Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11, Matthew 1)

1. Bathsheba

The book of Matthew begins with a list of Jesus’ genealogy. (That genealogy comes right before the scripture we just heard.) And on that genealogical list are four women, which is significant and unusual in a patriarchal society. 

Today I preach on the fourth and final woman on that list: Bathsheba.

What do you think of when you hear the name Bathsheba? 

Some of you have been hearing Bible stories, and reading and studying Bible stories, for many years, so you may have heard Bathsheba’s story before, and you may have been exposed to some ideas about what kind of a woman Bathsheba was. 

But what does the Bible actually say about her? 

We know very little about her background. Only that she was the wife of a man named Uriah, who was a soldier in the king’s army. In fact, Uriah was off at war, fighting on behalf of the king, when this story takes place.

One evening, Bathsheba went up to the roof of her house to bathe. In that part of the world, people often went up on the roofs of their houses, especially in the evening, to take advantage of the cool evening breezes. The warm mediterranean sun would heat their houses so that, by late in the day, it could be unbearable inside, but to sit up on the roof and enjoy the evening breeze would be quite pleasant.

2. Taken

On this particular day, Bathsheba was bathing. People in ancient communities could not really demand or expect privacy the way we do today, but the rooftop of one’s own home was about as private a location as one could get. Yes, there were other rooftops around, but in the evening, as the light slowly dimmed, one could almost feel hidden away from the public eye.

So Bathsheba slipped out of her outer clothing. Perhaps she left her inner clothing on; the scripture doesn’t say. And maybe she did notice one building that rose above the others: the king’s palace. But since it was the time of year when kings went off to war, she wasn’t worried about the king looking out on her.

But the king wasn’t off to war. We don’t know why. 

The king’s army was off to war. Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah - a soldier in that army - was off to war. But the king was at home. And in that evening darkness, he was up on his roof, and he looked out, and in the twilight he caught sight of Bathsheba.

The king - King David - thought the woman he saw was very beautiful. So he sent someone to find out who she was. They reported back that she was Eliam’s daughter, Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.

In ancient patriarchal society, the wording of that report made it very clear: she already belonged to someone. She was Eliam’s daughter. She was Uriah’s wife. She was spoken for. 

Yet the very next sentence in the story reads: “So David sent messengers to take her. They took her, brought her to him, he had sex with her, and then he sent her back home.”

Bathsheba had no say in this. None. David was the king, he could do what he wanted, and who was she to say no? If she dared object, she could suffer the king’s wrath. This rape by the king was not something she could have prevented or avoided. Her life literally depended on being silent and submissive.

3. Pregnant

Some time passes. Then Bathsheba sends a message to King David. This message is only two words long, and they are the only two words spoken by

Bathsheba in this part of the story. 

Those two words are: “I’m pregnant.”

Those are two very significant words. Those two words are always filled with emotion. However, the particular emotion they contain can vary widely. Depending on the circumstances, the words “I’m pregnant” can be words spoken with great joy or great fear.

If you’ve ever spoken those words, or had them spoken to you, I’m sure that was a moment filled with great joy, or great fear, or perhaps a mixture of both.

For Bathsheba, I’m pretty sure these words were spoken with great fear. Her pregnancy threatened to expose both her and her king. And, being a woman in a patriarchal society, most of the blame would be directed at her, even though she was, in fact, blameless.

But some of the blame would also go to the king. So he acted quickly to cover up what he had done. He sent word for Uriah to come home on leave, to spend some time with his wife Bathsheba. Maybe he could convince everyone that the baby was Uriah’s.

But apparently there was an oath all loyal soldiers took which forbade them spending intimate time with their wives while wars raged; and since Uriah was a good, upstanding soldier, loyal to his king, he refused to break that oath and spend time with his wife in that way while the king’s army was out in battle.

So David sent him back, and ordered him to be put in the front of the fiercest battle, and then ordered the army to pull back, so that Uriah was left alone, vulnerable… a move which quickly resulted in Uriah’s death.

David, relieved, no longer feared Bathsheba’s pregnancy. The one who could accuse him of raping her was now dead. With nothing to fear, David brought Bathsheba into his house and made her his wife.

