People sometimes go bonkers! So it was with David, arguably the greatest king of Israel. He hits the nadir of his life at a time when he could have so easily have triumphed in yet another military theatre. But sadly, he makes a wrong choice and ends up in bed with Bathsheba instead, badly loosing a battle with his conscience. Besotted with the woman, he goes completely out of his mind; and in his raging lust and jealousy, orchestrates a murder and then in an abject effort tries to mask his culpability.
One of the beauties of the Bible, is its complete honesty. There is no attempt to glorify its heroes and give them a larger than life image with a smooth face and glowing skin.
Some people do extraordinary deeds, yes. But there is no attempt to hide their warts and downplay their shortcomings or failures.
This chapter of David’s story bears retelling (reproduced from 2 Samuel 11 English Standard Version):
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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 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.”
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. 10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” 12 Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” 16 And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died. 18 Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting. 19 And he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, 20 then, if the king’s anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”
22 So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” 25 David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”
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.”
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Whao! I bet there aren’t very many story tellers that can bring in the elements of a raging war, a truant King, his indolent siesta, a beautiful woman ritually bathing after her menstruation, her nudity while cleansing herself, the King’s voyeurism, his sexual appetite that brooks no delay, her marital status, her husband’s war duty, the King’s consuming jealousy, the woman’s pregnancy, the King’s deceitful scheme to falsely pass off paternity, the soldier’s unswerving sense of dutiful propriety, then the King’s murderous strategy, the Commander’s shameful acquiescence, the death of the mighty warrior, the King’s crocodile tears, his philosophical rationalization, the Commander’s knowing glee, the woman’s mourning, a hurried marriage, the birth of a son and the Lord’s appraisal of the chicanery.
Terrific narration, Samuel!
The Jerusalem Post in its special edition dated 19 July BC 980 ran a screaming headline:
Uriah the Hittite killed in the battle for Rabbah : one of the King’s mighty men
One month later, there was another news item:
King David marries Bathsheba, Uriah’s widow in a private ceremony
The story under this headline went on about some palace intrigue suggesting that Uriah’s death in battle was orchestrated. It also noted that how he had performed as one of the King’s 37 mighty men 2 Samuel 23:8–38
The games people play!
After instructing Joab to practically arrange the murder of Uriah the Hittite, David waxes philosophical when the death tidings arrive. When the messenger returns to Joab with David’s note of encouragement, Joab no doubt laughed up his sleeve. His uncle’s diabolic duplicity was all too plain for him. For this was David’s response:
Then David said to the messenger, “This is what you shall say to Joab: ‘Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; fight with determination against the city and overthrow it’; and thereby encourage him.” 2 Samuel 11:25 NASB
Whom is the King trying to fool? It cannot be Joab, for sure. Maybe the messenger and, when the news gets out, the general public. But as we have already noted, the public suspected that there was more to Uriah’s death than met the ear.
The palace knew.
So in the end it looks like King David was trying to wrap a philosophical fig leaf to cover his horrendously naked act. He was fooling himself!!
Aren’t we guilty of similar acts of self-deception?
I think it was only a natural progression in David’s descent down the moral and spiritual ladder. It is sad but சோம்பேறித்தனம் at the time of சண்டை (“siesta in the time of strife”?) eventually leads one to Philosophy in the time of Homicide. Once the devil spots that you have discarded the armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) he pounces on the opportunity. For the Bible quite clearly says that “your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”1 Per. 5:8
“Have mercy upon me, O God……..Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts“ Psalm 51:1,6 (KJV)
That was a sad cry of remorse and repentance.
Whither philosophy?
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A big black mark on a man who was described by God himself as
A man after God’s own heart.
How sad.
Beautifully highlighted his fall and forgiveness.
Yeah