From 2 Samuel 8-12
David is described in many places as being the benchmark of Old Testament faith. He had a near perfect record, with the one famous exception. The matter with Uriah. Today we look at this exception. David is a great example of a believer who sins, yet repents and finds forgiveness from the LORD who is gracious.
This post is part of my bible in a year series.
Passage and Comments
Our passage marks the point where David’s kingdom starts going downhill. Up till now the LORD has blessed him. He has become king over a united Judah and Israel. No one significant opposes him. His enemies have been subdued under him. The LORD has given him many wives, concubines and offspring. Then this happens.
11 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. (2 Sam 11:1)
David should have been out to battle with his men. This is an early sign that something is going wrong.
2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.
3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house.
5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.” (2 Sam 11:2-5)
‘Sent and Inquired’. David has made his interactions with Bathsheba public. The whole household would have known about what he was doing. David is misusing his power and authority to get what he wants. Which is what follows.
‘Sent messengers’, ‘took her’, ‘She came to him’, ‘He lay with her’. David is surely culpable here. Clearly he used his position of power and authority to ‘take’ her (‘laqach’, often associated with a man taking a woman as his wife). The text doesn’t say Bathsheba resisted King David. ‘She came to him’. Then they had sex.
There is silence in the text regarding Bathsheba’s willingness and some have called what David did rape. This is a possibility. However a few things work against this theory. I think it more likely Bathsheba saw in this an opportunity for her own advancement. Which will eventually come to fruition when David promises to make their future son king (1 Chr 22.9; 1 Ki 1.11-17).
We need to remember the affair was known in the household. Given this we ought to bear in mind in cases where the author wants to highlight rape he either describes the man ‘seizing’ the woman (Dt 22.25, 28) or shows the woman pleading for mercy (2 Sam 13.12-14). This text doesn’t. The law of Moses makes a distinction between sexual intercourse those who cry out for help and those who don’t (Dt 22.23-29). The whole thing was public, the text doesn’t say Bathsheba cried out for help.
‘Pregnant’. The law of Moses is fairly clear that women found to unfaithful to their husbands or fathers by having sexual relations were to be killed (Dt 22.21-22). So at this point Bathsheba’s life is in danger.
‘She sent and told David’. Instead of waiting to tell her husband Uriah what happened, Bathsheba sent to David for help. I guess we have to ask, if David raped Bathsheba why did she choose to go to David instead of her husband for help? She didn’t initiate the deed, David clearly did. But after the fact her choice of David over Uriah suggests she was open to accept him as her new husband.
David now has a greater problem, he must cover up what he has done or be found out.
6 So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. (2 Sam 11.6-9)
‘Go down to your house’. David attempts to get Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba his wife in order to mislead him that the baby is his.
This is another detail that speaks against rape. David clearly trusts Bathsheba not to confide in her husband about who the real father of their child is.
In this section David attempts a cover up of his sexual dalliance (2 Sam 11.6-25).
I think the author wanted highlight what David did to Uriah as his main sin. Adultery is an offense against Uriah. Regardless of Bathsheba’s willingness she still committed adultery. In this case, she would have been forced to commit adultery (cf. Mt 5.32). When this fails David orchestrates Uriah’s death – murder. All this is a horrible example of someone in power using their authority to manipulate and deceive.
26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. 27 And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD. (2 Sam 11:26–27)
She lamented over Uriah’s death. It seems she went through the normal motions of mourning for her husband. Then accepts David as her new husband.
On looker’s would not suspect anything. Presumably she knew what David had done? Its unlikely she thought it pure coincidence Uriah suddenly died.
The thing that David had done displeased the LORD. Adultery, murder and deceit.
After this, the LORD sends Nathan to David to rebuke him. Nathan creates a story of a rich man who took the only ewe lamb from a poor man as an analogy to convict David of his sin. The story climaxes with Nathans statement, ‘You are the man!’ (2 Sam 12.1-6)
9 Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight?
You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. (2 Sam 12:9)
‘Uriah’, ‘his wife’, ‘killed him’. Nathan the LORD condemns David’s actions each with respect to Uriah. Highlighting that in the authors mind, David’s sins against Uriah have more importance than what he may have done to Bathsheba.
Nathan predicts David’s punishment which to some degree matches the crime.
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
11 Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’ ” (2 Sam 12:10–12)
‘Raise up evil out of your own house’. Just as David raised up against Uriah, so will the same happen to David.
‘Take your wives’, ‘lie with your wives’. Just as David took and laid with Uriah’s wife, so will the same happen to David’s wives (cf. Job 31.9-10). Note here the text highlights what is done to the men, the feelings of the women involved are ignored. Also that we later find out it is David’s concubines (2 Sam 16.22). ‘Wives’ can also refer to concubines.
13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.” (2 Sam 12:13–14)
The LORD afflicts David’s son he had by Bathsheba. David understands the LORD is gracious and forgiving so he fasts and lays all night on the ground seeking the LORD. Despite David’s repentance, the child dies. Once David finds out, he washes, anoints himself, changes his clothes and goes into the house of the LORD and worships. His servants ask him why he did it. He explains the LORD is gracious and he might relent on his punishment (2 Sam 12.15b-23).
David comforted Bathsheba, they have sex again and she has another son. His name is Solomon and the LORD loved him. They tell Nathan and they give him another name Jedidiah, which means ‘beloved of the LORD’ (2 Sam 12.24-25).
Story of Israel
The future kings following David are generally compared with David. For example;
15 Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
3 And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.
4 Nevertheless, for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5 because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. (1 Ki 15:1–5)
As we see here David is described as having a near perfect record, with the exception of Uriah. David’s sin is primarily described as against Uriah.
David is a great example of a believer who sins, yet repents and finds forgiveness from the LORD who is gracious.
Story of Jesus
Sin in the life of the believer can be classified into two different parts of their life. Before and after they believe. In most cases forgiveness the apostles speak of concerns forgiveness of sins committed before coming to believe. For example after speaking of the death and resurrection of Jesus, proving him to be the promised Christ Paul says;
8 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38–39)
The forgiveness David spoke of is also mentioned in by Paul in Romans. Quoting from Psalm 32 Paul says;
6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. (Rom 4:6–9)
Those who are counted righteous by believing Jesus is the Christ apart from works such as offering sacrifices (Ps 51.16-17) receive forgiveness. Through Christ’s work on the cross.
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