This part of our story begins with the announcement that in the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sends Joab out with the Israelite army but stays at home in Jerusalem. I'm sure there were tactical reasons why kings went to war in the spring, but it almost sounds like a ritual or a habit, something that happened because that's just how the world worked. Conflict may not be quite so ritualised now, but I wonder if it's any less of a habit.
One evening, David is walking on the roof of his palace when he sees a beautiful woman bathing. We've already seen that David has something of a weakness for women, and we'll soon see that this weakness will be his downfall. He sends a messenger to find out who the woman is, and the man reports back that she is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. This should have sounded a great number of alarm bells in David's head, but kings don't let little things like husbands get in the way, and so he sends messengers to bring her to him and he sleeps with her. I wonder if she came to David willingly or because he was her king? How she felt probably meant little to David, and it may have no bearing on what happens next, but it would have made a huge difference to her. We need to look beyond what we are told and think about the people behind the stories, in our reading and in life.
David has satisified his lust and that may have been the end of things, but Bathsheba sends word that she is pregnant. This calls for damage limitation, and so David calls Uriah back from war. He asks him how things are going then tells him to go home, sending a gift after him. We're not told what this gift is, but something tells me it isn't a nice pair of slippers. Uriah does not go home however, choosing to sleep with the kings servants at the palace gates, later explaining that this is because he will not go back to his house to eat and drink and lie with his wife while the ark is in a tent and the army are camped in the open fields.
David then tries another approach, inviting him to stay in the palace and getting him drunk, but again Uriah sleeps at the palace gates. Finally, David writes to Joab to tell him to put Uriah on the front line then pull back so that he will be killed, and that is exactly what happens. Bathsheba mourns for Uriah, but after her time of mourning is over, David has her brought to the palace and makes her his wife. He must think he's got away with his indiscretion, but now he's a murderer as well as an adulterer, and he has displeased the Lord. We all screw up now and then, but sometimes we just need to put our hands to it, instead of digging ourselves into an even deeper hole.
The Lord sends Nathan to David with a parable about two men. The rich man has many sheep but the poor man only has one little ewe, and yet the rich man takes the poor man's sheep and slaughters it to feed a guest. When David hears the story, he burns with anger and declares that the rich man deserves to dies because he has no pity, at which point Nathan tells him that he his the rich man. David must feel overcome with guilt and shame, but there is worse to come. The Lord says that David has despised him and done evil in his eyes even though he gave him everything, and because of that the sword will never leave his house and his wives will be taken by another.
David quietly acknowledges that he has sinned and Nathan tells him that God has taken away his sin so that he will not die, but his son will. He is forgiven but there are still consequences, because there always are. David and Bathsheba's son soon becomes ill, and though David pleads for his life with fasting and weeping, he dies seven days later. The servants who have been watching the boy are afraid to bring David the news, but he sees them whispering among themselves and so they have to tell him. On hearing that his worst fears have been confirmed, he washes and dresses, worships at the house of Lord, then goes back to his own home to eat.
The servants are shocked by his behaviour, but he explains that he fasted and wept while his son was sick because then there was hope that he would live, but now there is no point because he cannot bring him back. The abruptness of this change seems callous, but it doesn't mean he doesn't mourn for his son, it just means that he recognises that life must go on. In accordance with this, David goes to Bathsheba and lies with her again, and she bears him another son called Solomon, who is loved by the Lord. The eldest son should not seen as a mistake or as collateral damage because people are not disposable, but if we step back and look at this metaphorically, then here is a chance for David to start again and get things right this time.
Meanwhile however, Joab captures the royal citadel of Rabbah and sends word to David to bring the rest of the troops to besiege the city, else he will take it and name it after himself. David musters the army and conquers the city, taking a great deal of plunder and pressing the people into forced labour. He's still teh same old david and perhaps the fresh start isn't all that fresh.
