The life of Bathsheba is the story of you and me, in our sinfulness. Well, not because of the way she came into David’s life and what else happened to her, but because she found favour and then lost it.
Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah and this is how she is mentioned in Christ’s genealogy. The reason perhaps is that God wanted Uriah to be remembered more than Bathsheba. Uriah was a Hittite and was in the army. One night, while Uriah was involved in a war with the Ammonites and was away from Bathsheba; David saw her as she was taking a bath and desperately wanted to sleep with her. Being a King, David could fulfil any whims and fancies he had and thus, he called for her and slept with her. Now when Bathsheba got pregnant and informed David about it, he did not want to own up or accept the child. Therefore, he calls for Uriah and asks him to go home to his wife on two occasions. But, Uriah appears to be a true patriot, warrior and just man and does not go home saying that he cannot enjoy at home when the ark, Israel and Judah, Joab and his fellow warriors are camping in the fields. Thus, David sends a message to Joab, the in-charge of the Army, to put Uriah in the position where the battle is fiercest. When Uriah dies, David takes Bathsheba as his wife. But Prophet Nathan comes and rebukes David for his wicked behaviour that had upset God and finally David repents and loses his son through Bathsheba, as God punishes him by taking his son.
Later, Solomon, the wisest king, is born to David through Bathsheba and David promises to her that her son would get the throne after him. Towards, the end of Bathsheba’s story we find that she makes a grave mistake.
When David grew very old and nothing could keep him warm, a Shunammite virgin, Abishag, was chosen to lie with him. Now, before David made Solomon the King, Adonijah, the son of David and Haggith, declared himself king. Later when, David becomes the King, Adonijah comes to Bathsheba and requests her to ask a favour from Solomon to give Abishag as wife to him. Bathsheba, in her extreme vanity and foolishness, asks Solomon for the favour and then we hear no more of her.
Bathsheba appears to be a woman who could never fathom God’s plan or God’s greatness. God favoured her more than the other wives of David by making her son the King after David though Solomon was not the eldest. However, she appears to be vain. She feels that it was her beauty that drew David towards her (which was true) and it was David’s love for her that he couldn’t break his promise to her or grant her wish to make Solomon the King (which may not be true). Further, she thinks that no one could replace her because she was so important. In her vanity, she did not realise that Abishag was also David’s wife. She felt as if she was the only wife of David and not one of the wives of David. It was Solomon who was important because form Solomon’s line Jesus was supposed to come. Getting Adonijah married to Abishag meant making him become Abishag’s husband and David’s replacement. Effectively, it meant making Adonijah the King. This is how she loses favour.
In our lives as well, many a times we find favour in God’s eyes. Just try to ponder and you will realise that whatever has happened to us is a favour. If we were born in a good family. It is not because we deserved it but because God has a plan through it. If we went to good schools and have nice friends, it is again the same. There may be millions of incidents like these. We fall because instead of realizing that we are just instruments in God’s hand and letting God work through us, we start feeling that we are the centre of everything. Instead of being humble, we become vain and lose the game. Let’s take time to look back. Not because looking back is good but because it will help us realize and find out our shortcomings and follies so that we can become better people.
Let us pray:
Loving Jesus, we are sorry for being so self-centred and vain in our lives that we have overlooked the important things in life we should have noticed. We believe that you are our Creator and nothing is hidden from you. We believe that you control everything and you have better and bigger plans for us that we have for us. But in every step of our life, we need your guidance and light. We want to be mighty instruments in your hands so that we can achieve the plans you have for us and the plans you want to accomplish through us. In your mighty name we pray, AMEN.
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