Day 120 – 2 Samuel 11:3-4

Scripture Review

2 Samuel 11:3-4

"And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"

(2 Samuel 11:3)

Verse 2 said David "saw a woman." Verse 3 says David "sent and enquired after the woman." That is not an accident anymore. Now the king's will is over powering his conviction.

Then David receives answer that should have been a warning not to proceed, "Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" The servant's reply is almost a mercy from God.

David is given three warnings in one sentence. Her name is Bathsheba. She is the daughter of Eliam. She is the wife of Uriah. I translate that as, she belongs to a home, to a family, and to a husband.

That title "the wife of Uriah the Hittite" my commentary notes, Uriah is represented in the account as a brave and noble minded soldier. David is not only moving toward adultery, he is reaching into the house of one of his own faithful fighting men.

"And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house."

(2 Samuel 11:4)

He went down hill fast. The scriptures waste no time here, "David sent messengers, and took her." There is no romantic veil, no soft music in the background. The Bible strips it down to the verbs. David sent. David took. She came. He lay. She returned. That is the cold machinery of sin once desire is allowed to rule. Verse 3 gave him truth. Verse 4 shows him stepping over it.

The word "took" is strong. David had taken Jerusalem in chapter 5, but now he takes another man's wife. He had received the promise of a house from God in chapter 7, but now he violates another man's house in chapter 11. He had shown covenant kindness to Mephibosheth in chapter 9, but now he shows covenant treachery toward Uriah. This chapter feels like a knife turning inside someone's back. Not that I know what that feels like but it's symbolic.

There is also the matter of royal pressure. The verse does not say Bathsheba plotted. It does not paint her as hunting David. The repeated emphasis falls on David's action: "David sent... took her... he lay with her." David let his guard down, when his inquiry became action. The king is driving the movement. The palace sends the message. The king's authority opens the door.

Then comes that strange phrase: "for she was purified from her uncleanness." This points to the ceremonial uncleanness connected with Leviticus 15. It also explains why the child to be conceived could not be passed off easily as Uriah's by timing alone. Uriah was away at battle, and Bathsheba's condition is noted with painful precision.

The phrase "and she returned unto her house" causes me to think things returned to normal. That is one of the most deceptive things about sin, the first silence after it may feel like safety. Like David has just gotten away with something, but heaven has seen it.

David first neglected duty, then indulged ease, then allowed the eye to wander, and now the sin breaks out into open adultery. This is Monday morning Christianity. The devil does not always kick the door down. Sometimes he waits until we are idle, comfortable, and secretly confident that we can handle one more look, one more question, one more message.