June 9, 2025 • 21 mins
Did King David commit adultery—or was it something much darker? In this deeply important episode of Hey Tabi, licensed trauma therapist Tabitha Westbrook examines the true story of David and Bathsheba. Spoiler: It’s not the sanitized ‘affair’ we’ve often been told. It’s a story of power, coercion, and sexual violence—rape by a man in power.
Join us as we read 2 Samuel 11 in its entirety, challenge cultural and spiritual myths that have silenced victims for centuries, and explore how this ancient abuse of power still echoes in today’s world—especially in the church. We’ll talk about the real meaning of consent, the trauma of sexual violence, and why it matters to name these truths clearly.
We also dig into:
✅ Why Bathsheba’s “consent” wasn’t possible
✅ How spiritual bypassing can harm survivors today
✅ The difference between sin and an abuse of power
✅ The consequences David faced—and what it teaches us about accountability
✅ And how God’s mercy and justice show up even in these heartbreaking stories
If you’ve ever felt silenced, or if you’ve wondered how to read these hard biblical passages with both faith and trauma-informed compassion, this episode is for you. Because naming the truth is the first step toward real healing.
👉 Resources mentioned in this episode:
📚 Desiring God Article by John Piper on this scripture - https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/did-bathsheba-sin-with-david
🔔 Subscribe for more:
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🎧 Subscribe to Hey Tabi for more expert conversations on trauma, faith, and healing.
📩 Connect with Tabitha:
💻 Tabitha's Website - www.tabithawestbrook.com
📲 Tabitha's Instagram - www.instagram.com/tabithathecounselor
🎙️ Podcast Homepage - https://heytabi.buzzsprout.com
💻 The Journey & The Process Website - www.thejourneyandtheprocess.com
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👍 If this episode resonated with you, please like, subscribe, and share to help others who need this information!
🚨 Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy and is intended for educational purposes only. If you're in crisis or need therapy, please reach out to a licensed mental health professional.
Need to know how to find a great therapist? Read this...
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Did King David commit adultery or was it something
much darker?
In this episode, we're going totalk about the hidden truth,
about how power, coercion andsexual violence intersect in the
biblical story of David andBathsheba.
Let's unpack this ancient abuseof power and how it echoes into
this present day.
No more covering it up and nomore sanitizing it.
(00:21):
Let's get going.
Welcome to hey Tabby, thepodcast where we talk about the
hard things out loud, with ouractual lips.
We'll cover all kinds of topicsacross the mental health
spectrum, including how itintersects with the Christian
faith.
Nothing is off limits here, andwe are not.
Take two verses and call me inthe morning.
I'm Tabitha Westbrook and I'm alicensed trauma therapist.
(00:43):
But I'm not your traumatherapist.
I'm an expert in domestic abuseand coercive control and how
complex trauma impacts ourhealth and well-being.
Our focus here is knowledge andhealing.
Trauma doesn't have to eat yourlunch forever.
There is hope Now let's getgoing.
So welcome to this week'sepisode of hey Tabby.
(01:04):
This episode might be a littlebit hard to hear, but it's
really deeply important becausethe story isn't just about an
affair or adultery or a momentof moral failure.
It's about power, coercion andsexual violence, and the Bible
doesn't shy away from it, and Idon't think we should either.
The way that I'm going to startthis is I'm going to actually
read the entire passage foritself, all of it, and it's
(01:27):
going to be a little bit of along reading.
I'm going to do this in theEnglish Standard Version because
I think that it presents it themost clear, but you are more
than welcome to read it in anyversion that you want.
So if you want to hit pause orskip ahead to when I'm done
reading it, you're welcome to dothat as well.
But I want to really read itcarefully because I think when
we're talking about a passage ofscripture that often gets
(01:49):
misquoted, misstated, all thosekinds of things, we really want
to be sure that we read it inits entirety as we talk about it
.
So that is what we're going todo.
So I'm going to start off.
This is 2 Samuel, chapter 11,and we're going to read the
entire chapter.
So the heading of this chapterin the ESV is David and
(02:09):
Bathsheba.
So we'll just start with that,and now we'll start in verse 1.
In the spring of the year, thetime when kings go out to battle
, david sent Joab and hisservants with him and all Israel
and they ravaged the Ammonitesand besieged Rabbah.
But David remained at Jerusalem.
It happened late one afternoonand some translations say it
(02:32):
happened late at night, whenDavid arose from his couch and
was walking on the roof of theking's house, that he saw from
the roof a woman bathing and thewoman was very beautiful and
David sent and inquired aboutthe woman and one said Is this
not Bathsheba, the daughter ofEliam, the wife of Uriah the
Hittite?
So David sent messengers andtook her and she came to him and
(02:55):
he lay with her.
Now she had been purifyingherself from her uncleanness.
Then she returned to her houseand the woman conceived and she
sent and told David I ampregnant.
So David sent word to Joab Sendme Uriah the Hittite.
And Joab sent Uriah to David.
