Bathsheba

2 Samuel 11:1 to 12:25; 1 Kings 1: 1 to 2:25; 1 Chron. 3:5; Matthew 1:6

She has been called 'an immodest temptress"....is she? Was she a sinner, or a victim? Where does it show her planning and cunning? Tamar planned. Rahab planned....did Bathsheba plan anything, or was she just caught up in the palace politics. Lets look at the Scripture and not just what we 'think' we know about this story.



Day 1
STOP!
Only five women are named in the genealogy of Jesus. To have any woman mentioned by name is unusual in Jewish genealogies….so to have five women mentioned must indicate that these women were special in some way, or that God is trying to tell us something. Bathsheba is not really even named, she is called “by the wife of Uriah.”

1. Who is Bathsheba? What do you already know about her? Why is it about her life that is important to study?
2. Read the story of Bathsheba several times.
3. Always stop for the word ‘because” or “for” (when it means because) – it will explain something.
4. Start a list of key words, repeated words or concepts you might not understand in these verses. (Just write the list. In the “Look” phase you will research these). What is of interest to you? What are you noticing for the first time?
5. Make a list of all the men in her life, including her son. Look at their interactions. Who is assertive? Who is giving the suggestions, or commands? Stop and mark phrases such as 'went to,' and 'came to.'
6. Stop! Scan the horizon and look at geography. Where did this take place, and in what time period?

Day 2
Look!
1. Read these verses again. Slow down and notice each word. HEY GIRLS ARE YOU REALLY READING THESE VERSES MORE THAN ONCE   ?

2. Go to the list of key or repeated words that you wrote in “STOP” section. Using a Bible Dictionary, Bible Encyclopedia, Commentaries, etc… research your list. You are “looking’ to see detail and gain information.

3. Look Left! Look Right! See what has gone before and comes after. The story of Bathsheba scans quite a time period. Much was happening. Bathsheba saw and was part of many interesting things. She saw new wives added and children born to other women. She probably knew Abigail and Michal. Her life was impacted by the war, and sins of the men around her. She had a child die because of sin. She was counseled by Nathan, and involved with palace politics by Adonijah.

4.Begin to ask questions.
a. Notice her personality. Was she assertive and scheming? Was she flexible in the hands of the men around her? Some scholars seem to think that she was cunning and sinful, and caused the adultery with David. What do you see? Can we tell?
b. Why did Nathan and Adonijah come to her? How did she respond. Remember she was the queen mother. Does Bsthsheba seem to use her political power?
c. Solomon was not the oldest son. He was the fourth son of Bathsheba. Technically the throne should have been given to another son. Why was the throne given to Solomon. It changed history.
d. She was married to a Hittite. We do not know her background. Do we see any suggestion that she was a follower of YWHW? Do we see her pray or seek the face of God.
e. What was her interaction with her son, and David?
f. We probably never consider the sorrow she had in life. She lost a husband. She lost a child. She was driven by her home when David left Jerusalem in flight. She shared Davids time of conquest and times of running.
g. She gave birth to one of the greatest kings in the history of the Bible. He was said to have been the wisest man on earth. I wonder if she was alive to see him as a man. To see the things he accomplished? To see the building of the Temple? Might she have been present in court when the two women came and claimed the one baby?

Day 3
Scripture gives no indication that she was a believer in the God of the Hebrews. Yet, Bathsheba experienced the grace of God. Thought she was probably a pagan, and involved with adultery, she was in the lineage of Jesus, and God wrote her name for all eternity in Scripture.

Begin to learn the lineage of Jesus. Bathsheba and David begat Solomon….Solomon begat……who????

How does 2 Tim. 3:16 apply to this story?

How do our four P’s apply to this story? Practice. Principle. Precept and Progressive Revelation.

Of other women we have said, “she was determined to get what was due her.” Can we say this about Bathsheba? She as been called everything from “sinner” to “victim.” Look at her actions. Was she assertive? David comes to her. Nathan comes to her. Adonijah comes to her. She seems less assertive than Queen Esther, and definitely less assertive than Queen Athaliah. She did have some power as the Queen Mother...how does she use that power?

God reprimands David, through the prophet Nathan, for his sin. God never says Bathsheba is a sinner, in fact, Nathan likens her to a “little lamb.” So….was she a sinner, or a poor woman caught up in a man’s sin. She had the sorrow of losing a husband and a child. We never see her scheming or planning.

Bathsheba had four sons by David. Did you know that one of the sons, Nathan, is in the genealogy of Jesus…in the line of Mary (!!) The line through Solomon goes through the house of Joseph. Amazing…she has two boys that are in the genealogy of Jesus.

Day 4
LISTEN!
Notice that there are many men in the genealogy of Jesus that are “just names.” We know nothing about them. Yet for each woman in the genealogy, Scripture gives us information about her. What are some reasons that you think that God gave us this story of Bathsheba. Yes the focus on these verses about Bathsheba relate to the life and reign of David. This is what we usually study....but Bathsheba was very much part of the life of David.

Complete your chart comparing the five women. Are you getting any real idea about why these five women might be listed in the genealogy, and not others such as Sarah and Rebekah?

Now that we have studied Bathsheba in detail…have any of your previous ideas about her changed? Was she a ‘good girl’ or a ‘bad girl?’ Yes, one of our lessons from her is that women should be more modest and not an instrument of temptation to a man. We sure could and should teach that today....even in our churches!

A personal question…..How many times did you read these verses? It is very important to read them more than once.
Now our three questions:
1. What if this story had never been told?
2. What is God trying to tell us in this story? Is it all about David or Uriah or even Nathan, and their actions?
3. How can I apply what I have learned from this lesson to my life today? This is the most important part of our study! Write out your answer: