2 Samuel chapter 11 opens with, “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
Right off we know that David should have been at the battlefield with his army, but instead, he was hanging around at home. He was not where he was supposed to be.
In verse 2 we’re told, “It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.”
The situation could have ended innocently enough, with David turning away, but that’s not what happened.
David got caught up in her beauty and inquired to find out who she was. He found out that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah. From this he knew that she came from a godly family and that she was married to one of his mighty warriors. That should have been enough to stop him in his tracks. But his desire was roused.
He sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he lay with her.
Bathsheba had a choice. Though David was king, she could have resisted. He was known as a kind king. He treated women with respect. Had she stood up to him and rebuked him, much as Abigail did when she warned him not to do something he would regret, how different both of their lives would have been. But she didn’t.
From that point on, their lives went downhill in a hurry.
Read about Bathsheba and David in Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:1-4
Listen on Your Favorite Podcast Platform
Women of Prayer Bible Study
Women of Prayer is a 10-Week Bible study about getting to know the character of God through the stories of Bible women who prayed.
Get daily devotionals delivered directly to your inbox.