us then and charms us still. And yet we watch as other homes enter the ever-dropping market. Bigger homes with sprawling properties, all now listed at much lower prices, seem to shine a light on the flaws of our place. Our eyes wander and we wonder if we made the right choice. Should we have waited? Should we have offered less? How much could we get for how little?
Everybody loves a bargain. We want to get as much as we can for as little as possible. Faith seems no exception. As I sat in church on Sunday reading through John 12, I questioned my stinginess.
We often glaze over the first eight verses of this chapter. Being all caught up in Holy Week and looking forward to the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, we diminish Mary’s offering.
James Pauls • photographer
Yeah, she poured out perfume on Jesus’ feet and his head. Yup, the disciples complained that it was a waste of resources, especially Judas, but everyone knew he was a thief anyway. Yadda, yadda, we know, we know.
One little bit of this passage, however, caught me this week and refuses to let go. Judas says that the pure nard — Think the “real” stuff, no imitations here. This was Grade A, imported, expensive product. — could have been sold for three hundred denarii. Okay. So what?
Well, that’s equal to a year’s wages.
When was the last time you poured out a year’s wages for Christ?
I can’t think of a single time in my twenty years as a believer that I have made such a sacrifice.
Some may protest claiming that, well, that was a day-laborer’s wages and so it really didn’t account for that much. Perhaps. Today that might translate to $26K, more or less. To some that’s not a lot. To others, it’s a trove of riches! Regardless, it was a lot to her. It was a lot to the disciples witnessing its “waste.” By attempting to quantify the value, we’re once again trying to see how much we can get for how little. If we know the exact amount, we can make sure we’re not giving too much – right? What’s the best bargain we can get for full faith?
I don’t want to skimp on my devotion to God. I want to give Him all that I have.
Worship is never a waste. We can never give too much. And we can never give too early.
Another part of this story hit me this week. Mary had saved this for Jesus’ burial. In Sunday’s sermon our pastor questioned why she didn’t use it for her brother’s burial just prior. She clearly loved Lazarus, but she saved her best for Jesus. The plan was to honor Him at His death, but that night she chose not to wait any longer. A week later would have poured out her treasure on a corpse. That night she was able to pour it out on Life.
I don’t want to wait to until the “right time” to give everything to God. By doing so, I might miss my chance and forfeit even greater treasure.
Your Turn: What are you pouring out for God? It doesn’t have to be a year’s worth of time or money, but it should be your best. How do you offer Him pure, top-notch, Grade-A worship?
Like this:
BIG WORD: 1 Samuel 1–3
As a parent, do you ever wonder how much of your kids’ behavior is actually your fault? The question reaches wide because the answer changes with your child’s age. At some point, we have to let them make their own decisions, but even then — Is it our fault if they make the wrong decisions? Where is the delineation of responsibility?
The first three chapters of First Samuel offer two striking cases that, when juxtaposed, address this very issue. There we read about Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who showed tremendous faith and confidence in God. Not only did she trust Him to overcome her infertility, she faithfully surrendered her son back to Him. Her great faith in and faithfulness to God are contrasted with Eli’s passive approach to parenting and his less worthy sons.
This was just one part of our discussion last night at our Big Word Bible Study. To truly dive into this section of Scripture, hop over to the Big Word tab and download our homework notes.
If you’re already following along, here are a few things we talked about last night that weren’t included in the homework. Read the rest of this entry
Samson’s Women
Yesterday I posted about Samson’s Nazirite vow. Today I’ll share some of Wednesday night’s discussion on Samson’s women: his mom, his wife, his prostitute(s) and, of course, Delilah.
