My interpretation of Bathsheba
Let me start this by saying, I hate religion. I love Christianity, and a relationship with God. But I find religion hard to take. And for this post, I am referring in particular to the supported premise of “marriage until death do you part”. I personally do not find many marriages to be God glorifying, and I most definitely do not accept anyone should stay in any relationship if there is ANY form of abuse or destruction to one or more of the principles. Whether that abuse or destruction is mental, psychological, physical, sexual or in what form. I would be gone in a New York minute. And nothing will change my view of any such relationships. I have walked with God for over 35 years now, and I do not believe for one moment, that abusive relationship are supportive in any fashion of who and what I believe God of Christianity expects from any one of us. Period. Now read on and enjoy my interpretation of Bathsheba.
I am under the belief that Bathsheba was a very, very intelligent woman; besides being very beautiful, as the Bible states.
Bathsheba was married to Uriah. From the Biblical accounts of Uriah, I do not believe that he loved her, so much as the attention he received from being married to her. She was favored by all. Beauty does that, draws attention, and favor. Being beautiful inside however, is the ingredient that retains quality friendships who are initially attracted to the exterior.
Uriah was intent on proving himself to people as worthy. Uriah was the one to go over and above the call of duty, if it made him appear all the more diligent, all the more committed. Uriah sought the applause of people, not God.
And Uriah was shallow. Uriah was afraid of transparency. Uriah was afraid of candor. Uriah sought the safety of relationships of no depth and no intimacy. Relationships of casual acquaintanceship. Relationships where there is little accountability, little change or refining or improvement of character.
Bathsheba was an intelligent, beautiful, talented woman. She gave in abundance, but in giving, she also expected equally in return. And from Uriah she was sorely neglected. The Bible says so. She wanted an attentive husband and a family and the nurturing and close relationships that come from having a family. But Uriah was more concerned with how he appeared to everyone of “authority” in his world, above and below him in his world.
Bathsheba understood the customs and the times in which she lived. She knew full well that the only way out of marriage was adultery. But, adultery came with the penalty of being stoned to death. Bathsheba understood that though she was incredibly beautiful, talented and intelligent, these qualities would be overlooked by men and women, for the justification of the act of adultery, and she indeed would be stoned to death.
I can imagine her thinking of ways of how to get out of her marriage. And then one night while sitting in her bath on her rooftop, she looked up and saw the King’s palace above her. Clearly. An unrestricted view above her. She could see the King’s terrace just as clearly as he could see her rooftop.
She began to watch from her window the King’s routines, when he would appear on the terrace. Then the thoughts began to form within her. The King had a penchant for beautiful women. The King was also attracted to women in need of protection and defense. And then she began to plan. If she could time her ovulation just right, maybe, just maybe she would be successful.
Bathsheba realized that her only chance of not being stoned to death by adultery was if she was to commit adultery with someone of great authority, and the King would have the power to stay the execution. Yet she also needed a man who had great compassion for women. Was this her answer, this man, this King, who’s courtyard looked down upon her lowly rooftop?
And so Bathsheba began setting her bait. She began to bath on her rooftop when she was sure that King David was in his quarters. And she began to pray. Pray God would cause King David to come out onto his balcony while Bathsheba was having her evening bath. And, King David began to inquire as to who was this rooftop below his palace? Who lived in this particular house down below. King David was relieved to hear that this was the home of one of his soldiers. A man who was married to the most beautiful woman, only to neglect her in order to fully and unconditionally serve the needs of his community; simply because his soul found delight in the spoken and voiced approval of people, not in developing a one on one relationship of transparency and consideration and equality with his wife, and potential family of children. And most likely, Uriah would have to learn how to refine his personality and characteristics.
While planning her ultimate bath, the timing of her ovulation was clearly on her mind. Bathsheba planned and executed the days prior to her best day of ovulation, providing glimpses of what David might have, if he so chose. During those preparatory days, King David would only get glimpses of Bathsheba. Glimpses of her stepping out of her bath, glimpses of being wrapped in towels by her maids. Bathsheba was building each day with longer and longer glimpses and increased seduction in her robing and brushing out of her hair, sometimes dry, sometimes wet.
The night of her initial stages of ovulation, Bathsheba waited to bath much later in the night. Later, when most everyone had retired for the night. All alone, without her maids attending. Bathsheba waited behind the window, watching for King David to frequent the balcony in search of her. And when she anticipated he could not live another minute without seeing her bathe, she came out onto her rooftop. She drew her water alone. Scantily clad in clothing that clearly revealed her nakedness underneath. And dropping her robe, she stepped into full view before King David as she stepped into her bath.
King David jumped at the bait, running inside his room, calling his attendants, he commanded them to go and to bring Bathsheba to him, immediately. And as the Bible states, they did.
Bathsheba then waited.
The courage it took Bathsheba to notify King David she was pregnant was nothing when compared to the realization of what would happen to her and her child if she simply waited out the pregnancy. Could she actually pretend that the child was Uriah’s? Did she want to continue this marriage? Could she exist raising a family basically alone; though she may have a husband, was this a man, a man she wanted raising her children with? Was this a man who would love and nurture her children alongside of her? Most assuredly not. How can I say not? Did not the lineage of Jesus come down through King David and Bathsheba?
Bathsheba decided to complete her plan. Bathsheba put the ball back into King David’s court. Let King David decide her fate. And so she sent King David a private note delivered by her maid. No one was to know. Her letter, as her fate, was sealed. In her note, she informed King David she had not been with any other man, not even her husband, months prior to, and up until now. This was stated so King David clearly would know that the child was his, and his alone.
The rest is Biblical history. King David pulled Uriah home from the war. Uriah refused to go home, and chose rather to sleep at the city gate, as pursuant to Uriah’s crowd pleasing personality. And hence King David chose to have Uriah killed in action.
This was the lineage that God chose to have Jesus descend from. God knew and planned all along for this relationship to happen. King Solomon was God’s chosen passage of Jesus birth. Bathsheba’s plan was ultimately God’s plan.
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