David Marries Bathsheba

While Uriah was still away at battle, Bathsheba realized she was pregnant. She sent word to David to let him know. 

Hebrew law was clear. If a man committed adultery with another man’s wife, both man and woman were to be put to death. 

With Uriah away and Bathsheba pregnant, the truth would come out. David had to act quickly. 

David brought Uriah off the battlefield and invited him to go home, encouraging him to enjoy his wife’s company. But Uriah instead spent the night outside the palace with the king’s servants. When questioned by David, he explained it was not honorable for him to lie with his wife when the ark and Israel and Judah were in tents. 

So the next night David got him drunk, but even drunk, he was honorable and remained with the servants. 

David got desperate. He sent Uriah back to battle, delivering a message to Joab, the army commander. David told Joab to put Uriah at the front of the lines, then retreat so that he will be killed.”

I’m sure Joab found the message confusing to say the least, but he followed David’s orders that led to Uriah being killed. 

Though David must have breathed a sigh of relief when he received word that Uriah had died in battle, we’re told that Bathsheba mourned the death of Uriah. 

And why wouldn’t she? He was a good man, an honorable man. And because of her, he was now a dead man. 

After her time of mourning, David brought her to the palace and married her. I can imagine the public response was how kind that the king comforted the grieving widow by marrying her. 

But God wasn’t fooled. 

Read about Bathsheba and David in Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:5-27

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