18 David and Bathsheba

While the account of David and Bathsheba as recorded in 2 Samuel chapter eleven, is one of the most familiar in the Old Testament, contextually, it fits in perfectly with the end of the previous chapter.

In the beginning of chapter ten, David had allowed his cousins Joab and Abishai to lead Israel’s military into battle against the joint forces of Ammon and Syria and their various allies. But the Lord had other plans, as both Syria and Ammon fled before Israel, without a single physical engagement.

However, when Syria and their confederates made another attempt to attack Israel, then, David led the troops into battle, defeating their enemies.

Yet, as chapter eleven begins, while another war was taking place the following spring, once again, David remained at home, while Joab led the army into battle.

1 Joab Defeats the Ammonites

2 Samuel 11:1

It appears that David was attempting to “scale back” his involvement as the individual who led the troops into war. Therefore, for the second time, we see David remaining behind in Jerusalem, while the armies were at war.

However, while David desired to disengage from being on the battlefield it certainly wasn’t the Lord’s will for him. And because David was out-of-step with the Lord’s will, then it led to dire consequences for David.

2 Extended Rest and Relaxation

2 Samuel 11:1

Springtime was ordinarily the time of year when wars would be fought, because the weather would be most conducive to do so. But once again, David decided not to participate, but remained in his palace in Jerusalem.

Instead of acting like “a man after God’s own heart” – David was acting more like his predecessor Saul, who often did what he felt was best.

3 Sinful Decline

2 Samuel 11:2-5

David was obviously restless and sleepless, as he walked upon the roof of his home.

As David walked upon his roof, he glimpsed a beautiful woman bathing in her home. While that glimpse would have most likely been unavoidable, the problem was that David then acted upon his initial glimpse, by following up to ascertain who the woman was.

The Bible is clear that while temptation is common among all believers, that God will always provide an avenue of escape:

1 Corinthians 10:13

In David’s case, showed his intention of getting to know Bathsheba, rather than simply returning back to bed, David inquired about who the woman was.

When David was told that she was the wife of Uriah who was a n individual serving under Joab and was currently engaged in the war with the Ammonites. Yet, despite having the knowledge that Bathsheba was married, it still did not dissuade him from pursuing her.

As far as Bathsheba’s bathing, Jewish women would participate in a ritual bath signifying that they had been “purified” after her menstrual time had ended.

The Jewish Law stated that women were impure, and therefore not to be approached sexually during their menstrual period:

Leviticus 18:19

Many expositors believe that this was the bathing that David witnessed, and as shown in the text, Bathsheba had been cleansed from her impurity.

After their adulterous act, Bathsheba returned to home, and it seems from the record that both parties believed that their actions would not be discovered.

However, once Bathsheba realized that she was pregnant, she then sent word to David advising him of her condition, which would then mean that other individuals would therefore also be aware.

4 From Adultery to War

2 Samuel 11:6-27

David then attempted to enact a plan to have Uriah return from the battlefield, on furlough, all with the intent, that Uriah would return to his home and have relations with his wife, thus covering for David, and that the baby could be passed off as being Uriah’s.

However, Uriah was unwilling to even go to his home, while his fellow soldiers were fighting in a war against the Ammonites.

Because Uriah proved to be extremely loyal, David then made a second attempt at coercing David to return home to spend time with his wife. David invited Uriah to dinner, got him drunk, and then assumed he would return home to his wife, yet Uriah still did not.

David was obviously frustrated that Uriah didn’t agree with his plans, so he then he wrote a letter to Joab, which contained orders that Uriah be sent to the hottest portion of the battle on the frontlines, where the army was to withdraw from around him, leaving him exposed to the enemy. Therefore, the irony, is that Uriah was to deliver his own execution orders to his superior officer.

This shows how far David had fallen in sin.

Once Uriah was killed, David’s final plan was to marry Bathsheba, and hope that no one would realize that she was already pregnant upon their marriage.

This points to how sinfully wicked every human heart is:

Jeremiah 17:9