A Painful Story

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... But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and 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.” Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. 2 Samuel 11:1-4

This story is painful in so many ways. Let's think about David first. Can you trace his descent into darkness here? From not being where he should have been (with his army), to intentionally (no doubt) peering over his palace rooftop to see who was bathing nearby, to looking closely enough to see that she was beautiful, to 'innocently' asking her name, to "getting her" and finally sleeping with her. Was it just his lust, or was that just one part of the false self rearing its ugly head? How much was boredom, or feeling entitled, or being wracked with guilt for not going out to war, or trying to hide from another conflict with one of his other wives, or just being unaware of his own motives? I bet you can see some of those motives in yourself as well.

Now think about Bathsheba - she has no voice; she's essentially abducted by the most powerful man in the empire; there is no consent; she's married - and to a really, really good man (read more about him in 2 Samuel 11). What a tragedy for her; what an enormous injustice.

Take some time today to ponder the temptations you face today and face the reality of the painful stories those temptations can create in your life and in other people's lives. Grieve, repent, and seek God for his grace.