When Uriah came to him, davidasked how Joab was doing and how
(03:17):
the people were doing and howthe war was going.
Then David said to Uriah Godown to your house and wash your
feet.
And Uriah went out of theking's house and there followed
him a present from the king.
But Uriah slept at the door ofthe king's house with all the
servants of his lord and did notgo down to his house.
So when he says that he sleptat the door, it means he slept
(03:39):
on the porch.
By the way, when they toldDavid, uriah did not go down to
his house.
David said to Uriah have younot come from a journey?
Why did you not go down to yourhouse?
Uriah said to David the ark andIsrael and Judah dwell in
booths and my lord, joab and theservants of my lord are camping
in the open field.
Shall I then go to my house toeat and to drink and to lie with
(04:02):
my wife, as you live and asyour soul lives?
I will not do this thing.
Then David said to Uriah Remainhere today also and tomorrow,
and I will send you back.
So Uriah remained in Jerusalemthat day and the next and David
invited him and he ate in hispresence and drank so that he
made him drunk.
And in the evening he went outto lie on his couch with the
(04:25):
servants of his Lord, but he didnot go down to his house.
In the morning David wrote aletter to Joab and sent it by
the hand of Uriah.
In the letter he wrote SetUriah in the forefront of the
hardest fighting and then drawback from him that he may be
struck down and die.
And as Joab was besieging thecity, he assigned Uriah to the
place where he knew there werevaliant men.
(04:47):
And the men of the city cameout and fought with Joab and
some of the servants of David.
Among the people fell Uriah theHittite also died.
Then Joab sent and told Davidall the news about the fighting
and he instructed the messengerwhen you have finished telling
all the news about the fightingto the king, then if the king's
anger arises and if he says toyou why did you go so near the
(05:09):
city to fight?
Did you not know that theywould shoot from the wall?
Who killed Abimelech, the sonof Jerubisheth?
That is a heck of a name.
Did not a woman cast an uppermillstone on him from the wall
so that he died at Thebes?
Why did you go so near the wall?
Then he shall say your servant,uriah the Hittite, is dead also
(05:30):
.
So the messenger went and cameand told David all that Joab had
sent him to tell.
Then the messenger said toDavid the men gained an
advantage over us and came outagainst us in the field, but we
drove them back to the entranceof the gate.
Then the archers shot at yourservants from the wall.
Some of the king's servants aredead and your servant, uriah
the Hittite, is dead also.
(05:50):
David said to the messengerThus shall you say to Joab Do
not let this matter displeaseyou, for the sword devours now
one and now another.
Strengthen your attack againstthe city and overthrow it and
encourage him.
When the wife of Uriah heardthat Uriah, her husband, was
dead, she lamented over herhusband and when the morning was
(06:11):
over, david sent and broughther to his house and she became
his wife and bore him a son.
But the thing that David haddone displeased the Lord.
So I know that is a great bigchunk of scripture and that is a
lot to read, sometimes all inone sitting here in this podcast
but really wanted us to havethe full context of this because
(06:34):
I want us to think about whatis really happening in this
passage.
Over and over, I have heardgrowing up that David committed
adultery with Bathsheba, butthat is not at all what happened
here, and that's why readingthe scripture itself is really
important, so that we canactually break it down together.
First and foremost, I want youto know that David is out of
(06:59):
balance and where he's notsupposed to be.
The very beginning of thispassage says that kings go out
to battle in the spring of theyear, and David is not out at
battle.
David is hanging out at home.
David sent his people out tobattle and he did not go with
them, and so David shouldn'thave even been home and he
(07:21):
should not have even had theopportunity to see Bathsheba,
let alone anything else for thatmatter, because he was supposed
to be out doing somethingdifferent altogether.
Also, he asks hey, who is thiswoman?
So one of the criticisms that Ihear a lot is well, she was
asking for it, she wastantalizing the king because she
(07:41):
was on her roof taking a bathnaked.
Who takes a bath naked on theroof?
And, honestly, that is a 21stcentury American way of thinking
.
To be honest, in that part ofthe world at that time, that is
where you did your ritualpurification, because that's
where it was at, and so for herto be on her roof doing the
right thing and following theactual rituals of purification
(08:05):
after her menstrual period, shewas in the right, she was right
and good.
David was where he was notsupposed to be, and I will also
say to anyone that says well,this person was asking for it
because of what they werewearing.
I will just note that that'snot true.
No matter what happens, eventhough it would be a very bad
idea to walk down the road naked, that doesn't give anybody the
(08:29):
right to touch you.
No one has the right to touchanother human being without
consent.
And that brings us to whetheror not it was consensual.
So David asked who is thiswoman?
And someone said this is thewife of Uriah the Hittite.
He knew that she was marriedand he sent for her.
Now, look, if the king goessending for you, you don't go.
(08:50):
Well, what is this inrelationship to you and how can
I help him?
And no, excuse me, I'm notgoing to go do that.