A novel I read recently suggested that all these relationships were tremendous love stories. The book, while very well-written, suffered from more than a little rose-colored interpretation of Scripture. It concluded that poor Sam was a fun-loving guy who simply didn’t know whom to trust; that his exploits were the natural reactions of a broken heart and a hopeless romantic. *deep sigh* Are you swooning yet? Read the rest of this entry
Here Burns My Candle
I know some of you are dying to hear about road trips, home improvements, real estate adventures, and what I’m learning through Read with Me, but I don’t feel like talking about any of those things today. Don’t worry — I’ll fill you in eventually. Today, though, I have much more fun stuff to discuss.
This weekend I attended a one-day women’s conference featuring Liz Curtis Higgs. Yes, THE Liz Curtis Higgs of Bad Girls fame, of parable renown, of … well, I don’t have a third thing, but she’s pretty stinkin’ cool. Author of 26 books, with more than three million copies in print, Liz has spoken in all 50 states and more than 10 foreign countries. And I was blessed to hear her this weekend.
Her theme was “Flawed Women Loved by a Flawless God.” It was fantastic! Having read a few of her books, I expected humor, but this was a whole new level. She was hilarious! I left with sore sides and tears rolling down my face. More amazing than her humor or speaking style, though, was her undeniable love of Jesus. She radiates adoration for Him. It’s really awesome to see her devotion to God, how nothing in world delights her more than knowing Him. It encouraged and challenged me to love Him to greater depths and heights.
Liz, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU. Thank you for loving Him and allowing Him to use you.
The women who organized the event did a great job, too. The whole day provided a wonderful escape, a well of refreshment that included delicious food and spiritual truths. I had my picture taken with Liz, but, unfortunately, when I got home the only photo on my camera was this:
Yes, those are urinals. Hey, when you have over 700 women in a church with a limited number of bathrooms, any stall is free game! The organizing committee did a great job hiding “manly things” so we could have a wonderful day free of … gross, manly things.
In addition to getting some encouragement, a lot of laughs and one very odd picture, I also got Liz to autograph a copy of her latest book so I could give it to one of you! Directions for entering the giveaway are below. I’ll announce a winner on Saturday.
Here Burns My Candle offers a rich, historical drama based loosely upon the Scriptural book of Ruth. I don’t know how you feel about novels based on biblical stories. I truly enjoy them, but am very selective about to whom I’ll recommend them. Some readers find it difficult to separate biblical truth from creative license and author’s imagination. Higgs’s books, though, provide the basis of the biblical stories, but in far removed settings. I would rather call them parallel novels than novelizations. It’s not the same story told again; it’s the same bones with fresh flesh.
Carolyn Custis James asserts in her book, The Gospel According to Ruth, that this biblical story is more about Naomi than Ruth. Rather than telling a romantic story of a young, but faithful widow, it answers the questions pounding a devastated mother-in-law. Is God good for women? Has my usefulness expired? Liz Curtis Higgs follows this theory with her newest title, by focusing on the “Naomi” character as much, if not more than, the “Ruth” character.
Set in Edingburgh, Scotland, during the 1745 Jacobite rebellion, Here Burns My Candle follows the Ladies Marjory and Elizabeth Kerr, mother and daughter-in-law. Marjory, a wealthy Lowland socialite, has never truly accepted her son’s choice of bride. Sure, Elizabeth is strikingly beautiful, but she comes from an unrefined Highland upbringing. To make matters worse, she favors the Jacobite cause, which is the equivalent of treason. Marjory’s other daughter-in-law, Janet, is much more suited to high society and fully embraced the roles of lord and ladies. Elizabeth, however, has more personal concerns, like the faithfulness of her husband, the safety of her brother, the marriage of her mother, and the scandalous gossip encircling her. Few answers come through the faith of her childhood. Could there be another who could help her? When Marjory’s two sons join the rebellion, some relationships are strengthened while others are stretched far beyond comfort.
I really enjoyed this book! It is drastically different in tone than the author is in person. It’s thick with drama and emotion. The author’s attention to detail never wavers. As I said before, I consider this a parallel story, rather than a re-telling. The book of Ruth only devotes a few verses to the life before Ruth and Naomi’s great journey back to Bethlehem. This novel, however, contained over 300 pages of story before I saw any correlation to the Scriptural account. This is not a negative criticism. Actually, I prefer it that way. I like that this book can be enjoyed as an independent historical novel or as a window for better understanding Scripture. It’s a great read.
