Bathsheba Takes a Bath
2 Samuel 11:1-15
The episode of David and Bathsheba has been preached or taught in Sunday School on many occasions. It is seen as a terrible fault in David who was called a “man after God’s own heart.” Indeed what David did was as horrible as the action of many of the Gentile kings around Israel. His prayer of repentance which is recorded in Psalm 51 is also the model of a prayer asking forgiveness. But there is more to the story than just David’s moral failings with Bathsheba. Let us take a look into this passage and find out.
The passage begins with the occasion of a war with the Ammonites. A year earlier, the Syrians, who were allies to the children of Ammon had been defeated which opened the way for Israel to attack Israel. It says this happened at the time of year that kings go to battle. The Ammonites had been defeated in the field and were besieged in their capital of Rabbah. There is more than incidental detail here as it also says that David stayed behind. This was unusual as the king as the anointed one of Yahweh was expected to lead his army. He stood in place of God as His representative. Either David considered the matter of attacking Ammon as a small matter and did not feel the need to go with his army. Militarily, this may have been true, but decisions like this can have enormous consequences. Joshua and the elders did not consider Ai as anything to sweat over, yet they were defeated because Achan had sinned in the camp. Here, this becomes the cause of a grievous sin and injustice which would lead to adultery and murder.
Uriah, one of David’s mighty men lived near David’s palace and had gone off to war wih the troops. Bathsheba, his wife was left behind. She was the daughter of Eliam, so it appears that she was of Jewish origin. But Uriah was a Hittite. The Hittites were to have been destroyed along with the tribes of Canaan land when Joshua and the Israelites came over to inhabit the land that Yahweh had promised them. But for some reason, Uriah’s family had been spared. Not only this, he was serving in the army of Israel.
Bathsheba was spotted bathing herself by David. David, who already had many wives, was aroused by her and had her summoned. David committed adultery with her. But as things happened, Bathsheba had become pregnant with David’s child. Uriah was out fighting for David, so this threatened to uncover the affair. David had to think fast. If news of this affair became public knowledge, it would serve as a major embarrassment. It might even jeopardize his rule. But David had an easy solution. He would call back Uriah from the front, wine and dine him, and then send him home to sleep with his wife.
But here a problem develops. Uriah refuses to avail himself of the opportunity. He says he cannot pleasure himself with his wife as long as the Ark of the Covenant and his comrades were out at war in Rabbah. At first this appears that this was just an expression of solidarity with his comrades and that he was acting honorably. But the fact the Ark is mentioned says more. The presence of the Ark says that this was an example of “Holy War.” When fighting such a war, the Torah says that the men were to consecrate themselves entirely to Yahweh and the battle at hand. The men were not to sleep with their wives. So this Hittite, who wasn’t a native Israelite was far more scrupulous in adhering to the Law of Moses than was King David. Uriah obeyed the king’s summons to come, and was in every wat obedient. But Uriah held higher obedience to Yahweh, who was the true king of Israel.
What happens next is even worse. David schemes to have Uriah killed by the Ammonites in battle and has Uriah bring the sealed orders for Uriah’s own demise to Joab. The feat was done, and Uriah was killed in battle. David thought the secret of His adultery was safe.
Of course it was not safe. Yahweh was not about to let David get away with this. There was sin in the camp, and it was at the highest level of government. Yahweh had to intervene for His name’s sake. Israel’s sake, and even David’s own sake. Yahweh, who is holy, does not want His good name blemished by the behavior of one of His subjects. Yahweh was not going to cover for David, and sends Nathan to expose Him. David was found out and repented. But he had to be trapped by Nathan first. David deserved to die, but the LORD spared him. But the very trouble and embarrassment that David hoped to avoid came to him with interest. And the threat to his reign came also, by his own son Absalom. David wanted to act like all the kings around him when he seized and lay with Bathsheba. He acted like the other kings in murdering people for his own well-being. Therefore, Yahweh let David suffer the palace intrigues the Pagan kings suffered from.
What do we make of this passage. Many have centered on David’s repentance and the LORD’s forgiveness. This is often done in salvation messages in which the plea goes out to the sinner that no matter how great that persons sin is, they can find forgiveness in Jesus Christ, if they only repent like David did. This passage certainly is a display of God’s mercy, in both judgment as well as forgiveness. And it is true that the God who forgave David and Paul can forgive you also. But there are other lessons to be learned here.
One can see this as a lesson on morality. It shows how sin can mushroom. It starts with a look, then adultery, then murder. One sin is used to cover for another. One does clearly see this progression in David’s life. It would be best, as Barney says in Mayberry RFD to “nip it in the bud.” It is certainly good advice, if only good advice had the power in itself to prevent sin. If the Law of Moses could have kept us from sin, there would have been no need for Jesus to come and die for our sin. The problem is not that the Law is bad, but as Paul says, it only points out how depraved we truly are. It shows us of our need for the Savior.
The other way we can look at the passage is to look at the faithfulness of Uriah. He was faithful until death. He was what David should have been. It was he who went to the front at the time kings went to war. He carried the instrument of his own death back to the front. The innocent dies for the sins of the guilty. In this was, we get a glimpse of what Christ would do for us at Cavalry, when He carried the cross, the instrument of his own death to the mount. There, Jesus dies for our guilt, our adulteries, our murders, and all the other sins we have committed. There, God’s mercy is poured out. There we can find forgiveness, We still have to suffer earthly consequences that result from our sins, but we have an eternal hope, one that David himself talks about.
It is interesting to know that the last name mentioned in 2 Samuel 23 or David’s mighty men was Uriah the Hittite. We see some og the mighty deeds done by the others, but Uriah is singled out by being mentioned last. It seems what Uriah did was greater than all these other acts of bravery. I believe that Dr. Clowney brings this out in one of his sermons in more detail. Here, a Gentile shows the faith in the God of Israel that David and all the other Israelites should have. It has been said: “Be a David.” But in this case that does not work well. It would be better tosay: “Be a Uriah.” He is an example that people are justified by faith in Jesus. Luther mentions that the Old Testament Israel was saved by faith in the Christ to come, whereas we are saved by faith in the Christ who came and is coming again.
Uriah gets one more mention in the first chapter of Matthew. There are four women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy. The first is Tamar, who was a Canaanite woman. So was Rahab who was saved by her faith in the God of Israel. Then comes Ruth, a Moabitess, of which it is said that no Moabitess was ever to be admitted into the assembly of Israel. Yet these women were ancestors both to David and to Jesus. Jew and Gentile are combined in Jesus’ genealogy. David had no right by human understanding to be king of Israel or even an Israelite. It shows that God has a different understanding of who is legitimately Israel. It is by faith and not physical descent.
The fourth woman is Bathsheba who is not named, but is called the wife of Uriah the Hittite. It was not David’s wife, but Uriah’s. It is a powerful statement. The Pharisees and the other Jews revered David and came to despise and reject Jesus. Yet the was this is said in the genealogy shows that David’s line continued only by the grace and will of God. If David had been punished with Bathsheba by being stoned to death, there would have been no Solomon, not line of descent. The promise God made to David about and everlasting covenant between Yahweh and the House of David would be broken. God remains faithful to His promise, even when we do not. We can rejoice that God showed grace, not just to David, but to us as well. Certainly, this is the major lesson to be learned here.