She was sent for and she wouldhave had no idea what David
wanted from her None whatsoever.
She was summoned by the king,her husband's out at battle.
I wonder if she thought oh gosh, I'm about to find out.
(09:11):
My husband's dead.
And one of the most importantaspects of this particular
passage is so David took her.
David didn't ask her, daviddidn't carouse with her.
She didn't ask David, she wasnot at all asking for this.
And David took her Since therewas no consent and she had no
(09:33):
opportunity to say no.
There is one thing, and onething only that this was and it
is rape, and I can't call itanything else because it can't
be anything else.
The definition of rape is somesort of sexual activity,
penetration of your body withoutyour consent.
It can either be with anotherbody part or it can be with an
object, and in this case it waswith, obviously, a body part of
(09:54):
David, and she didn't have theopportunity to consent, she
couldn't say no.
And you know if you're thinkingwell, goodness, the law says
you're supposed to cry out.
The king sent for her.
And even if she had said no andit's not recorded here, it
wouldn't have mattered.
This is the king.
And so after that she says dude, I'm pregnant.
(10:18):
Now look when people are likewell, she must have wanted it.
She sent for the king.
She is a woman whose husband ison the battle lines and
everybody knows it.
And if she turns up pregnant,something happened.
Well, in this case, she knowswho the baby daddy is and she's
saying help, basically Becauseto be an immoral woman in Israel
(10:38):
.
Think about the woman who wascaught in the act of adultery
and dragged before Jesus.
The penalty was supposed to bestoning.
This woman would have beenkilled.
Bathsheba would have beenkilled and assumed to be
unfaithful when she was not.
There's nothing in this passagethat says she was part of the
equation at all.
All of it lays on David.
(11:00):
And to make matters worse,david says, oh man, well, we
can't have that.
So he tries to cover up hiscrime by bringing Uriah home,
hoping that he'll want to sleepwith his wife.
But Uriah is clearly anhonorable man.
Not only does he sleep on theporch, but then he sleeps on a
couch, even after he's gottendrunk.
So at no point in time does hesay I should go do this.
And he even says I can't go dothis, my people are out there in
(11:23):
battle, I can't, I can't dothis thing.
And so, because Uriah is sohonorable, david signs his death
warrant and sends it back inhis own hand Like big yikes, big
yikes.
And that is something that wecan't ignore.
So not only did David do thisthing and he took Bathsheba
(11:44):
against her will, but then hehas her husband murdered and
sends the death warrant by hisown hand.
That is exceptionally wicked,my goodness, how terrifying.
And Uriah is such an honorableguy, he doesn't even read it, he
takes it back and he ends upgetting killed.
(12:06):
So then that leads us to whathappens next, and that is in
chapter 12.
And I won't read the wholechapter, but I would encourage
you to.
It's fantastic.
And if we notice, at the veryend of chapter 11, it says the
thing that David did displeasedthe Lord.
Not the thing David andBathsheba did, not the thing
that Bathsheba did, but thisthing that David did displeased
(12:30):
the Lord.
So then Nathan comes in torebuke David, and that's
actually the heading of chapter12.
So if we start around verse one,the Lord sent Nathan to David,
and so then Nathan tells Davidthis parable that there was a
very rich man who had all kindsof stuff, everything in the
whole world.
He had All kinds of flocks andherds locked for nothing.
(12:52):
But somebody came over and saidhey, I'm here.
And the rich man goes oh mygosh, I'm going to go give him
some food and I'm going to gotake it from my neighbor.
And so they go over to theneighbor's house and he says
give me your lamb.
But this lamb is this person'spride and joy.
Like they treat it like a kid,it's like a pet and this rich
(13:15):
person still takes it and killsit.
And David, upon hearing thisstory, is like furious.
He's like oh my goodness, thisis terrible, this man deserves
to die, he needs to restore thelamb lamb.
And Nathan looks David dead onand says you are the man.
And David immediately repents.
(13:41):
But one of the things thatNathan says to David in this,
before we get to David'srepentance, is really
interesting.
Thus says the Lord, the God ofIsrael I anointed you king over
Israel and I delivered you outof the hand of Saul and I gave
(14:02):
you your master's house and yourmaster's.
And this is where David.
You've struck down Uriah theHittite with the sword and you
have taken his wife to be yourwife and you've killed him with
the sword of the Ammonites.
And this is where David gets acurse.
There is a consequence to thisthe sword will never depart from
your house and I'll raise upevil against you out of your own
house and take your wivesbefore your own eyes and give
(14:25):
them to someone else, and yourneighbor will lie with them in
plain sight, in the view of thesun.
And the Lord says this, for youdid it secretly, but I will do
this thing before all Israel andbefore the sun.
Now here's where David doesrepent.
He says I have sinned againstthe Lord, and I do believe that
David's heart is broken here.
I think he was probably alreadywrestling.
There's some evidence in thePsalms of that, where he talks
(14:47):
about being in the puddle of hisown tears on his couch,
basically, and it's believedthat that was written as he was
wrestling through the fact thathe had done this thing and was
holding that weight of it.