David has so many children by now that they are bound to cause some trouble, and they do this in most spectacular style, as Amnon falls in love with his sister Tamar. She is described as his brother Absolom's sister, so she may in fact be his half sister, but it's still wrong and it's still going to get messy. Amnon becomes frustrated to the point of illness by his feelings for Tamar, until his friend tells him to pretend he is ill and ask for Tamar to come and care for him. He takes this frankly stupid advice, and when Tamar comes to him he sends everyone else away and asks her to come to bed with him. She refuses because such a thing should not be done, although she does suggest that her father will let them marry, so it seems to be the fornication rather than the incest she's worried about. Amnon will not listen however, and because he is stronger than her, he rapes her.
Realising what he has done, he hates her more than he ever loved her, and tells her to go. She protests that sending her away would be a greater wrong, but again he will not listen. He calls a servant to throw her out and bolt the door, and so she goes away weeping. Absolom finds her and tells her not to take it to heart because Amnon is her brother, and takes her to live with him. Absolom hates Amnon for what he has done, and he does what he can to protect his sister, but his words astound me with their insensitivity. Perhaps he is genuinely trying to comfort her and just makes a hash of it, but to dismiss rape as though it is nothing is unacceptable. Rape survivors have enough to deal with without being made to feel as though they are overreacting.
Two years later, Absalom invites his brothers to join him and his sheep-shearers, then orders his men to kill Amnon, causing the other brothers flee. David hears that Absolom has killed all of his sons and he tears his robe in grief, but another tells him that only Amnon is dead, and that this had been Absolom's intention since he raped his sister. David is relieved to see his sons return, but he still weeps for the one that is lost, and so Absolom flees and seeks refuge with the son of a neighbouring king for three years.
Eventually David is consoled and wishes to see Absalom again, but he does not bring him back, and so Joab hatches a plan. He finds a wise woman and dresses her in mourning, then sends her to the king. She tells the story of her two sons, one of whom has killed the other and been banished, leaving her and her husband without a descendant. David promises to issue an order to allow her remaining son to return home under protection, at which point she does a Nathan and reveals her true intentions, asking why he has not brought back his own banished son,. She says that God does not take life but seeks to restore it, and so already we see a move towards New Testament theology. David asks if Joab is behind this and she admits that she is acting under his instruction. Joab must have been waiting nervously the while time, but David goes and tells him to brink Absolom back, and Joab falls at his feet, saying that he knows he has found favour in his eyes.
Joab brings Absalom back to Jerusalem but David will not see him, and so he goes to live in his own house. Here we are told that he is the most handsome man in Israel, and that he has three sons and one daughter, who he names after his sister. He lives in Jerusalem for two years without seeing David, at which point ge calls Joab to ask him to speak to his father, but Joab does not come and so he sets fire to his field. This gets Joabs attention and so he goes to see Joab then speaks to David, asking that he see Absalom an punish him for anything he has done wrong or let him leave. David summons Absalom and kisses him, suggesting a reconciliation, but Absalom has had many years to brood over the ways in which he believes he has been wronged, and he is hatching a plan.
He gains a chariot and fifty men, speaks loudly and publicly about how he would bring justice if he were a judge, and ingratiates himself with the people so that he wins their love. He seeks leave to go to Hebron to worship the Lord, and secretly sends out messengers to tell the people of Israel to proclaim him king when they hear the trumpets. When David hears that Absalom has won Israel over to his side, he decides to flee with his household and his official, leaving behind only ten concubines to take care of the palace. He has fought and won many battles and so there is no reason why he should back down so easily now, except that he cannot bring himself to take arms against his own son. He has been hamstrung by his own affections.
David must have taken the ark with him, because at some point in his journey he tells Zadok the priest to take it back to the city, saying that if the Lord is pleased with him then he will return to see it again. He also tells Zadok to stay in the city so that he can send word to him. When David reaches the summit of the Mount of Olives he meets his friend Hushai, who he asks to return to Jerusalem to frustrate Absolom's advisors, including Ahithophel who he knows has betrayed him, and work with Zadok and his sons. It seems he has not given up hope yet.
