David and Bathsheba Part 2
“And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.”
2 Samuel 11:2
As mentioned in the previous blog, David is not where he should be. Rather than being with his men in battle, David decides to stay home. We are not sure why, but it is the decision that he made. He probably didn’t think much about it. However, he will find out over the years that there is importance in the details of our decisions regardless how small we think they are. This is a “ripple” moment in David’s life. He will see before it is all over how the ripples of our decisions affect not only our own life but the lives of others.
Verse 2 tells us that David gets up one evening from bed and walks out on the roof of the king’s house. He is probably out looking at the Jerusalem skyline taking in the view. While out on the roof, someone catches his eye. He sees a woman bathing. Does David return to his room immediately after his discovery? Nope. He does what a lot of us men tend to do. He sticks around to watch. David allows his lustful desires to get the best of him. He continues to watch. He sees that she is very beautiful. He once again finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. David could have been a gentleman and when he saw the woman bathing, he could have returned to his room to give her privacy. He could have resisted the temptation that Satan placed in front of him. He could have made to decision that could stop the snowball effect that was quickly getting started.
David didn’t make this decision. In fact, we see in verse 3 that David makes no attempt to reverse the course of this situation.
“And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
2 Samuel 11:3
David could not turn his back. He could not turn from the temptation. He had to find out who this woman is. Remember, David is a married man. He is a man who has given in to the temptation of polygamy already. David asks ‘Who is this woman?’. He could not let it go. He finds out her name and that she is the wife of Uriah. Now does this new information cause David to turn from this situation? Nope. Look at what verse 4 tells us:
“And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.”
2 Samuel 11:4
David doesn’t care whose wife she is. He is the king. He gets whatever he wants. He sends his messengers to go and bring her to the palace to him. They bring her in and David sleeps with her. Then sends her back home. Now, there will be some (myself included) who will say that Bathsheba has some guilt here also. True. However, in this time you could be put to death for not doing what the king requests. Nowhere does it say that she was threatened by David, so I can’t say that she felt that kind of pressure. For this study, we focus on David. He is the one in authority. He has the power to change this story but chooses not to. He is fully invested in satisfying his own selfish desires no matter who it hurts.
This is what sin does to us. It changes our frame of mind. We lose site of the golden rule. We become very selfish. We look at satisfying our desires. We don’t worry about how we treat others. It is all about us. We don’t worry about how God feels about it. We don’t think about how it affects other people’s lives. The ripple effect never crosses our mind. It is my life. My decision. It is nobody’s business. It doesn’t matter. We then find out, like David, it does matter. But, we often realize it after it is too late.