And there is every evidencethat David did in fact truly
repent and follow the Lord.
But one thing I really want topoint out about this is it
doesn't relieve consequence.
So even though David did repent, god didn't say okay, you're
(15:12):
cool.
He killed the one child thatBathsheba bore, the first son.
And then there's the curse ofthe sword not leaving David's
house and his neighbor lyingwith all of his wives in front
of the son, right under the son.
We know that that ends up beingAbsalom, who takes David's
concubines and sleeps with themon the palace roof, which is
interestingly tied together.
Yes, david saw Bathsheba on theroof and decided to exercise
(15:38):
coercion and power and rape her,and then Absalom takes his
father's concubines and sleepswith them on the roof of his
dad's house, which is wicked inand of itself and also part of
the curse that God levies.
So, even though David is in thehall of faith and he is a man
after God's own heart, that didnot spare him the consequences,
(15:58):
and I think that that is areally important lesson for us
for today.
There's a few things here thatwe really want to just unpack
briefly.
First of all, if we call itadultery, then there's an
assumption that there is amutuality here, and there is not
.
We clearly just read that inscripture.
There is a Desiring God articlethat I will link in the show
(16:20):
notes as well, where John Pipercomes to that same conclusion
when asked the question.
There is an exercise of powerand control here.
There was not consent fromBathsheba, and there is one
thing to call it in that case,and that's rape.
You cannot call it another namebecause it isn't another name.
The other thing is that we seeDavid actually accept those
(16:42):
consequences, and I will saythat in the modern church today,
when we have something likethis occur far too often, we see
people maybe slightlydisciplined and then
replatformed and given almost apass.
And I just want to note againthat there are consequences and
David has to bear those.
God doesn't let him off thehook Now.
(17:04):
Does he make him not king atthat moment?
No, but his kingdom isdefinitely fraught with much
more difficulty.
And if you're saying, oh well,then with a pastor, then we
could certainly put them in thepulpit, I would say that we also
need to look at today's context.
And no, we don't.
As a good friend of mine says,you can serve Jesus at best by
you don't have to be in thepulpit to do that, and I think
that's important.
(17:24):
I think sometimes people aredisqualified due to sexual sin,
and if we look at the NewTestament, the qualifications of
elders and leaders is reallyclear and we know that sexual
coercion and rape would not meetthe qualifications of elders,
and in that case we should havepeople step down and step away.
(17:44):
It doesn't mean that theyaren't loved by the Lord and it
doesn't mean that they can'tserve the Lord in some capacity,
but maybe it is not.
As pastor, I will say also thatwhen we don't name this
particular story correctly, thenwe are also spiritually
bypassing victims of rape today,particularly when it is a
(18:06):
person in a position ofreligious power, like a pastor
or an elder, or even theirhusband, because rape can happen
in marriage.
Consent doesn't just end at thealtar.
You need to consent continually, and I think that it's really
important that we say thiscorrectly, because otherwise we
are minimizing it and we're alsoshading Bathsheba, which is
real unfortunate and very unfairto her.
(18:27):
I also want you to see that Goddoes in fact forgive David.
He does not take his life,which he should have done right
by the law.
David's life should have beenended, but God was merciful to
David because of his repentance,and I think that's really
important to see Again.
There are so consequences.
And God is also merciful toBathsheba because she also
(18:50):
births Solomon, and we know thatSolomon was given incredible
wisdom.
He got to build the house ofthe Lord.
There was a lot of beautifulgoodness in the life of Solomon,
and so in a lot of ways,bathsheba received redemption
from that.
So I think it's really importantthat when we read the Bible, we
ask ourselves where did I hearthis?
(19:12):
First, let me read it formyself.
Let me read it with my owneyeballs.
Let me notice that sometimesthey put in headers, because a
few translations do say Davidcommits adultery with Bathsheba,
and I'm like that's not theright heading, not at all, and I
think it's important that wecall it what it is, because
otherwise we are minimizingreally deep harm and really deep
(19:33):
sin, and that is not somethingthat is helpful for us as the
church.
If you grew up thinking well Imean she was on the roof naked
or whatever and I mean I'vestraight heard that in sermons
Then I would just encourage youreally go read it for yourself,
read 2 Samuel 11 and 2 Samuel 12in their entirety, and really
go look at some commentaries andsee where other people come
(19:54):
down and pray through ityourself.
A lot of times we hear variousteachings in the church and we
just accept them and say, well,this must be what it is, instead
of looking for ourselves.
And one of the things that Paulsays to the Bereans is a
commendation, because they wentand looked to see if these
things were so.
So they went and searched thescriptures to see if they were
so, and we can grow up withtraditions that we don't realize
(20:18):
aren't actually biblical andways of thinking through and
reading through things thataren't biblical, and so I would
encourage you to maybe look atscripture with fresh eyes and
really look at it in the bigpicture and look at it for the
whole counsel of the word of God.