To get yourself a copy, visit your local bookseller or Amazon.com.
TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
- Leave a comment on this post.
- BONUS ENTRY: In your comment, tell me which biblical character you would like to see in a novel — current, historical or otherwise. (Can you see Queen Esther in a sci-fi?)
- BONUS ENTRY: subscribe to this blog.
- BONUS ENTRY: tweet or facebook about this giveaway.
Reflections on Genesis
Last summer I taught a class on the five women in Matthew’s genealogy of Christ. The list includes Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, Ruth and Mary. It’s a short list, but an intriguing one. The members include a prostitute, an adulteress, a twice-widowed woman who imitates a harlot to seduce her father-in-law, a barren heathen (also widowed), and an unmarried teenager who becomes a revolutionary. As I prepared the study, then taught the class, I continually asked God “Why these women?”
Women are typically ignored in biblical genealogies. The records followed fathers and sons, though primarily just the firstborn son. Women and daughters were obviously necessary to continue the line, but they weren’t considered important. Women didn’t make history; men did. These five women, however, did make history — even in the eyes of the men who wrote history.
The same question — Why them? — haunted me through our reading of Genesis. Why these people listed in this way? Why did this blessing pass from this person to this one? Who was significant enough to be remembered and why?
I learned (yet again and in a new way) that God rarely follows man’s rules of importance. Seldom was the firstborn blessed above all the rest. Look at Israel’s sons.
Rueben was the firstborn, but he was also the one who slept with his father’s concubine, the mother of two of his brothers. His own father cursed him as a result.
Joseph, the righteous eleventh son, was the one with prophetic dreams who saved his family and indeed the whole nation of Egypt. He seems like the front runner in God’s eyes, but even He was overlooked for the Messianic promise.
Who became the ancestor of Christ? Judah! Judah, the third son, was the one who initiated the sale of Joseph into slavery. He also married a Canaanite woman, raised three evil sons, failed to keep his promises the the widow of his sons, then took solace in a prostitute after his wife’s death. Well, he thought she was a prostitute until the daughter-in-law he rejected and condemned to poverty became obviously pregnant. This is the man God chose as the heir of the promise. This is the man God chose to honor as part of the lineage of the Messiah.
Why? I don’t know.
What I do know is that God has a plan and we’re all part of it. Israel, Rueben, Joseph, Judah … the firstborns and the first chosens, the blessed and the Bathshebas. The faithful ones waiting expectantly and the spoiled rotten ones who spit in the face of grace. We all have our place.
Genesis reminded me of 1 Corinthians 12. Here is how The Message phrases verses 13-18:
“You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.
“I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.”
Joseph saved the country, but he was no greater than Israel or Judah or Aaron. Tamar seduced her father-in-law, but this makes her no less important than Sarah or Rachel or Ruth.
The same is true for us today. I may write and teach Bible classes, but that makes me no more important than my neighbor. A missionary in Africa is no less in need of grace than the homeless man drinking in the ghetto of San Francisco. We all have our parts to play. If we heed God, we’ll all be great in the end because together we make God glorified. He’s the star of the show. None of the rest matters.
If you missed Whimzie’s post last week on Genesis, you have to go check it out. Great thoughts over there!
Genesis behind us, we’re now in Exodus, about to start Leviticus. We haven’t lost anyone – have we?
I saw someone this week who said she didn’t want to talk to me because she knew she was behind in her reading. Please don’t avoid me!! I’m still a bit behind, too, but — you know what? I’m okay with that. This year will have ups and downs, busy times and free times. Lately I seem to have a lot of busy, crazy, stressful times. When things calm down, I’ll catch up. In the meantime, I keep reading, keep trying, keep working toward our goal. That’s all you need to do, too. We can do it!
