She looked forward to sleeping.
All day she had been restless and busied herself with trifles. She noticed during her activities that the baby within her had grown very still. Hopefully, it would remain peaceful through the night.
As she lay in the darkness, a dull ache formed and then swept across her midsection like a wave building to a crescendo before pounding an unsuspecting beach. Thankfully, the pain passed quickly. She drifted into a shallow sleep. Some time passed—then another ache and pain. Bathsheba thought to herself: “Carrying children does have its downside.” She drifted off to sleep, but was rudely awakened again by another wave of pain. Now she knew the reason for her listlessness. Her time had come. She would soon deliver her first child. Bathsheba could not sleep.
She felt excitement for a moment, yet her thrill was quickly overshadowed by a sense of loss. Her eyes started tearing as her stomach tightened again—she thought of Uriah. Her life now was nothing like it was when he was alive. The last nine months had passed like a whirlwind. There were so many changes that her head had not had the chance to stop spinning. Now a child was entering into her life. Bathsheba felt fear, joy and sadness—all at the same time. A sense of foreboding crept ever closer to her.
Remembering Uriah
Wide awake in the darkness, vivid images of Uriah flooded her mind. Like looking at figures on a facade, she considered her beloved first husband entering the gates of Jerusalem when coming home from the Ammonite front. The mighty and skilled warrior had been summoned to report to the king. Had not the king’s servants brought gifts of food to her house on that day she would never have known Uriah was even in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 11:6-9). She was still confused as to why Uriah was called to such a meeting. Although a soldier of valor, he was not a commanding officer. She imagined how her husband must have looked bewildered standing in front of the king.
She thought back on how she panicked when she heard the news that Uriah was in Jerusalem. Her life had been filled with fear from the moment she realized she had conceived David’s child. She sent a message to the King, but heard nothing back. She had never felt more alone. What a reckless mistake it was to have had an affair with the king! She felt like a bird trapped in a snare.
Bathsheba remembered the dread she felt knowing she would have to reveal her adultery to her husband. Since her affair, guilt had remained her only companion. She thought she was ready to confess all to Uriah—she definitely was not! How could she bring herself to tell Uriah that she was pregnant by another man? Even worse, how could she explain to him that she was having King David’s baby. The news would bring great shame on Uriah, her and the king.
While rehashing that stress-filled past, Bathsheba could not get comfortable while lying in bed. She got up and walked to the window. She looked down at the city. A dusting of snow on the rooftops glistened in the moonlight.
Her eyes glanced in the direction of her former home. She remembered regretting how she dreaded seeing her husband again. Yet, she knew she could not escape. Uriah’s table was set, ready for the meal provided by the king. Bathsheba anxiously listened for Uriah’s footsteps at the door. The waiting was unbearable. On that day, the hours passed into twilight, to silent darkness and then on to gray dawn. Strangely, Uriah never came home.
While, the scenes in her mind grew sharp then faded, Bathsheba looked past the walls of Jerusalem into the distance. She thought about Uriah leaving the gates of Jerusalem in a hurry to get back to the fight. Bathsheba imagined Uriah joyful at rejoining his friends at the front and his determination to gain a victory for his king. Her images of Uriah continued coming steadily and unpleasantly. She wondered if Uriah ever thought that he might not see her again. Bathsheba agonized about her husband’s final battle at Rabbah’s wall—she could not bear to think about him dying alone on a bloody battlefield—another ache erupted. She breathed deeply of the chilly night air and exhaled forcefully. Her contractions were coming more rapidly.
Uriah Was Murdered
What Bathsheba did not know was that her second husband had orchestrated Uriah’s murder to cover up their sin. David knew that legally he and Bathsheba were in danger of execution (Leviticus 20:10). David was desperate to hide his association with Bathsheba—another man’s wife. Since Uriah would not even visit his wife during his return to Jerusalem, David’s selfish plan to pass the child off as Uriah’s failed. Had David’s plan worked, Bathsheba would have been left to fend for herself. For example, how would she explain to Uriah why the child did not look like him?
However, caught in mind-numbing skullduggery, David moved on to what he considered his next best option. He would marry Bathsheba—after he eliminated Uriah. What dark tragedy! When Uriah refused to go home to Bathsheba the second time (2 Samuel 11:13), David entered into a murderous league with the wily Joab. “Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die,” wrote David to his nephew (verse 15). If that wasn’t bad enough, David sent this letter to Joab by Uriah (verse 14). Unbelievable!
David’s reckless military champion quickly and willingly followed the king’s orders. Uriah was set up for death immediately (verse 16). But Joab added his own twist to David’s plan.