And I know that on this podcastwe have most definitely talked
before about having excellentbiblical literacy, because it's
(20:41):
really hard to control you withscripture when you actually know
it for yourself.
So I hope that you found thishelpful today.
I know that it might really berattling to you if you're like
holy Toledo man, we're callingthis rape, but that's what it is
and by using the correctterminology we actually bring
much more depth to this story,much more beauty to the mercy of
(21:05):
God for both David andBathsheba, and we honor all of
the parties involved when wecall it what it is.
Thanks for being here with metoday.
Anything that I mentioned as aresource will be linked in the
show notes.
I look forward to seeing youhere again on our next episode
of hey Tabby.
Thanks for joining me fortoday's episode of hey Tabby.
(21:27):
If you're looking for aresource that I mentioned in the
show and you want to check outthe show notes, head on over to
tabithawestbrookcom forwardslash hey Tabby.
That's H-E-Y-T-A-B-I and youcan grab it there.
I look forward to seeing younext time.
Did King David commit adultery or was it something
much darker?
In this episode, we're going totalk about the hidden truth,
about how power, coercion andsexual violence intersect in the
biblical story of David andBathsheba.
Let's unpack this ancient abuseof power and how it echoes into
this present day.
No more covering it up and nomore sanitizing it.
(00:21):
Let's get going.
Welcome to hey Tabby, thepodcast where we talk about the
hard things out loud, with ouractual lips.
We'll cover all kinds of topicsacross the mental health
spectrum, including how itintersects with the Christian
faith.
Nothing is off limits here, andwe are not.
Take two verses and call me inthe morning.
I'm Tabitha Westbrook and I'm alicensed trauma therapist.
(00:43):
But I'm not your traumatherapist.
I'm an expert in domestic abuseand coercive control and how
complex trauma impacts ourhealth and well-being.
Our focus here is knowledge andhealing.
Trauma doesn't have to eat yourlunch forever.
There is hope Now let's getgoing.
So welcome to this week'sepisode of hey Tabby.
(01:04):
This episode might be a littlebit hard to hear, but it's
really deeply important becausethe story isn't just about an
affair or adultery or a momentof moral failure.
It's about power, coercion andsexual violence, and the Bible
doesn't shy away from it, and Idon't think we should either.
The way that I'm going to startthis is I'm going to actually
read the entire passage foritself, all of it, and it's
(01:27):
going to be a little bit of along reading.
I'm going to do this in theEnglish Standard Version because
I think that it presents it themost clear, but you are more
than welcome to read it in anyversion that you want.
So if you want to hit pause orskip ahead to when I'm done
reading it, you're welcome to dothat as well.
But I want to really read itcarefully because I think when
we're talking about a passage ofscripture that often gets
(01:49):
misquoted, misstated, all thosekinds of things, we really want
to be sure that we read it inits entirety as we talk about it
.
So that is what we're going todo.
So I'm going to start off.
This is 2 Samuel, chapter 11,and we're going to read the
entire chapter.
So the heading of this chapterin the ESV is David and
(02:09):
Bathsheba.
So we'll just start with that,and now we'll start in verse 1.
In the spring of the year, thetime when kings go out to battle
, david sent Joab and hisservants with him and all Israel
and they ravaged the Ammonitesand besieged Rabbah.
But David remained at Jerusalem.
It happened late one afternoonand some translations say it
(02:32):
happened late at night, whenDavid arose from his couch and
was walking on the roof of theking's house, that he saw from
the roof a woman bathing and thewoman was very beautiful and
David sent and inquired aboutthe woman and one said Is this
not Bathsheba, the daughter ofEliam, the wife of Uriah the
Hittite?
So David sent messengers andtook her and she came to him and
(02:55):
he lay with her.
Now she had been purifyingherself from her uncleanness.
Then she returned to her houseand the woman conceived and she
sent and told David I ampregnant.
So David sent word to Joab Sendme Uriah the Hittite.
And Joab sent Uriah to David.
When Uriah came to him, davidasked how Joab was doing and how
(03:17):
the people were doing and howthe war was going.
Then David said to Uriah Godown to your house and wash your
feet.
And Uriah went out of theking's house and there followed
him a present from the king.
But Uriah slept at the door ofthe king's house with all the
servants of his lord and did notgo down to his house.
So when he says that he sleptat the door, it means he slept
(03:39):
on the porch.
By the way, when they toldDavid, uriah did not go down to
his house.
David said to Uriah have younot come from a journey?
Why did you not go down to yourhouse?
Uriah said to David the ark andIsrael and Judah dwell in
booths and my lord, joab and theservants of my lord are camping
in the open field.
Shall I then go to my house toeat and to drink and to lie with
(04:02):
my wife, as you live and asyour soul lives?
I will not do this thing.
Then David said to Uriah Remainhere today also and tomorrow,
and I will send you back.
So Uriah remained in Jerusalemthat day and the next and David
invited him and he ate in hispresence and drank so that he
made him drunk.