But, according to the scripture, what David had done was evil in the Lord’s eyes.

4. A Woman, Not a Slave

Women were considered property. Bathsheba is referred to in scripture more often as “the wife of Uriah.” Her very identity depended on her attachment to a male. Without that male, she had no identity.

Unlike the other women we’ve learned about this Advent season, Bathsheba does very little. She is passive, she is mostly silent…Her life depends on that silence… and she is used and abused…

And this was how things were… David was clearly the more guilty party, but he was king, and he was male. He could use his position to avoid punishment, but Bathsheba could very easily have been accused of adultery and sentenced to death for it. The law dictated death for anyone guilty of adultery, but do you honestly think those punishments were handed out fairly? That a man - a king! - would be treated as harshly, would be punished as severely, as a woman?

Her fear must have been overwhelming and all-consuming.

But God saw, and God noticed, and God was upset … with the king. God knows who the victim is, and who the abuser is. And God knows that Bathsheba is a woman; more than a man’s property; more than someone’s slave.

It reminds me of the time some religious leaders brought to Jesus a woman accused of adultery; those leaders asked Jesus what should be done with her. After all, the law clearly stated that the penalty for adultery was death.

But Jesus knew who had the power in society, and how women were treated; and why was it that the men wanted to punish the woman - the one without power - yet refused to hold accountable the one who did have power? 

Which is why Jesus said to the men: “whichever one of you is innocent can condemn her and punish her.” And what happened? They all turned and walked away.

Even now blame is often cast on those who are, in fact, the victim. Rape victims, even today, are made to feel like what happened was their fault. 

She was drunk. She was wearing tight jeans. She was flirting.

But Jesus does not allow those with power to blame their victims. On another occasion, some men came to Jesus once; I think they were complaining about women who were tempting them into sin.

And Jesus said to them, “If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If any part of your body is leading you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to go through life maimed than it is to allow yourself to fall into sin.”

See? Jesus doesn’t allow anyone with power or privilege to pass blame onto those who are oppressed or victimized. 

5. Nativity

So far this sermon isn’t very Christmas-y. I know. 

So let’s consider the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth. It was precisely those who were oppressed and victimized, the used and abused, who received the angel’s greetings, and the news of the messiah’s birth… and overwhelmingly, this message consisted of the phrase, “fear not.”

The fear that Bathsheba experienced as a poor, on’ry, oppressed, victimized person, is overcome by the birth of Jesus. The fear - that paralyzing fear - of all who live with great anxiety, is replaced by an awesome peace and calm. In a time of great apprehension, all is calm. All is bright.

And this is, in part, because God does not tolerate abuse of power. 

Whether that abuse is committed by King David, or King Herod, or the high priests, or the Pharisees, or the president of the United States… God does not tolerate abuse of power. It is evil in the Lord’s eyes.

God does not tolerate the blaming of victims.

God does not tolerate oppression and injustice.

Instead, God delights in justice, and in what is right.

God’s desire is for justice to roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.

God’s desire is for good news to be proclaimed to 

those who are poor, because God knows that poverty is often the result of injustice.

God’s desire is for release to be proclaimed to those who are captive. Whether they are prisoners of fear, or of corruption, God’s desire is that they be released from that captivity.

God’s desire is that sight be given to the blind. Too many would place blindfolds over truth and blindfolds over justice, but God desires the light of truth to shine.

And all this is good news for Bathsheba and anyone else who has been victimized in any way.

After all, God is the one who takes the stone that the builders rejected, and uses it as the cornerstone of his kingdom. God takes rejected people - people like Bathsheba and Tamar and Rahab and Ruth - and gives them a central role. 

The story of Jesus’ birth is a story of radical resistance to powers of corruption and abuse. The fact that Matthew thought to include Bathsheba - the wife of Uriah - on Jesus’ family tree is just one example of how this is true. 

It’s said that history is written by the victorious and the powerful, and that’s true - unless it is God writing the story. When God writes the story, someone who has power stolen from them, who has been victimized and abused, somehow finds their way to a place of honor. 