One evening, David is walking on the roof of his palace when he sees a beautiful woman bathing. We've already seen that David has something of a weakness for women, and we'll soon see that this weakness will be his downfall. He sends a messenger to find out who the woman is, and the man reports back that she is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. This should have sounded a great number of alarm bells in David's head, but kings don't let little things like husbands get in the way, and so he sends messengers to bring her to him and he sleeps with her. I wonder if she came to David willingly or because he was her king? How she felt probably meant little to David, and it may have no bearing on what happens next, but it would have made a huge difference to her. We need to look beyond what we are told and think about the people behind the stories, in our reading and in life.
David has satisified his lust and that may have been the end of things, but Bathsheba sends word that she is pregnant. This calls for damage limitation, and so David calls Uriah back from war. He asks him how things are going then tells him to go home, sending a gift after him. We're not told what this gift is, but something tells me it isn't a nice pair of slippers. Uriah does not go home however, choosing to sleep with the kings servants at the palace gates, later explaining that this is because he will not go back to his house to eat and drink and lie with his wife while the ark is in a tent and the army are camped in the open fields.
David then tries another approach, inviting him to stay in the palace and getting him drunk, but again Uriah sleeps at the palace gates. Finally, David writes to Joab to tell him to put Uriah on the front line then pull back so that he will be killed, and that is exactly what happens. Bathsheba mourns for Uriah, but after her time of mourning is over, David has her brought to the palace and makes her his wife. He must think he's got away with his indiscretion, but now he's a murderer as well as an adulterer, and he has displeased the Lord. We all screw up now and then, but sometimes we just need to put our hands to it, instead of digging ourselves into an even deeper hole.
The Lord sends Nathan to David with a parable about two men. The rich man has many sheep but the poor man only has one little ewe, and yet the rich man takes the poor man's sheep and slaughters it to feed a guest. When David hears the story, he burns with anger and declares that the rich man deserves to dies because he has no pity, at which point Nathan tells him that he his the rich man. David must feel overcome with guilt and shame, but there is worse to come. The Lord says that David has despised him and done evil in his eyes even though he gave him everything, and because of that the sword will never leave his house and his wives will be taken by another.
David quietly acknowledges that he has sinned and Nathan tells him that God has taken away his sin so that he will not die, but his son will. He is forgiven but there are still consequences, because there always are. David and Bathsheba's son soon becomes ill, and though David pleads for his life with fasting and weeping, he dies seven days later. The servants who have been watching the boy are afraid to bring David the news, but he sees them whispering among themselves and so they have to tell him. On hearing that his worst fears have been confirmed, he washes and dresses, worships at the house of Lord, then goes back to his own home to eat.
The servants are shocked by his behaviour, but he explains that he fasted and wept while his son was sick because then there was hope that he would live, but now there is no point because he cannot bring him back. The abruptness of this change seems callous, but it doesn't mean he doesn't mourn for his son, it just means that he recognises that life must go on. In accordance with this, David goes to Bathsheba and lies with her again, and she bears him another son called Solomon, who is loved by the Lord. The eldest son should not seen as a mistake or as collateral damage because people are not disposable, but if we step back and look at this metaphorically, then here is a chance for David to start again and get things right this time.
Meanwhile however, Joab captures the royal citadel of Rabbah and sends word to David to bring the rest of the troops to besiege the city, else he will take it and name it after himself. David musters the army and conquers the city, taking a great deal of plunder and pressing the people into forced labour. He's still teh same old david and perhaps the fresh start isn't all that fresh.