And in the evening he went outto lie on his couch with the
(04:25):
servants of his Lord, but he didnot go down to his house.
In the morning David wrote aletter to Joab and sent it by
the hand of Uriah.
In the letter he wrote SetUriah in the forefront of the
hardest fighting and then drawback from him that he may be
struck down and die.
And as Joab was besieging thecity, he assigned Uriah to the
place where he knew there werevaliant men.
(04:47):
And the men of the city cameout and fought with Joab and
some of the servants of David.
Among the people fell Uriah theHittite also died.
Then Joab sent and told Davidall the news about the fighting
and he instructed the messengerwhen you have finished telling
all the news about the fightingto the king, then if the king's
anger arises and if he says toyou why did you go so near the
(05:09):
city to fight?
Did you not know that theywould shoot from the wall?
Who killed Abimelech, the sonof Jerubisheth?
That is a heck of a name.
Did not a woman cast an uppermillstone on him from the wall
so that he died at Thebes?
Why did you go so near the wall?
Then he shall say your servant,uriah the Hittite, is dead also
(05:30):
.
So the messenger went and cameand told David all that Joab had
sent him to tell.
Then the messenger said toDavid the men gained an
advantage over us and came outagainst us in the field, but we
drove them back to the entranceof the gate.
Then the archers shot at yourservants from the wall.
Some of the king's servants aredead and your servant, uriah
the Hittite, is dead also.
(05:50):
David said to the messengerThus shall you say to Joab Do
not let this matter displeaseyou, for the sword devours now
one and now another.
Strengthen your attack againstthe city and overthrow it and
encourage him.
When the wife of Uriah heardthat Uriah, her husband, was
dead, she lamented over herhusband and when the morning was
(06:11):
over, david sent and broughther to his house and she became
his wife and bore him a son.
But the thing that David haddone displeased the Lord.
So I know that is a great bigchunk of scripture and that is a
lot to read, sometimes all inone sitting here in this podcast
but really wanted us to havethe full context of this because
(06:34):
I want us to think about whatis really happening in this
passage.
Over and over, I have heardgrowing up that David committed
adultery with Bathsheba, butthat is not at all what happened
here, and that's why readingthe scripture itself is really
important, so that we canactually break it down together.
First and foremost, I want youto know that David is out of
(06:59):
balance and where he's notsupposed to be.
The very beginning of thispassage says that kings go out
to battle in the spring of theyear, and David is not out at
battle.
David is hanging out at home.
David sent his people out tobattle and he did not go with
them, and so David shouldn'thave even been home and he
(07:21):
should not have even had theopportunity to see Bathsheba,
let alone anything else for thatmatter, because he was supposed
to be out doing somethingdifferent altogether.
Also, he asks hey, who is thiswoman?
So one of the criticisms that Ihear a lot is well, she was
asking for it, she wastantalizing the king because she
(07:41):
was on her roof taking a bathnaked.
Who takes a bath naked on theroof?
And, honestly, that is a 21stcentury American way of thinking
.
To be honest, in that part ofthe world at that time, that is
where you did your ritualpurification, because that's
where it was at, and so for herto be on her roof doing the
right thing and following theactual rituals of purification
(08:05):
after her menstrual period, shewas in the right, she was right
and good.
David was where he was notsupposed to be, and I will also
say to anyone that says well,this person was asking for it
because of what they werewearing.
I will just note that that'snot true.
No matter what happens, eventhough it would be a very bad
idea to walk down the road naked, that doesn't give anybody the
(08:29):
right to touch you.
No one has the right to touchanother human being without
consent.
And that brings us to whetheror not it was consensual.
So David asked who is thiswoman?
And someone said this is thewife of Uriah the Hittite.
He knew that she was marriedand he sent for her.
Now, look, if the king goessending for you, you don't go.
(08:50):
Well, what is this inrelationship to you and how can
I help him?
And no, excuse me, I'm notgoing to go do that.
She was sent for and she wouldhave had no idea what David
wanted from her None whatsoever.
She was summoned by the king,her husband's out at battle.
I wonder if she thought oh gosh, I'm about to find out.
(09:11):
My husband's dead.
And one of the most importantaspects of this particular
passage is so David took her.
David didn't ask her, daviddidn't carouse with her.
She didn't ask David, she wasnot at all asking for this.
And David took her Since therewas no consent and she had no
(09:33):
opportunity to say no.
There is one thing, and onething only that this was and it
is rape, and I can't call itanything else because it can't
be anything else.
The definition of rape is somesort of sexual activity,
penetration of your body withoutyour consent.
It can either be with anotherbody part or it can be with an
object, and in this case it waswith, obviously, a body part of
(09:54):
David, and she didn't have theopportunity to consent, she
couldn't say no.
And you know if you're thinkingwell, goodness, the law says
you're supposed to cry out.
The king sent for her.
And even if she had said no andit's not recorded here, it
wouldn't have mattered.
This is the king.