This is because our God is the one who takes the stone that the builders rejected, and makes it the cornerstone. 

Our God is the God who makes a way out of no way.

Our God is the God who makes the first last, and the last, first. 

Our God is the one who - in the words of Mary, mother of Jesus - scatters those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations; God is the one who pulls the powerful down from their throne and lifts up the lowly; the one who fills the hungry with good things and sends the rich away empty-handed. The one who comes to earth not as a king, but as a poor baby born to poor parents, who couldn't even secure an appropriate dwelling for his birth, but instead had to settle for a stable filled with a barnyard's worth of animals. 

It's quite remarkable when you stop and think about it, that God would show such love and concern for the least of these. Yet this is the God we worship. The God of people like Tamar and Rahab and Ruth and Bathsheba. 

The God of Joseph and Mary. 

The God of you and me.

Sermon: "Abuse of Power" (2 Samuel 11:1-15)

I think today’s sermon needs a warning at the beginning, because I’ll be talking about men who use their power to get their way with women, even when women do not consent to such action. I’ll be talking about this in the most sensitive, hope-filled way I can, but if you feel the need to step out, please feel free to do so.

This sermon is inspired by my experience at Chi-Rho camp a few weeks ago; this was at Loch Leven, the camp Bixby Knolls Christian Church owns and operates, along with the other congregations of the Pacific Southwest Region.

I was a counselor that week, one of several male counselors who, among other things, spent each night in the cabin with the 25 or so middle school boys who were present that week.

Each night in the cabin, just before lights out, we gathered all those middle school boys together, and I told them the story of ancient Israel’s greatest king, King David.

On Sunday night, I told them about how David was initially overlooked when Samuel went to choose a new king from among sons of Jesse, and I asked those middle school boys if they had ever felt overlooked or undervalued.

On Monday night, I told them the story of David and Goliath; I told them how Saul tried to get David to at least look like one of his warriors by wearing Saul’s armor, but after trying it on, David said “I can’t wear these - I can’t even walk in all this.” And he went out to face Goliath just as he was, without the armor. I asked the boys if they had ever felt forced or persuaded to be someone or something other than who they felt God created them to be.

By Thursday night, we were up to the story of David and Bathsheba. Some might think twice about telling the story of David and Bathsheba to a group of middle school boys, but here’s why I felt it was important for these boys to hear this story of lust and adultery and misuse of power.

I felt it was important to tell these middle school campers the story of David and Bathsheba, because as a substitute teacher, I have seen many times teenage boys disrespecting the girls in class.

One time, a high school boy was pulling on a girl’s hair.

Another time, a high school boy walked into the classroom and grabbed a snack away from a girl and started eating it. Apparently he thought that whatever she had, he had a right to take. (Let me say that again: he thought that whatever she had, he had a right to take.)

I felt it was important to tell these middle school campers at Loch Leven the story of David and Bathsheba because, earlier that very day at camp, we witnessed one boy camper persist in trying to get a certain girl camper to agree to go out with him, even though she had already said no. Now, these campers were young, and it was mostly innocent, but very soon they won’t be so young, and a boy who doesn’t take no for an answer will be a much more serious issue.

I felt it was important to tell these middle school campers at Loch Leven the story of David and Bathsheba because every day in the news, we hear about some man who didn’t take no for an answer, or who made sexual advances on a woman without her consent. This is in the news almost every day, and middle school boys are paying close attention to how we respond to such news.

There are many in our society who try to justify or excuse such behavior. They say things like “boys will be boys,” or, “he was just talking - it’s locker room talk, all boys talk like that.” If we stay silent, then that’s the only message these boys will hear, that it’s OK to behave that way…

But according to the Bible, it’s not. According to the Bible, how we treat people is important. According to the Bible, how men treat women is important.

Jesus often surprised his followers by engaging with women in ways that respected their dignity. And in the story of David and Bathsheba, we learn that when men don’t respect women, there are consequences.

The story of David and Bathsheba starts out by mentioning that it was springtime, the time of year when kings go out to battle; except David was home, in Jerusalem. He should have been out in battle. He should have been out leading his army. But he wasn’t.

