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Message
2 Samuel 11:1-27
Bathsheba – A Reputation Tarnished
When we read through the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel four out the five women in that genealogy appear in verses 3-6. Let’s read through that section.
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
Matthew 1:3-6
Did you notice something unusual?
… …
… whose mother was Tamar.
… whose mother was Rahab.
… whose mother was Ruth.
… whose mother had been Uriah’s wife.
Doesn’t it strike you as unusual that Bathsheba is not specifically mentioned by name? Let’s find out what the reason for that could be by turning to 2 Samuel 11:1-27 (Read)
That is the story of Bathsheba ... why isn’t she mentioned by name in Matthew’s Gospel?
Maybe Matthew didn’t like the fact that Uriah is a Hittite - a foreigner. This means that Bathsheba could have been a foreigner herself. But Tamar and Rahab were Canaanites and Ruth was a Moabite – so being a foreigner is not the issue.
Maybe Matthew is hesitant to use her name because she is such an atrocious sinner who has been involved in many sordid sins – but compared to Tamar she is a saint, and Tamar gets mentioned by name. So that is not the issue either.
Rather the issue is one of ownership. Bathsheba rightly belonged to Uriah the Hittite.
She is not a schemer, or an outsider, or a widow.
She is very much a victim … forced into such a position she didn’t want to be because she belonged to Uriah.
All she was doing was taking a bath. Most homes back then had a walled courtyard where they cooked their meals, rested and took their baths. The courtyards had no roof but were usually very private – unless someone was up on an even taller roof looking down. Someone who should have looked the other way. That someone was David. David had built his palace on one of the highest places in the city. It is very likely that he had witnessed other woman taking baths and never gave it a second thought. But this time is different – because David Himself is not in the right frame of mind.
In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 11:1
David is the King – but instead of being out fighting he is at home aimlessly pacing his rooftop porch. There is a saying which goes, “Idol hands are the Devil’s plaything”. That is because when you sit around doing nothing your mind begins to have a chance to wander. David had been king for some 20 years and Israel was enjoying great prosperity and they had great military power in the area. So basically everything was secure and settled. And that is the problem. Instead of being where he should have been and filling his God-given calling, he stayed behind – because he wanted to indulge.
How does stuff like that happen? How do you go from being the fighting warrior to couch potato? Well the lesson here is that falling into sin doesn’t usually happen in a day.
God says this in Deuteronomy 17:17. “The King must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray”. It’s a pretty clear message from God and David should have listened.
• First he married Michal, Saul’s daughter. Then he married Abigail, the widow of Nabal … then Ahinoam of Jezreel.
• When David moved to Hebron he took for himself four more wives:- Maacah, Haggith, Abital and Eglah.
• When he came to Jerusalem David took more wives and he also had concubines.
On that basis it is fair to say that David has ignored God. It seems that David had a thing for women … lots of women. Even woman who were not his to take.
The amazing thing in all of this is that other people are acting with greater integrity than David. Take the servant as an example. “David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.””. (2 Samuel 11:3). Without specifically calling David to account the servant does all he can to bring David to his senses.
My King – here is the report of my visit. Her name is Bathsheba and she is … the wife of someone. Do you get the hint my King? She has stood before the people and the Lord and made a vow “till death do us part”. She belongs to someone else. Maybe if you have specific needs you should go and visit one or your wives ... or a concubine.
That should have been enough information to stop David from going further. But just in case the servant also adds the name of the husband – it is Uriah the Hittite. And that should have been the end of it. Let me show you why by telling you a story which comes from 2 Samuel 23. In that chapter we are given a description of David’s mightiest warriors. The Three and The Thirty.
The “Thirty” were men who have been devoted and loyal to David from before the time he had become king. They were experts in combat – eventually to become the personal bodyguard of King David. Trustworthy. Doing anything for David. 2 Samuel 23 lists their names – and this is the name that appears in verse 39. Uriah the Hittite one of the thirty.
My King the woman your eyes are set upon is Bathsheba ... the wife of Uriah the Hittite. She is your good mate’s wife! I saw her beauty … the wet hair … I smelt the perfume. But come back to your senses.
She is married – God has put her out of bounds.
She is the wife of one of your closest companions.
Nothing good will come from this.
Had David been in the right spiritual frame of mind this should have been enough – but he wanted more. And a child is conceived as proof.
Which brings us to another person of integrity. Uriah the Hittite.
David encourages Uriah to go home and rest from war. But Uriah knows what his responsibilities are. “Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” (2 Samuel 11:11)
So with a failure of that plan David tries another. “Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home. (2 Samuel 11:12-13). A drunk Uriah has more integrity than a sober David.