So, howya doin?
Victim or Vixen (Part 5): Righteousness Found?
Welcome to Part 5 of the series! Is anyone else impressed that I can talk about the same thing for this long? 
If you missed previous post in this series, click here to get the first four parts.
Yesterday’s post discussed God’s judgment on David and, by extension, Bathsheba. Yes, they were punished, but they were also forgiven. In a good story tale book or epic chick flick, the characters would respond by rejoicing in their new lives. They would be new people, never recanting their past mistakes, always choosing the right from here on out.
But this Book wasn’t written by humans. The perfect endings we often create don’t always imitate life, and life rarely imitates our fantasies.
Of course David must face his punishment of insurrection to his throne, uprisings and betrayal, but he also was esteemed to write most the poetry we now find in the book of Psalms. (Some of the Psalms were written by others; some written by David before his encounter with Uriah’s wife.) Bathsheba, however, doesn’t get much good written about her. Even after the acts that made her infamous — the adultery, the murder of Uriah, the visit from the prophet Nathan, the death of the child — even after all this, after her subsequent children are grown, Bathsheba is still found on the wrong side of things. She has become friends with Nathan, the prophet, which is good, but she still lacks judgement.
The drama continues and Bathsheba continues to be involved. Adonijah, David’s son by his wife Haggith, tries to claim the throne even before David’s death. He has no right to do this; he just decides he wants to be king and so he collects some supporters and army commanders and declares himself to be the sovereign ruler. Thanks to Nathan’s urging, Bathsheba takes the news to David who then anoints her son Solomon as king. Adonijah is quickly defeated. Almost immediately he asks Bathsheba to petition Solomon on his behalf, and she agrees. Adonijah wants David’s concubine, a virgin named Abishag. Perhaps Bathsheba was just naive, perhaps a little too trusting, but c’mon! She has lived in the palace for how many years and yet she still thinks this is an innocent request? Surely she knew that giving a woman belonging to the king to another would grant superiority to the recipient. I mean, virgins were pretty valuable property. Especially one that had belonged to King David! And yet our girl Bathsheba acquiesces. She aligns herself with others opposing God’s will and God’s chosen ruler. The scene begins with Bathsheba being honored by the king and ends with King Solomon humiliated and angry, Bathsheba embarrassed and Adonijah executed. Oh, and a number of Adonijah’s supporters flee the country, those who do not who do not immediately meet fates identical to their leader’s.
Did she find righteousness? I would like to believe that since she did have four more sons (after the sacrificial firstborn) by David, that the two found restoration for their relationship. I mean, the king had several wives and concubines. He could have called on any of them, but he chose to be with Bathsheba enough for her to bear him several more children. Also, if he found a renewed right relationship with God, I have to believe God convicted him to right things with Bathsheba as well. David chose one of her sons to be his royal heir. Solomon, whom she raised to succeed her husband’s throne, became widely known as the wisest man to ever live. She became friends with the prophet Nathan; one of her sons was even named after him. All of this is good, signals of a life turned toward godliness. But she wasn’t perfect.
mlle. lierre left a great comment on yesterday’s post. After our discussion about the “big idea,” she wrote this: “The idea that God can employ anyone for his glory, even those who have engaged in a sinning spree, is … a true idea, and an applicable idea, but it’s not really the point of David and Bathsheba’s story. Instead, I think it really belongs to someone else’s story—Jesus’ story.” She’s absolutely right! The fact that these sinful people eventually became ancestors of the Messiah has nothing to do with them. It’s a wonderful blessing to them, but not one that they saw in their lifetimes. Nor one that could have been recognized until hundreds of years after they died. The comment continued: “Every story in the Bible is connected to Jesus in some way, of course. What I wonder is what the individual themes of each subplot are. What could David and Bathsheba’s story have taught those who heard it before Jesus arrived?” (Be sure to click over there to read her insightful comment in its entirety.)