So with battles raging, David is at home, and he’s walking along the roof of his palace, enjoying the breeze on a warm day, and from the roof of his palace he sees the beautiful Bathsheba, bathing on the roof of a home nearby.

He asks his advisors, “Who is she?”

They respond, “She is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah.”

Now, Uriah was a good soldier who was off fighting in the war. How convenient. So David has Bathsheba brought to him.

He didn’t ask if she wanted to come... It didn’t matter. He was the king. If the king summons you, you don’t refuse. You don’t say no to the king. The king can take whatever he wants.

The two had sex. It doesn’t seem that she had consented to this sex, so perhaps a better word for it would be rape.

Then David sent her back to her house.

A short time later, she discovered she was pregnant, and she sent word to King David letting him know.

Well, this wasn’t good. King David did have a reputation to uphold. After all, he was Israel’s greatest king.

So he tried to cover it up.

Quickly, he summoned Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, from the battlefront. David told Uriah, “You’re a good soldier; you deserve a little rest. Go home, relax, spend some time with your wife…”

David’s thinking was that if Uriah did this, then when the baby came, Uriah would assume the baby was his, and no one would ever know that the baby was actually David’s.

Except Bathsheba; but she was just a woman. If she said anything, no one would believe her.

However, Uriah refused to go home. How could he enjoy a little R&R while the battle still raged? He was too loyal a soldier to do that.

Alright. On to plan B.

David had Uriah placed right at the front of the battle lines, where he would be an easy target for the enemy. And sure enough, Uriah was killed in battle.

And after a brief, obligatory period of mourning, David - out of the kindness of his heart - took Bathsheba to be his wife. And, yeah, it wouldn’t be quite nine months before the baby was born, but if the king says, “hey, that baby was just born early...,” who would argue with the king?

Everything worked out perfectly for King David. He was able to pull all this off, he got rid of Uriah, he took Bathsheba as his wife, he got a new baby son, and his reputation as Israel’s greatest king remained intact.

Until Nathan came along.

Nathan was a prophet. A truth-teller.

Nathan told David a story about two men. One of the men was very rich and had lots and lots of sheep. The other man was poor, and only had one little ewe lamb.

As the story goes on, the rich man went out and stole that one little poor ewe lamb from the poor man and added it to his own already large flock of sheep.

David apparently thought that this was a true, literal event. David felt bad for the poor man, and furious at the man who stole his sheep. He said “the man who did this deserves to die!”

Then Nathan looked at David and said: “You are that man.”

The blood drained from David’s face. He knew he had been found out. And it wasn’t just that he had been caught. Until now, David hadn’t really thought about what he had done, he only thought about how he could cover it up and maintain his reputation.

But now, suddenly, the severity of his crime dawned on him. He realized, for the first time, that what he had done was wrong. Very wrong!

He confessed his sin to Nathan. He confessed his sin before God. He repented. And God forgave him his sin.

But that doesn’t mean there weren’t consequences. There were - very serious consequences. I don’t have time to tell you about them, but if you want to find out more, I encourage you to read the second book of Samuel.

Despite what David did, and despite the consequences that followed, David is still regarded as the greatest king in Israel’s history. He is the king Israel is most proud of. He is the one person whose name is mentioned more than any other name in the entire Bible, except for Jesus.

But there is a difference between being a great king, and being a perfect king. David was not perfect.

David had flaws. David sinned.

And chief among them was that David used women. David used his power to control women, and force them to do things they didn’t want to do. Maybe he felt that his power and position had given him that right. Maybe he justified it by saying that it was just what powerful men did.

But treating women this way was clearly not acceptable to God, which is why God sent Nathan, the prophet, to confront David.

And because God sent Nathan to David to confront David with his sin, we know that God does care about the way women are treated. God cared about Bathsheba, even when she thought no one cared. Even when her voice was silenced, God heard her cry. So we know that God does hear the cries of all women, even when their cries are muffled by threats of violence; even when their cries are muffled by the strong hands that cover them; even when their cries remain silent for days, weeks, years, God hears.

