Centering Bathsheba, Not David
Content Warning: Sexual Violence.
In Ellie Wilber’s prayer for women and survivors (the prayer we read on Sunday), she prays, “Holy Spirit….For teaching the story of David without mourning the violation of Bathsheba, forgive us.”
I find myself slowly and gently approaching the story of Bathsheba. I feel a deep sadness when studying her. Because I know so much of the modern (often evangelical and fundamentalist) Christian teachings of her paint her as this sexy temptress to David. “It’s Bathesba’s fault, not David,” we say. “Sure David messed up, but how could he not with that temptation?” In remembering the story, often we slap David on the wrist and focus on how incredible that he is redeemed as a “man after God’s own heart!” At various points in my youth, I had even heard jokes made about Bathsheba. In “funny” pseudo-evangelical Christian culture and social media videos, “Bathsheba” was a funny name to say and a person to mock.
How tragic. In looking for the arc of redemption of David--we have missed the horrible tragedy that is committed. One of God’s beloved children, Bathsheba, is brutally violated. She was not a temptress. Making fun of this victim only adds to the injury.
Where do we go from here? A couple ideas:
Mourning is a key part to remembering and honoring her story. Sanctioning, ignoring, side-stepping, or justifying David’s behavior have all perpetuated more harm and pain. We must mourn the pain of the past and call out the evil.
We take the text head on. As Abbey addressed this text on Sunday, we continue this spiritual practice. Abbey led us to be honest with the text and say exactly what was happening.
We center Bathsheba’s experience. As we study the biblical passages, we look for clues about who she was and what she was experiencing. We bring Bathsheba to the center. We find the moments in the text where she is honored. When the text does not honor her, we mourn ,and we use holy imagination to humanize her. What might she be experiencing? How did she feel? What was she like? What were her gifts? How did people view her? What did she contribute?
We look for parallels to this story and current stories of harm in society. We respond with advocacy, love, care, and justice. We don’t brush off actions of violence like we have done with David--we mourn and advocate for survivors.
Today, take a moment to reflect deeper on one of the ideas above (1-4). Ask God to be with you as you hold so many facets of Bathsheba’s story and the stories of others. Keep inviting God in to show you their heart, aches, and hope in all of this.
*This topic may bring up emotions and memories you need support to process. Please do not struggle alone! CCLB community, you can always reach out to a pastor. And HERE is a list of resources in Los Angeles County, some but not all specifically Christian. We’d like to highlight the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), Crisis Hotline 24/7: 800-656-HOPE (4673), www.rainn.org