Ep. 89. 2 Samuel 11-12, Psalm 51 | David and Bathsheba

EPISODE 89

DAVID AND BATHSHEBA: 2 SAMUEL 11-12, PSALM 51

Of all the somewhat questionable things David may have done, the only one the Bible condemns him for is his actions concerning Bathsheba and her husband. When David saw a woman bathing on a rooftop nearby and inquired as to who she was, he was told she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. That should have stopped the whole thing right there. Uriah was one of David's mighty men and had been with David at least since he became king in Jerusalem, but likely since he was king in Hebron and possibly even while he was fleeing from Saul. The point is that David knew Uriah well enough that it should have been offensive to him to even consider stealing his friend's wife.

But David knew Uriah was at war with the rest of the men and did not figure his sexual sin would ever be discovered. But then Bathsheba let David know she was pregnant. David worked hard to cover up his sin but, unable to do so, ultimately had Uriah murdered.

The consequences of this sin were devastating. The son born to David and Bathsheba would die. We know that David prayed for seven days that the child would not die. It appears these are the first seven days of the life of the boy since the child is unnamed in the text and, according to custom, would have been named on the eighth day. Second, "because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife, the sword shall never depart from your house." Note here that the sin being judged is the taking of Bathsheba as his wife. Third, "I will raise up evil against you out of your own house." David slept with his neighbor's wife in secret, but God would raise up a son of David (Absalom) to sleep with David's wives in public.

God does take away David's sin and spare his life, but the damage is already done. This is a good reminder to us that though God can and does forgive sin, the consequences of our sin often remain.

David famously wrote the 51st Psalm after this sin. He acknowledges that he was "brought forth in sin." There are two main ideas on that particular verse. One, which I don't find convincing, is that David's mother conceived David by an act of sinfulness. Two, which seems more fitting in the scope of Scripture, is that mankind is sinful from the womb. David petitions the Lord to "take not your Holy Spirit from me." Of course, God had removed his Spirit from Saul, and David probably had that in view as he wrote this Psalm. David knows that a sacrifice isn't going to fix the situation, but rather a broken spirit and a broken heart. This, too, may be a reference to Saul, who, in disobedience to God's command, saved the best animals as an offering to God. After all, "to obey is better than sacrifice."

ADDITIONAL READING: 1 Kings 15:5; 2 Samuel 23:39, 1 Samuel 16:13-15; 1 Samuel 15:22; Micah 6:6-8