I’m always reading several books at one time. It is amazing how often these seemingly random texts intertwine in subject. For example, right now I’m reading a Christian living/doctrine book by Larry Osborne, a contemporary novel by Karen Kingsbury, a Biblical/subjective novel by Francine Rivers, and (of course) a number of books about Bathsheba and other women in the lineage of Christ. All of these have contributed to the understanding of the others. The Rivers book is about Mary, the mother of Jesus, yet it has shed great light on my understanding and interpretations of Bathsheba. The Kingsbury book involves adultery, murder and forgiveness, so obviously common ground exists there as well. The most interesting intersection, though, comes from a chapter in Osborne’s book: 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe. (I know the title is offensive, but just go with me here.) One chapter, the one I reference here, debunks the myth that forgiving means forgetting.
Did Bathsheba find righteousness? We know she was forgiven, but does righteousness come as an automatic result? After masticating on both mlle. lierre’s comment and Osborne’s chapter, I’ve been forced to re-evaluate my perspectives, specifically those on forgiveness. Do my ideas about forgiveness match those of God? Are our views in agreement? Or am I embracing a spiritual myth?
Let me quote a small section from Osborne’s book.
“When it comes to forgiveness, there are two realms: the spiritual and eternal arena and the earthly and temporal arena. God’s forgiveness shows up a little differently in each one.
In the spiritual and eternal realm, forgiveness wipes the slate clean. While God doesn’t forget what we’ve done, He treats us as if it never happened. Spiritual and eternal consequences are completely removed. Judicially, our record is cleared.
But on the earthly level, things are different. God’s forgiveness seldom if ever removes all the consequences or restores all that we’ve broken. Instead, it offers a second chance.”
David and Bathsheba’s story clearly illustrates this. They were given weighty physical consequences on earth, but they were given forgiveness from the spiritual consequences in eternity. God cleared their slates, but He didn’t forget. He used this experience to train them toward righteousness on earth while granting them righteousness in Heaven. It’s the same for us today. When we accept Christ’s forgiveness, we are made new, but that doesn’t mean we never again sin. Our spiritual consequences are removed, but the earthly repercussions of our sin still exist.
Bathsheba may have been a victim or a vixen. If she was anything like me, she was probably a bit of both. The good news is that God’s forgiveness, His restoring power, is the same yesterday, today and forever. He can forgive the vixens. He can restore the victims. He can use both for His glory, continually training the willing hearts toward righteousness.
Victim or Vixen (Part 4): Sentencing Day
This is Part 4 of a series. If you missed the first three parts, please click here, here and here.
Last time we talked about the cover-up plot. When the plan to disguise the pregnancy failed, they eliminated the husband. And by “they” I mean David and his commanding officer. Eventually all appearances were righted. David had a new wife, a young widow now pregnant with his child. But, as I mentioned in the first part of this series, our perspectives are not the same as God’s. David probably thought the problem was solved, that he had handled everything just fine on his own. But god didn’t agree. Scripture tells us “…the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD.” (2 Samuel 11:27)
This series is meant to be about Bathsheba, and we will get back to her. But first we need to spend a little more time with the king.
Bathsheba’s pregnancy produced a son. Sometime after that boy was born, God sent the prophet Nathan to David.
Who was Nathan?
We don’t know a ton about Nathan. Allegedly there was once a religious text written by him, one that bore his name, but it is no longer in existence. We do know he was a prophet. Typically prophets delivered messages from God that pertained to the entire nation of Israel. More often than not those messages were about Israel’s sin. They were an attempt to draw God’s people back to Himself. It is no surprise, then, that a prophet was sent to confront sin. The unusual part is the specificity: one man sent to one man about a personal sin.