Because God sent Nathan to David, we know that God is acquainted with the pain and sorrow of women who have been taken advantage of, and that God wants nothing more than to hold them, heal them, comfort them, and wipe their tears.

Because God sent Nathan to David, we know that the dignity of Bathsheba is just as important to God as the dignity of David; that Bathsheba is just as worthy of respect, just as worthy of honor, and just as worthy of being taken seriously….

Because God sent Nathan to David, we know that God does care how the powerful treat those with less power, regardless of gender. Even today, it is usually men who have the power, but that’s not always the case. And we know that God will hold accountable anyone who abuses their power in this or any other way.

Because there is no room in the kingdom of God for coercion, or rape, or the misuse of power. There is no room in the kingdom of God for the mistreatment of any person for any reason.

Boys, as well as girls, need to know this.

They need to know that the kingdom of God is all about mutual love, the kind of love that does no harm to another. The kingdom of God is about loving your neighbor as yourself, loving your neighbor enough to do unto them as you would have them do unto you. The kingdom of God is about supporting and respecting every person.

They need to know that the kingdom of God is about using the power you have for good. The kingdom of God is about using your power to lift up those who are weak, to strengthen and empower others, and not push them down or tear them apart.

And the kingdom of God is about speaking the truth and allowing others to speak their truth, instead of forcing people into silence as a result of their fear.

And the kingdom of God is about healing. It’s where broken people are allowed to pick up the pieces of who they are, and allow God to put them back together again.

"One Death That's Different" 2 Samuel 11:1-15

In the Bible, King David is a warrior, strong and courageous. As a warrior, fighting battles, he kills lots of people.

In the eyes of Israel, this makes him a hero. Even before becoming king, the people sing about how Saul – the current king – has killed thousands, but David killed ten thousands.

By the time his story is over, David has killed over a hundred thousand. And the Bible celebrates this! It’s not because the Bible thinks killing is good; it’s because in ancient times, the ability to defeat one’s enemies is a sure sign that God is with you.

 Each person he killed is a sign of David’s God-given courage, his valor, his strength on the battlefield. His skill as a warrior, above all his other qualities, defines him as a man and presents to Israel a model of what a real man is like.

But there is one death – just one – that the Bible does not celebrate. There is one killing in the story of David that the Bible condemns. And that is the death of Uriah the Hittite.

What is it about this one death, this one killing, that makes it so different from all the others?

The story begins in the time of year when kings normally go out to battle. Yet David, the mighty warrior, is not on the battlefield; he is standing on the roof of his palace, looking out over his kingdom.

You may recall that, before, when David had a moment to look out from his palace and gaze at his kingdom, his thoughts turned to the Lord, and to building a temple for the Lord. This time, however, his thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a beautiful woman bathing nearby.

The woman, of course, was Bathsheba. Something inside David made him want her. So he had her brought to the palace.

As far as I can tell, this is the only time David ever feels lust for a woman. The Bible does say that he has many wives and concubines, but they are more possessions than love interests for him. In fact, if King David is the ideal man for Israel, a real man’s man, then it appears that a real man’s man in ancient Israel was independent, free, and unburdened by any obligations to women or the emotions that might entangle him in such obligations.

It’s not a very flattering image of masculinity, I admit; and not very respectful of women. But these are ancient times we’re talking about.

So the Bible presents David as the ideal man. He’s strong and courageous, a successful warrior… and he is unattached, emotionally, to women.

But Bathsheba threatens this un-attachment.

By the way, it would be a whole other sermon to talk about Bathsheba, the oppression of women, feminism, misogyny, etc., and probably a very good and helpful sermon at that. But today I’m talking about David and manhood, and that is more than enough for one day.

David has Bathsheba brought to him, and gets her pregnant.

Upon learning this, he summons Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, from the battlefield, and tells him to go spend some time with Bathsheba. That way, it might appear that the baby is his. However, spending time with one’s wife was something soldiers weren’t supposed to do during a time of battle; in fact, soldiers took a vow, that they wouldn’t be with their wife until after the war. Uriah, being the good soldier that he is, refused to stay with his wife.