In the heat of battle, Joab commanded Uriah to chase after some retreating Ammonite soldiers headed back toward the city of Rabbah (verses 17, 23). Fearless and fiercely loyal, Uriah obeyed immediately without concern for himself. Any soldier worth his salt knew that a fight near the city walls did not make sense militarily. Fights were won best in the open field. David—the warrior king—would never have ordered such a move. Coming so close to the walls, any soldier of Israel would have been in mortal danger from soldiers stationed on top of the walls. Yet, it was all part of the plan. Joab made Uriah an easy target for the Ammonite shooters (verse 24). And he protected himself and David from accusation. Joab was not anywhere near Uriah when he was killed by Ammonite archers.
Of course, Joab had to let David know of Uriah’s death immediately. Time was of the essence. Deceitfully, Joab warned his messenger that David might get very angry at the news of the military blunder (verse 20). But the news still had to be told. And making it appear as an afterthought, Joab instructed the messenger to tell the king that Uriah was dead. The sly Joab knew that, although his orders to Uriah would be viewed as a rash decision, few would suspect it was a plan for murder.
David received the messenger with some trepidation. His only thought—Was Uriah dead? He listened carefully to the news from the front. David quickly picked up on Joab’s ruse at the wall when he heard that Uriah was dead. He openly excused Joab’s blunder. The sin-soaked king told the messenger, “Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him” (verse 25). David showed little concern for Uriah. In fact, he sent the messenger back to Rabbah to encourage Joab. David’s message to Joab was a concealed way of saying thanks for doing the dirty deed.
Mourning and Marriage
Bathsheba’s thoughts caused her to tremble as she thought back on Uriah’s death, her mourning the loss of him and her second marriage. Her hair was wet with sweat. Fear began to well up inside her. She knew her labor would still grow worse. Her thoughts moved on to David. To save her from her precarious predicament, the king had acted quickly. His child was growing inside her and the truth would soon show. After seven days of mourning, he took her as his wife. It happened so fast! Yes, there were glances and whispers. But she had a new husband, a new house and a new life.
Her days in the palace helped her bury the past. The truth had been concealed. Suddenly, her labor grew more intense. Her thoughts faded. Giving birth began to draw her total concentration. Bathsheba sent word for the midwife to come to her quarters. She also sent a message to David—his child was coming quickly.
However, Bathsheba would soon discover that the truth would not remain concealed.
The Bible states simply, “And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:26-27). The Eternal God who loved David deeply had witnessed all the events and was very displeased. He held David responsible for the entire disaster. David was guilty of great evil. The high court of heaven made a righteous judgment and a just sentence was soon to come. All Israel would know the depraved deeds of the king.
God Sends Nathan
David admired his newborn son. He was handsome and strong. Bathsheba never looked more beautiful. Then, like thunder, a messenger interrupted his thoughts. Nathan wanted to see David. David wondered: “Had he received news of the birth already?”
David met with Nathan in the palace throne room. As David entered the room, he noticed that Nathan seemed troubled and concerned. The prophet observed David’s entrance. The king had no idea of what was coming. Nathan knew this was not going to be a comfortable meeting. He was personally disgusted with the knowledge he had been given. He wondered how David could have gotten into such trouble. Nathan felt deep love for the king—his friend. He ached with compassion for David. But God had sent him on a mission. Even though he carried a tough message, the job would get done.
Nathan spoke firmly to the unwary king, “There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter” (2 Samuel 12:1-3). Nathan held David’s full attention. The king was drawn deeply into the story.
Nathan continued, “And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him” (verse 4). David could not believe his ears. Nathan watched anger begin to distort the king’s face.
Nathan could see that David recognized that a grave injustice had been done. David thought to himself: What a selfish and cruel thing to do. Incensed, David exclaimed to Nathan, “As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity” (verses 5-6). In calling for the rich man’s death, David was speaking more out of shock than judgment. The parable did not state that a capital crime had been committed. The law specified that the only just thing required was to replace the lamb with four (Exodus 22:1). Nathan appeared to nod in agreement. Yet, David was not prepared for what was to follow. He had uttered his own judgment.
With all the power of lightning and furious thunder, Nathan said to David, “YOU ARE THE MAN!” (2 Samuel 11:7). David was hit hard. He was crushed like a stone. The wretched king understood quickly that the truth was uncovered—his sins were revealed.
Nathan spoke clearly, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
“Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon” (verses 7-9). Hearing the lamb parable—hearing Nathan recount God’s blessings toward him—made David realize the incredible depth of his evil. He had broken at least three of God’s precious commandments. He coveted, committed adultery and murdered. He had fallen to incredible depths. David’s lust had produced an uncharacteristic meanness and selfishness in him. Though he was very rich, he stole the only blessings of a poor man—his wife and his life! What was worse, David executed Uriah by the enemies of Israel. Listening to Nathan, David wanted to vomit.