So, in desperation to cover up, David sends Uriah back to war with a letter that commands his death. In order to make it seem as natural as possible others also die and all David can say is Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as the other. That’s the way war works … people die. Some cheap moral perfume has been poured over the whole rotten mess.
And what about Bathsheba? I think verse 4 is very telling. Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her ... then she went back home.
It doesn’t say ... they slept together. He slept with her.
It doesn’t say ... she stayed for a few drinks. She went home.
Bathsheba is a victim. David’s power was practically absolute. What he wanted he got, what he demanded he received. Bathsheba had no other alternative but to obey or suffer the consequences of the king’s anger … indeed refusal could have meant death.
How the whole situation must have pained her.
Abused and treated as a commodity.
Powerless to change her circumstances.
Afraid of what her husband will do when he discovers she is pregnant – to the king.
Having her hands tied as the plot to kill her husband unfolds.
Mourning the death of the one she loved.
Then having to watch David get away scot-free.
It would not have been easy for her.
Indeed with the death of Uriah the Hittite a natural question arises, “How is Bathsheba going to make it through life now … who is going to support her?”
Widows didn’t get any DSS payments, military pensions or life insurance.
We do not know of any other living relatives that would marry her or take her in.
Then David comes to the rescue. Isn’t he great to step forward and take care of his dead friends wife. What a generous person he is! He is even going to look after the unborn child of his friend on as if he were his very own baby. What a guy! What a guy!
That is how many would have interpreted this entire situation. The plan had seemingly worked to perfection. David’s sins were securely under wraps, and he wound up in the end with the beautiful lady as well. A beautiful lady who would have been crying her eyes out over this whole situation.
Used.
Abused.
Taken for granted.
A commodity.
Wondering how all this fits into God’s plans.
Can anyone here relate to her?
She is going through emotional hell … there are times when we have been through the same.
Victims at the hands of those who were neglecting their duty.
Taken for granted by someone who had more than enough already.
Powerless to change your circumstances.
Treated unjustly by those who had the power to do otherwise.
Life is not always easy. And those we trust … and those who are called to work on God’s side … and those who are certainly part of God’s family. They can all let us down.
Which can create a very real problem. For when we are hurt we may be tempted to let that hurt drive us away from God. To allow the tragedy of the situation to be that which makes us step away from God.
Mankind let’s mankind down … and God gets the blame.
Sinful people are hurt by sinful people ... and we point our finger at God.
Broken people are broken by other broken people ... and we get angry at God.
It happens … it happens a lot.
But, look at the reaction of God. God was displeased.
God was not sitting back saying, “Hey this doesn’t matter”.
God was upset and very angry.
And, as Bathsheba went through her situation – God was grieving.
Grieving over the pain the she had to endure.
Grieving that those who should have known better and were in power to make a difference, were using their power for selfish means.
Which helps us to know how to apply this passage. Here we are being called to see that the best place for a victim is in the family of God. To see that, no matter what other people do to us, they will never be able to prevent us from being a significant part of God’s plans. To see that God wants to open His arms and give real hope to those who feel they are in a hopeless situation.
Look at Bathsheba.
A victim. Victimised. Hurt and abused. Yet
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah.
... ...
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife.
(Matthew 1:1, 6)
Even the genealogy recognises her pain. She is not Bathsheba. She is not David’s wife. She had been the wife of Uriah the Hittite. She wasn’t supposed to be there. She belonged to someone else. She wasn’t even looking for a place with the king. It was all stolen from her.
Yet God in His grace gave her a wonderful new place in His plan. And God in His grace through her sends a message to everyone who has been used, abused and victimised.
You may feel like an outsider … brought in against your own will.
You might feel that your life has been stolen … that mankind is evil and uncaring.
You might feel that life will never be the same.
But, no matter what happens, you can always have a place in God’s family … and He will never let you down.
Through Bathsheba, and others, Jesus came. Jesus had a message – a message of hope for anyone who had any sense of hopelessness. And for the victims of this world … well He knows exactly how they feel.
He was abused and treated as a dispensable commodity.
He experienced the plotting of men … men who wanted Him dead.
He was treated unjustly by those who had the power to do otherwise.
He was a victim of religious men who were neglecting their duty.
And they all thought they won … until that Sunday when all that could be found of Him was a tomb with some empty burial clothes. He has risen. The victim of the most hideous plot – the plot to kill the Son of God. The victim who gives new hope to anyone who has been victimised.
Have you been let down … hurt … a victim? Have you been abused … unjustly treated … a commodity? Have you seen those with power overstep the mark … making you powerless?
If you have seen that than also see Jesus. The one who is gently reaching out to include you in His family.
Prayer.
