BATHSHEBA - THE WOMAN NEAR THE THRONE OF ISREAL

There are some stories in the scriptures that we often (unintentionally, I think) get wrong. The story of Bathsheba is one of them. For starters, it was David who was on the roof and not Bathsheba. She was inside her own home bathing. It was David who was peeping through windows, or perhaps even going to more effort than that, to watch her. The Hebrew word used to describe the bathing she was doing refers to becoming purified— in a sacred sort of ritual bath— which women did after mensuration.

Bathsheba was a righteous woman, doing exactly what she should have been doing and David took advantage of her. He called her to the palace, slept with her and then when she got pregnant killed her husband and took her as his wife. She was a woman, who through no fault of her own, had her life hijacked and torn apart. It would have been easy for Bathsheba to have become angry, bitter and victimized but the incredible thing is that she doesn’t. In fact, she somehow makes her crazy marriage with David work and she becomes the glue that holds his— often falling apart family—-together. ........................

It is Bathsheba’s son Solomon who inherits the kingdom from his father, even though David had several older sons. Solomon was an incredible king and it had much to do with his mother. In fact, we read that Solomon held his mother in incredibly high regard. She sat on the right hand of his throne and he often took counsel from her. I think it’d be safe to say that Israel owed a huge amount of its prosperity and righteousness to the influence of Bathsheba. She was one of the most powerful women in the Old Testament. She is an incredible example of a woman whose life did not go as planned but who found faith, forgiveness, peace and purpose. She could have easily played the victim but she rose above her circumstances and transformed the world around her. She was a righteous woman from whom there is MUCH to learn. If you want to study more about her 2 Sam 11:2-27; 12:1-4 and 1 Kings 1:5-31; 2:12-25 are good places to start!

- Heather Farrell (Women in the Scriptures)