David has so many children by now that they are bound to cause some trouble, and they do this in most spectacular style, as Amnon falls in love with his sister Tamar. She is described as his brother Absolom's sister, so she may in fact be his half sister, but it's still wrong and it's still going to get messy. Amnon becomes frustrated to the point of illness by his feelings for Tamar, until his friend tells him to pretend he is ill and ask for Tamar to come and care for him. He takes this frankly stupid advice, and when Tamar comes to him he sends everyone else away and asks her to come to bed with him. She refuses because such a thing should not be done, although she does suggest that her father will let them marry, so it seems to be the fornication rather than the incest she's worried about. Amnon will not listen however, and because he is stronger than her, he rapes her.
Realising what he has done, he hates her more than he ever loved her, and tells her to go. She protests that sending her away would be a greater wrong, but again he will not listen. He calls a servant to throw her out and bolt the door, and so she goes away weeping. Absolom finds her and tells her not to take it to heart because Amnon is her brother, and takes her to live with him. Absolom hates Amnon for what he has done, and he does what he can to protect his sister, but his words astound me with their insensitivity. Perhaps he is genuinely trying to comfort her and just makes a hash of it, but to dismiss rape as though it is nothing is unacceptable. Rape survivors have enough to deal with without being made to feel as though they are overreacting.
Two years later, Absalom invites his brothers to join him and his sheep-shearers, then orders his men to kill Amnon, causing the other brothers flee. David hears that Absolom has killed all of his sons and he tears his robe in grief, but another tells him that only Amnon is dead, and that this had been Absolom's intention since he raped his sister. David is relieved to see his sons return, but he still weeps for the one that is lost, and so Absolom flees and seeks refuge with the son of a neighbouring king for three years.
Eventually David is consoled and wishes to see Absalom again, but he does not bring him back, and so Joab hatches a plan. He finds a wise woman and dresses her in mourning, then sends her to the king. She tells the story of her two sons, one of whom has killed the other and been banished, leaving her and her husband without a descendant. David promises to issue an order to allow her remaining son to return home under protection, at which point she does a Nathan and reveals her true intentions, asking why he has not brought back his own banished son,. She says that God does not take life but seeks to restore it, and so already we see a move towards New Testament theology. David asks if Joab is behind this and she admits that she is acting under his instruction. Joab must have been waiting nervously the while time, but David goes and tells him to brink Absolom back, and Joab falls at his feet, saying that he knows he has found favour in his eyes.
Joab brings Absalom back to Jerusalem but David will not see him, and so he goes to live in his own house. Here we are told that he is the most handsome man in Israel, and that he has three sons and one daughter, who he names after his sister. He lives in Jerusalem for two years without seeing David, at which point ge calls Joab to ask him to speak to his father, but Joab does not come and so he sets fire to his field. This gets Joabs attention and so he goes to see Joab then speaks to David, asking that he see Absalom an punish him for anything he has done wrong or let him leave. David summons Absalom and kisses him, suggesting a reconciliation, but Absalom has had many years to brood over the ways in which he believes he has been wronged, and he is hatching a plan.
He gains a chariot and fifty men, speaks loudly and publicly about how he would bring justice if he were a judge, and ingratiates himself with the people so that he wins their love. He seeks leave to go to Hebron to worship the Lord, and secretly sends out messengers to tell the people of Israel to proclaim him king when they hear the trumpets. When David hears that Absalom has won Israel over to his side, he decides to flee with his household and his official, leaving behind only ten concubines to take care of the palace. He has fought and won many battles and so there is no reason why he should back down so easily now, except that he cannot bring himself to take arms against his own son. He has been hamstrung by his own affections.
David must have taken the ark with him, because at some point in his journey he tells Zadok the priest to take it back to the city, saying that if the Lord is pleased with him then he will return to see it again. He also tells Zadok to stay in the city so that he can send word to him. When David reaches the summit of the Mount of Olives he meets his friend Hushai, who he asks to return to Jerusalem to frustrate Absolom's advisors, including Ahithophel who he knows has betrayed him, and work with Zadok and his sons. It seems he has not given up hope yet.
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