King David was already King when he stumbled in the matter of Bathsheba. He waited a long time to be crowned… how long I can’t recall.
Pr 13: [12] Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Yet during all that time of trial, he did not stray during hardship. He served Saul in a way that returned good for evil
Mt 7: [12] Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
…not evil for good
1 Sam 25: [21] Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.
Pr 17: [13] Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
Despite this stellar track record, David departed from his pursuit of spiritual excellence in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba.
1 Ki 15: [5] Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
When he did stray, the God of Israel took the time to correct him with a personal messenger:
2 Sam 12: [1] And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
[2] The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
[3] But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
[4] And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
[5] And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
[6] And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
[7] And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
[8] And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
[9] Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
[10] Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
[11] Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
[12] For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all
[13] And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
[14] Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
[15] And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
David’s punishment was going to be severe, even if he had not lost Solomon’s older brother. This evidently was more than he knew how to accept without petition for mercy.
[16] David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
[17] And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
[18] And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
[19] But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
[20] Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
[21] Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.
[22] And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
[23] But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
Here David entreated God while he might have shown mercy, but when he did not, he accepted God’s punishment without further complaint. In verse 23, David did not say he was not contrite, but that he understood that he would see the child in heaven; death was not an eternal separation. It is interesting to observe that God speaks of the affair in terms of “the matter of Uriah the Hittite,” not “the matter of adultery,” or “Bathsheba.” If he had not killed Uriah, his sin would have been less egregious while still a sin. In
Ps 51: [1] Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
[2] Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
[3] For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
[4] Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
David here saw that his sin was primarily against his maker.
[5] Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
[6] Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
[7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
[8] Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
[9] Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Hyssop was some pretty potent stuff as I recall from reading, but not necessarily pleasant in its application.
Pr 17: [22] A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Since we know from Proverbs that a broken spirit dries the bones, it is understood that by referring to his bones being broken, David is confessing a sincerely broken spirit.
Ps 51:[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
[11] Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
[12] Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
[13] Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
[14] Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
[15] O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
[16] For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
[17] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
In verse 17, he speaks by inspiration that God will not despise a broken and contrite heart. God’s incentive is in verse13, and David’s request is in verse 12.
Ezekiel may shed some light on what was going on at the time of David.
Ez 13: [18] And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?
[19] And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?
[20] Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.
[21] Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
[22] Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:
[23] Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
I hesitate to highlight or explain; verse 18 is (as all scripture,) “…of no private interpretation,” (2 Pet 1: [20] Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.) That being said, I am not sure what all should be said about these women, or what they should have done. The persons who make the righteous sad with lies are the ones who I see as accursed. I speculate that this is the kind of environment in which David found himself at the time of his transgression with Bathsheba. God did not overlook it, but he afterward said of Solomon that…
1 Ki 11: [4] For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
David was forgiven, but paid a terrible price. He is one of five notables in the Old Testament that God called perfect by his own definition. No
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