And so after that she says dude, I'm pregnant.
(10:18):
Now look when people are likewell, she must have wanted it.
She sent for the king.
She is a woman whose husband ison the battle lines and
everybody knows it.
And if she turns up pregnant,something happened.
Well, in this case, she knowswho the baby daddy is and she's
saying help, basically Becauseto be an immoral woman in Israel
(10:38):
.
Think about the woman who wascaught in the act of adultery
and dragged before Jesus.
The penalty was supposed to bestoning.
This woman would have beenkilled.
Bathsheba would have beenkilled and assumed to be
unfaithful when she was not.
There's nothing in this passagethat says she was part of the
equation at all.
All of it lays on David.
(11:00):
And to make matters worse,david says, oh man, well, we
can't have that.
So he tries to cover up hiscrime by bringing Uriah home,
hoping that he'll want to sleepwith his wife.
But Uriah is clearly anhonorable man.
Not only does he sleep on theporch, but then he sleeps on a
couch, even after he's gottendrunk.
So at no point in time does hesay I should go do this.
And he even says I can't go dothis, my people are out there in
(11:23):
battle, I can't, I can't dothis thing.
And so, because Uriah is sohonorable, david signs his death
warrant and sends it back inhis own hand Like big yikes, big
yikes.
And that is something that wecan't ignore.
So not only did David do thisthing and he took Bathsheba
(11:44):
against her will, but then hehas her husband murdered and
sends the death warrant by hisown hand.
That is exceptionally wicked,my goodness, how terrifying.
And Uriah is such an honorableguy, he doesn't even read it, he
takes it back and he ends upgetting killed.
(12:06):
So then that leads us to whathappens next, and that is in
chapter 12.
And I won't read the wholechapter, but I would encourage
you to.
It's fantastic.
And if we notice, at the veryend of chapter 11, it says the
thing that David did displeasedthe Lord.
Not the thing David andBathsheba did, not the thing
that Bathsheba did, but thisthing that David did displeased
(12:30):
the Lord.
So then Nathan comes in torebuke David, and that's
actually the heading of chapter12.
So if we start around verse one,the Lord sent Nathan to David,
and so then Nathan tells Davidthis parable that there was a
very rich man who had all kindsof stuff, everything in the
whole world.
He had All kinds of flocks andherds locked for nothing.
(12:52):
But somebody came over and saidhey, I'm here.
And the rich man goes oh mygosh, I'm going to go give him
some food and I'm going to gotake it from my neighbor.
And so they go over to theneighbor's house and he says
give me your lamb.
But this lamb is this person'spride and joy.
Like they treat it like a kid,it's like a pet and this rich
(13:15):
person still takes it and killsit.
And David, upon hearing thisstory, is like furious.
He's like oh my goodness, thisis terrible, this man deserves
to die, he needs to restore thelamb lamb.
And Nathan looks David dead onand says you are the man.
And David immediately repents.
(13:41):
But one of the things thatNathan says to David in this,
before we get to David'srepentance, is really
interesting.
Thus says the Lord, the God ofIsrael I anointed you king over
Israel and I delivered you outof the hand of Saul and I gave
(14:02):
you your master's house and yourmaster's.
And this is where David.
You've struck down Uriah theHittite with the sword and you
have taken his wife to be yourwife and you've killed him with
the sword of the Ammonites.
And this is where David gets acurse.
There is a consequence to thisthe sword will never depart from
your house and I'll raise upevil against you out of your own
house and take your wivesbefore your own eyes and give
(14:25):
them to someone else, and yourneighbor will lie with them in
plain sight, in the view of thesun.
And the Lord says this, for youdid it secretly, but I will do
this thing before all Israel andbefore the sun.
Now here's where David doesrepent.
He says I have sinned againstthe Lord, and I do believe that
David's heart is broken here.
I think he was probably alreadywrestling.
There's some evidence in thePsalms of that, where he talks
(14:47):
about being in the puddle of hisown tears on his couch,
basically, and it's believedthat that was written as he was
wrestling through the fact thathe had done this thing and was
holding that weight of it.
And there is every evidencethat David did in fact truly
repent and follow the Lord.
But one thing I really want topoint out about this is it
doesn't relieve consequence.
So even though David did repent, god didn't say okay, you're
(15:12):
cool.
He killed the one child thatBathsheba bore, the first son.
And then there's the curse ofthe sword not leaving David's
house and his neighbor lyingwith all of his wives in front
of the son, right under the son.
We know that that ends up beingAbsalom, who takes David's
concubines and sleeps with themon the palace roof, which is
interestingly tied together.
Yes, david saw Bathsheba on theroof and decided to exercise
(15:38):
coercion and power and rape her,and then Absalom takes his
father's concubines and sleepswith them on the roof of his
dad's house, which is wicked inand of itself and also part of
the curse that God levies.
So, even though David is in thehall of faith and he is a man
after God's own heart, that didnot spare him the consequences,
(15:58):
and I think that that is areally important lesson for us
for today.