Prophecy of the Sword
His friend, the prophet, continued, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun” (2 Samuel 12:10-12). The words of his punishment were difficult to bear. The penalty for his sins of adultery and murder—treachery and death—would engulf his family. Because of David’s secret sins, his family would be brought to open shame. We’ll see that four of David’s sons met with tragic ends—the satisfying of the fourfold debt to Uriah.
Seeing the bitter reality of his sins, David heartily repented before Nathan. He said, “I have sinned against the Lord” (verse 13). David offered no excuses. No explanations. No justifications. He was guilty. He knew he actually deserved death. David’s repentance was moving. Nathan’s heart broke with compassion for his troubled friend.
Nathan said unto him, “The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die” (verse 13). For David, that knowledge was a relief. The worst news, however, was still to come. Nathan continued solemnly, “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die” (verse 14). Nathan’s words cut deep. David’s sin brought great shame on the Holy One of Israel. David had received indescribable revelation concerning the future of his own throne (2 Samuel 7). But this adultery and murder would cause the enemies of God to mock His word. David grieved. And, the son of his adultery was to die. The anguish was unbearable. David thought about how Bathsheba would suffer. He would not be able to bear her crying, shame and deep sorrow. His beautiful wife would have to learn about and live with the murderer of her first husband.
But the Eternal’s judgment was right and just. Nathan left a stunned and motionless David. As Nathan entered his own house, Bathsheba’s child fell seriously ill. “And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick” (verse 15). The prophecy of the sword had begun.
David Pleads for His Son
David was not surprised by the news of the infant’s illness. But David knew God’s heart. He would not give up on the boy. Surely God could hear his plea. David went to his private quarters and began a fast (2 Samuel 12:16). He laid face down on the floor and opened his heart to God in prayer. “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest” (Psalm 51:1-4). The ugly events of the last months replayed in David’s mind. He confessed them all, one by one. The weight of the guilt was incredible. But God in His faithfulness lifted the burdens one by one.
David thought on his tiny son. His heartfelt prayer continued, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities” (verses 5-9). Of all things, David did not want his son to suffer for his sin. The child was innocent. He, David, was the guilty one. He too had been born in sin. David wanted God to spare the boy. He wept out loud. As he cried, he begged God to spare his son.
David recognized his mind had been corrupted by his own unbridled desires. He lifted up his voice, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee” (verses 10-13). David knew his mind had to be set right. His sin had cut him off from God and His Holy Spirit. The Spirit had to be renewed and flowing freely again. Thoughts of hope flooded into David’s mind. David’s full repentance could be used to rescue others from sin. Hopefully, he could still spare his son.
His thoughts drifted to Uriah. He too was an innocent victim. The murder of Uriah made David no better than Saul. David had prayed constantly for God’s protection. Who had prayed for Uriah? David would do anything to bring him back to life. He would give up all of his riches. But he knew deep down that nothing could be done. He prayed, “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption” (Psalm 49:6-9). David realized that no wealth could rescue Uriah from the grave. The final outcome for Uriah’s life was in God’s hands. In the matter of Uriah, David pleaded with God, “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness” (Psalm 51:14). David begged to be clean of Uriah’s blood.
Life for Life
David was still in prayer the next morning. His servants encouraged him to eat. “And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them” (2 Samuel 12:17). David could not—would not—eat. David prayed in hope, “O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:15-17). David understood fully that God would look to him—listen to him—if his heart was broken with humility. David was now broken. He prayed deeply for the healing of his son.
David had remorse for the horrible shame he brought on God and the nation. He pleaded that God would not allow his sin to affect the nation’s new success. David’s sin had brought the whole nation into grave danger. The king spoke sincerely, “Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar” (verses 18-19). David put everything he had into the fast. He did so for seven days. He prayed; he meditated; he cried.
Still—the child died—a life for a life. The servants began to whisper their concern for the king. They feared he would hurt himself at the news. One servant said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead” (2 Samuel 12:18). The servants knew full well how despondent David was over his son’s illness. They feared news of the child’s death would push him over the edge.
David saw the servants talking among themselves, and knew his son must have died. He got up from his fast. He washed, put on clean clothes and went to the tabernacle housing the ark and worshiped God. After coming back from the tent, he asked for food. His servants were shocked. They asked David, “What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread” (verse 21). The servants did not understand the depth of David’s faith. He replied, “While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (verses 22-23). While the child was alive David held out hope that God would change His mind. But when the child died, David knew God’s answer. David knew he would see his son again in the resurrection. He was thankful that he was back in a deep relationship with God. He had to move on. And he had to comfort his wife (verse 24).
Birth of Solomon
This very dark period in David’s life slowly slipped into the past and was replaced with hope. Bathsheba conceived again and gave birth to another son—Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24). Nathan was again sent with a message to David: God loved his son. In fact, God had named him Jedidiah, meaning “beloved of the Lord” (verse 25). Though there were dark days ahead for David, the golden age of Israel would come with his newborn son.