So David sent him back to the battlefield, and arranged it so that Uriah would be killed.

Probably, David saw the killing of Uriah as just one more battlefield death. David was a warrior and a king, after all, and a warrior and a king does whatever is necessary to achieve victory. In this “situation,” David felt he needed to be victorious, so he had Uriah killed. In his mind, there is nothing wrong here.

When one has killed hundreds of thousands, what is one more death?

But this one death is condemned by Nathan the prophet, and by the author and narrator of scripture. Which begs the question:

What’s so different about this killing?

After all, it’s just one man, and David has killed so many before. Why is this death different?

About a year and a half ago, I spent some time with our youth group talking about what makes a hero. In fact, we became heroes and warriors. The shields and swords we made still hang on the wall of the youth room upstairs.

And right above those swords and shields is a sign that says: “What are the marks of a hero? Strength and love.” This is based on two verses in Psalm 62, which refer to God’s strength and steadfast love.

And at Loch Leven a few weeks ago, we slept out under the stars one night, and I pointed out constellations, and when I showed the boys the constellation Hercules, I asked them what they knew about the story of Hercules. Many kids today know the Disney version, and in that version Hercules needs to prove that he’s a real hero, so he works and trains and builds his strength and his courage. But none of this makes him a true hero until he learns that it’s not just the strength of one’s body, but the strength of one’s love that makes a person a true hero.

All those battles David fought, all those men David killed, he did so because of his love for his nation and his God. Every time, he was fighting for a cause bigger than himself.

But when he killed Uriah the Hittite, the only person he was thinking of was himself. No matter how strong you are, if you are only living for yourself, you are no hero.

And that’s why this killing is different from all the others.

Now, we have to be careful here. The point of this story is NOT that it’s OK to kill hundreds of thousands of people if you are doing it for someone besides yourself. It’s not a story about whether or when it’s ok to kill; it’s a story about who you are called to serve, and whether you are using your own strength and courage for selfish reasons or for the good of others.

We must remember that Jesus practiced nonviolence. Scholars have made convincing arguments that, when Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” the temptation he was referring to was specifically the temptation to use violence. The devil himself presented Jesus this temptation, saying that if Jesus would only worship him, he would give Jesus the power to control all the kingdoms and all the armies on earth.

So the story of King David is not a story about whether or not violence is acceptable. It’s a story about what’s in one’s heart, what one’s motives are, and how one goes about using the gifts of strength and courage to make the world a better place.

Throughout history, masculinity and manhood have often been exercised in unhelpful, sometimes abusive ways. But the solution to bad masculinity is not no masculinity; the solution is good masculinity. In the same way, religion has abused and oppressed people over the centuries, leading many to abandon religion in the 21st century. But the solution to bad religion is not no religion; it’s good religion.

It’s a challenging task for us, to recover both a positive masculinity and a positive religion. Concerning religion, this is why theology is so important to me. The implications of bad theology are detrimental to the wellbeing of many. There is so much bad theology going around, and it makes people fearful and judgmental and, in extreme cases, hateful and violent. Churches are burned and terrorist attacks are launched, and these often have their roots in bad theology.

Bad masculinity can be just as dangerous. The Bible condemns David’s killing of Uriah because it was an act of violence motivated only by David’s desire to protect himself from the consequences of his mistake. There was no love in what he did. And without love, there is no hero.

In the movie Big Hero 6, Hiro Hamada learns how to transform his genius intelligence into power and strength.

But at one point he gets caught up in emotion, and loses sight of what it is that might truly make him a hero or even a man.

That same confusion exists today in the minds of young boys becoming men. What does it mean to be a man? How can I be the hero God calls me to be? Society does not provide many clear answers.

Which is why the church needs to teach our boys that the man God calls them to be is a man who uses his strength and courage for the good of others. He’s a man whose greatest strength is the strength of his love.

This is what we are called to teach our young people. This is why I spend so much of my time working with youth, going to camp and VBS… We in the church are called to provide our young people positive models of manhood and womanhood that will bring wholeness to their lives and to the world.