So, Nathan told David a little parable of a rich man and a poor man. The rich man had tons of goats and sheep while the poor man had only one little lamb. Someone came to visit the rich man, but instead of preparing one of his own animals for the meal, he stole and slaughter the poor man’s lamb. At hearing this, David became livid. He was outraged at the injustice, the cold-hearted cruelty of this rich man. David declared that the man deserved to die and, as punishment, must make four-fold restitution. Then Nathan dropped the bomb: “You are that man!” He then continues to quote the message God gave him for David. It’s a sobering message, one that has me holding my breath until the very end. God lists all the things He has done for David, all the things He has given Him. He reminds David of His great love for Him, provision and protection and He assures him that He would have gladly given him more “if that had been too little.” Then the kicker: “Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight?”
Wait a minute.
Do we equate sin with despising the word of the Lord? I know I don’t. I think I love God and He loves me and so He’ll forgive me and it’s not really that big of a sin and so on and so forth. I rationalize my bad choices. I know what I’ve done is wrong, sometimes intentionally choose to disobey, but I delude myself into believing that I can act against God’s instructions and still get credit for loving Him. Through Nathan, God tells us that when we break His rules, when we sin, we despise His word.
The Sentencing
As punishment for David’s sin — yes, the Bible says calls it David’s sin. Not Bathsheba’s sin or Bathsheba and David’s sin. Just David. — As punishment God promises David “… the sword shall never depart from your house …” The prophecy details how evil will rise up against David from within his own house; David’s wives will be given to another and defiled in broad daylight before all Israel. At this, David confessed his sin. (I don’t know why it took him so long! I mean, he didn’t get the point after the story about the rich man stealing the lamb? Maybe Nathan didn’t give him a chance to interject until now. I don’t know, but I hope my confessions come more easily.) Nathan assures David that his sins are forgiven and that he will not die, however — and here’s another kicker — “… because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme,” the child born to Bathsheba would die. And Nathan left.
It’s not fair!
Let’s get back to our original question: Who started it? If we conclude that Bathsheba, the vixen, was to blame, then why didn’t God send Nathan to her? Or to both of them together? Why would God come down so harshly on His chosen king alone if it were really her fault? It’s certainly not fair to David!
If we conclude that Bathsheba was a victim, raped by David and condemned to a terrible situation by her patriarchal culture, then why was she forced to continue suffering? Bathsheba’s pain must have been immense. She not only lost her husband, whom I believe she loved, she also lost her firstborn child. Then she had to completely change her life. No longer was she the wife of one respected man; now she was one of eight wives to a king who had fallen greatly. God’s punishment to David didn’t end with the death of their child. Remember Nathan said the sword would never leave David’s home. Bathsheba was forced to be witness to all that followed: the incestuous rape of Tamar, the murder of Amnon, the rebellion of Absalom, the conspiracy against David … This became a very disfunctional family! And Bathsheba was thrown into the center of it. Even after David died, the turmoil continued, and she had a front row seat.
What’s the point?
I have to tell you right now: I have been studying these passages, these people of history, for two months now and I have no idea why this account is in the Bible. One of my professors at PBU taught us to always look for “the big idea.” We were to major on majors and minor on minors, focus more on the main point than the details. So I’ve been looking for “the big idea” and I can’t find it. At first, I thought it was a warning: don’t mess up like these people did. But people are forever messing up! Then I concluded that the purpose was to show God’s extensive forgiveness and redemption. The problem is that the problems don’t go away. Bathsheba doesn’t get a new life. David’s reign as king goes consistently downhill after this. And poor Uriah! What of him? Things definitely aren’t made right. David’s relationship with God is restored, but never quite the same. Maybe, like so many other stories in Scripture, this is just another example of how God can use imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will.
I don’t know what the point or “big idea” is, but I know that we learn a lot about ourselves and our God through these passages. For example, God doesn’t always view sin the same way we do. We may think it’s personal and isolated or that we can fix it on our own, as David attempted to do. God knows that’s not true. Our sins affect others. Our sins signify a hatred toward God’s laws. Our sins give opportunites to our enemies to mock God and blaspheme His name. This is serious stuff!