There's a few things here thatwe really want to just unpack
briefly.
First of all, if we call itadultery, then there's an
assumption that there is amutuality here, and there is not
.
We clearly just read that inscripture.
There is a Desiring God articlethat I will link in the show
(16:20):
notes as well, where John Pipercomes to that same conclusion
when asked the question.
There is an exercise of powerand control here.
There was not consent fromBathsheba, and there is one
thing to call it in that case,and that's rape.
You cannot call it another namebecause it isn't another name.
The other thing is that we seeDavid actually accept those
(16:42):
consequences, and I will saythat in the modern church today,
when we have something likethis occur far too often, we see
people maybe slightlydisciplined and then
replatformed and given almost apass.
And I just want to note againthat there are consequences and
David has to bear those.
God doesn't let him off thehook Now.
(17:04):
Does he make him not king atthat moment?
No, but his kingdom isdefinitely fraught with much
more difficulty.
And if you're saying, oh well,then with a pastor, then we
could certainly put them in thepulpit, I would say that we also
need to look at today's context.
And no, we don't.
As a good friend of mine says,you can serve Jesus at best by
you don't have to be in thepulpit to do that, and I think
that's important.
(17:24):
I think sometimes people aredisqualified due to sexual sin,
and if we look at the NewTestament, the qualifications of
elders and leaders is reallyclear and we know that sexual
coercion and rape would not meetthe qualifications of elders,
and in that case we should havepeople step down and step away.
(17:44):
It doesn't mean that theyaren't loved by the Lord and it
doesn't mean that they can'tserve the Lord in some capacity,
but maybe it is not.
As pastor, I will say also thatwhen we don't name this
particular story correctly, thenwe are also spiritually
bypassing victims of rape today,particularly when it is a
(18:06):
person in a position ofreligious power, like a pastor
or an elder, or even theirhusband, because rape can happen
in marriage.
Consent doesn't just end at thealtar.
You need to consent continually, and I think that it's really
important that we say thiscorrectly, because otherwise we
are minimizing it and we're alsoshading Bathsheba, which is
real unfortunate and very unfairto her.
(18:27):
I also want you to see that Goddoes in fact forgive David.
He does not take his life,which he should have done right
by the law.
David's life should have beenended, but God was merciful to
David because of his repentance,and I think that's really
important to see Again.
There are so consequences.
And God is also merciful toBathsheba because she also
(18:50):
births Solomon, and we know thatSolomon was given incredible
wisdom.
He got to build the house ofthe Lord.
There was a lot of beautifulgoodness in the life of Solomon,
and so in a lot of ways,bathsheba received redemption
from that.
So I think it's really importantthat when we read the Bible, we
ask ourselves where did I hearthis?
(19:12):
First, let me read it formyself.
Let me read it with my owneyeballs.
Let me notice that sometimesthey put in headers, because a
few translations do say Davidcommits adultery with Bathsheba,
and I'm like that's not theright heading, not at all, and I
think it's important that wecall it what it is, because
otherwise we are minimizingreally deep harm and really deep
(19:33):
sin, and that is not somethingthat is helpful for us as the
church.
If you grew up thinking well Imean she was on the roof naked
or whatever and I mean I'vestraight heard that in sermons
Then I would just encourage youreally go read it for yourself,
read 2 Samuel 11 and 2 Samuel 12in their entirety, and really
go look at some commentaries andsee where other people come
(19:54):
down and pray through ityourself.
A lot of times we hear variousteachings in the church and we
just accept them and say, well,this must be what it is, instead
of looking for ourselves.
And one of the things that Paulsays to the Bereans is a
commendation, because they wentand looked to see if these
things were so.
So they went and searched thescriptures to see if they were
so, and we can grow up withtraditions that we don't realize
(20:18):
aren't actually biblical andways of thinking through and
reading through things thataren't biblical, and so I would
encourage you to maybe look atscripture with fresh eyes and
really look at it in the bigpicture and look at it for the
whole counsel of the word of God.
And I know that on this podcastwe have most definitely talked
before about having excellentbiblical literacy, because it's
(20:41):
really hard to control you withscripture when you actually know
it for yourself.
So I hope that you found thishelpful today.
I know that it might really berattling to you if you're like
holy Toledo man, we're callingthis rape, but that's what it is
and by using the correctterminology we actually bring
much more depth to this story,much more beauty to the mercy of
(21:05):
God for both David andBathsheba, and we honor all of
the parties involved when wecall it what it is.
Thanks for being here with metoday.
Anything that I mentioned as aresource will be linked in the
show notes.
I look forward to seeing youhere again on our next episode
of hey Tabby.
Thanks for joining me fortoday's episode of hey Tabby.
(21:27):
If you're looking for aresource that I mentioned in the
show and you want to check outthe show notes, head on over to
tabithawestbrookcom forwardslash hey Tabby.
That's H-E-Y-T-A-B-I and youcan grab it there.
I look forward to seeing younext time.
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