Today's Reading
2 Samuel. I am struck more than ever before about the complexity of today's passage. Each person was walking through difficulties. David was grieving his son's death and broken over his own sin. Bathsheba was surely mourning the loss of Uriah and her complicity in the sin of adultery, as well as the death of her baby. Nathan was faithfully bringing the Word of the Lord to the king, regardless of the consequences. David's advisers were fretting over the king's demeanor. In the meantime, where was Joab? He was fighting Israel's battles on the battlefield. He was loyal to David...sort of.
John. This world is full of grief and pain. Because Jesus paid for our sins, arose and returned to the Father, the Holy Spirit (the Advocate) is available to give us joy, strength, peace and direct access to God.
Psalm 119. No matter how long I walk with God, I am still "prone to wander." God allows me to undergo difficulties with the hope that I will humble myself before Him. Then I can receive His forgiveness and grow in character.
Proverbs. Don't take today's verses as some kind to fatalistic proof that bad people have no choice. We ALL have choices. In the end, though, God has a purpose in everything and everyone.
Your thoughts? Do you have questions?
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Out of curiosity, why do you assume that Bathsheba was complicit rather than, effectively, raped? Do you really think that a woman called by the king had a choice about whether or not to sleep with him?
ReplyDeletePerhaps "complicit" states it too strongly, Erika. Here, to me, are the counter-balances of the question:
ReplyDelete1. Deuteronomy 22:23-24 states that a woman who sleeps with a man in the city bears guilt because she didn't cry out. (Granted, the passage is about a virgin, but I think the principle is the same.) Also, Scripture gives some strong detail about David's daughter Tamar resisting when she is raped (it's in the passage for day after tomorrow)by her brother Amnon. The way the passage reads makes it seem as if Bathsheba came "willingly."
2. That said, Nathan the prophet later lays the blame squarely on David. No doubt his position of king had great influence on her willingness.
In no way do I think she was trying to tempt him. I wouldn't go so far as to call it rape, either. However, if you choose to interpret it that way, you have valid reasons for the interpretation.