And this post is already longer than I had intended it to be. We’ll pick up again tomorrow. I’m going to skip “Mama Loves” this week since, well, I’ve made it pretty obvious Mama loves studying the Old Testament! As I wrote on twitter the other day: Diving into God’s Word makes me giddy. Until tomorrow … Hey! Leave me some comment love! I’d really like to know what y’all think about this series.
Victim or Vixen (Part 3): Who stopped it?
This is Part 3 of a series on Bathsheba and David. Click here to read Part 1: The Introduction and here to read Part 2: Who Started it?
It’s often easy to get something started. Stopping it is another issue.
Regardless of who initiated their rendezvous, David and Bathsheba made a bad choice. And just like a snowball heading downhill, the problem grew out of control. The bad choices multiplied.
Consequences and Cover-up
Bathsheba found out she was pregnant. She sent David a note to let him know, then waited patiently for his response. He didn’t respond to her. At least not to our knowledge. It’s possible he sent her a message of reassurance to let her know he was trying to make things right, but Scripture doesn’t say as much. Scripture does, however, tell us what else the king did. He brought Uriah back from battle. The plan was to cover up the adultery by getting Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba. If the plan was successful, the child would appear legitimate, the son of Bathsheba’s husband rather than that of another man. The plan didn’t work. Uriah refused to go home. David got him drunk and tried to send him home again. It still didn’t work.
What’s wrong with Uriah?
Let me interrupt our avalanche for a minute. Why didn’t Uriah go home? Any man who is away from his wife for an extended time is eager to return to her bed. Instead of enjoying the evening with his gorgeous bride, Uriah slept on the steps of the palace with David’s servants. He slept outside. On the ground. With a bunch of slaves. Why?
Some claim he did this because of a law encouraging warriors to abstain from distracting pleasures during battle. This included heavy drinking and sex. Israel’s army was to remain pure, focused. Uriah upheld this. He told David he could not go home when the army and the ark of the covenant were still at war. How could he enjoy the pleasures of his wife knowing that his fellow troops were still fighting? Doing so would not only break a tradition of God’s law, but exhibit disloyalty to his comrades. Uriah was willing to disobey his king in favor of preserving his honor and devotion to God. This theory shows great contrast between Read the rest of this entry
Victim or Vixen (Part 2): Who started it?
When it comes to David and Bathsheba, the majority of Biblical commentaries fall into one of two camps. Most despise the evil woman, a temptress who considered David’s godly character a challenge for her feminine talents. Others weep heavily for this poor young girl who became the victim of a sinful king’s unabated libido. Today we’re going to weigh the case of instigation. Was “the act” volitional on Bathsheba’s part? Did she invite the king’s interest? Or was this a royally-sanctioned rape? Did she have any choice in the matter? Who started it? And what difference does it make to us?
I’m going to make a couple stretches here, speculation you might expect from a legal prosecutor. I admit: most of these unfair assumptions are made toward Bathsheba. It’s not that I dislike her; I actually like her very much. It’s just that we don’t really know her. The poor woman is shrouded in missing details, while we know nearly everything about David. Bear with me while I state the case. It will all be brought into balance throughout our study together.
The Case Against Bathsheba:
She bathed on her roof. Naked. In the afternoon. Within plain sight of the king’s palace. If he could see her, she could probably see him. It’s not like they had one-way mirrors in Jerusalem back then; there were no tinted windows. Bathsheba might have known David was watching her bathe, yet she made no effort to dissuade his admiration. (The historian Josephus even notes it was a “cold” bath. I’m guessing that means her headlights were on.) Not exactly the behavior of a modest, devoted wife.
Did she protest at all? She didn’t refuse his guards when they came to get her from Uriah’s home. She didn’t protest when the king made his intentions clear. She didn’t tell anyone after she went home the next morning. Even when she realized she was pregnant, she didn’t tell her husband, her Read the rest of this entry
