“What’s the Scoop on……Bathsheba”

Today in bible study we sat in the jury box of an intriguing court case.  The accused - Bathsheba.  The charge – was she a vixen or a victim in her fateful encounter with King David.  Arlene presented the arguments in the case. After her presentation we, the jury, were charged with pronouncing her ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’.  Before getting into the evidence of the case please read 2 Samuel 11.

Arlene explained that there were four elements we needed to consider: 1) Means, 2)Motive, 3) Opportunity, and 4) Precedents. 

Arguments for the Prosecution - Vixen

1) Means – David was in the castle and Bathsheba’s husband was away.  It should be noted that David was very good looking.  Bathsheba was a very beautiful woman.   

2) Motive – The bathing itself may have been for the purpose of ritual purification. This could have showcased Bathsheba’s physical charms. It would also serve as notice that she was ‘available’. If she had been a careful, modest woman she would have first checked to make sure she was unobserved. 

3) Opportunity – Time: According to the biblical account, Bathsheba was bathing in the evening, which began at 3pm. David wasn’t sleeping, he was taking an afternoon nap . Place: David could have been going out on the balcony to enjoy the cool afternoon breezes.  Bathsheba would have known how close the palace was she could have been harboring ulterior motives towards the king.  (As a side note,  David’s submission to her charms is inexcusable.)

4) Precedents: Bathsheba could have refused David – after all she was a married woman. In the book of Est
h
er, Queen Vashti refused the king.  Bathsheba’s refusal would have  protected David’s reputation as a man of God.  It seems she went willingly.

The question is, if Bathsheba was guilty as charged, why was her behavior wrong? Why is it wrong to be labeled a vixen? Isn't that what our culture advertises from every billboard and underwear commercial on T.V. Because, Bathsheba was allowing man to define who she was, not God.  If we allow a man to define who we are, we change to fit the expectations of the person from whom we are seeking approval. We lose our strength and as we do this, we relinquish our God-given positive influence.   Allowing other women to define us is also not God’s way. We do this sometimes by competing with one another in order that we might grasp their acceptance and admiration.  If they like me and admire me then I must have value.  Sometimes we flaunt what we have so that we will feel better about ourselves but often at someone else's expense. Arlene pointed out from The Message Bible in 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, “Love doesn't strut”.  Because we love our sisters we have to be careful that we don’t hurt one another by boasting of what we have when it may be a place of insecurity or pain in the heart of another.

Arguments for the Defense - Victim

1) Means – David should have been away at war with his troops. His position of wealth and power led to laziness.  Because Bathsheba was beautiful doesn’t mean she was inviting ‘trouble’.  David should have been able to turn away and respect Bathsheba’s privacy.

2) Motive – Bathsheba was a godly woman who was obeying the law of purification in bathing. It’s possible she did look around and didn’t know she was being observed.

3) Opportunity – Because of the wording of the bible, its unclear whether it really was afternoon or evening.  If it was night, Bathsheba would have expected others to be sleeping.  She also was on her own property – a back courtyard or the roof – where she expected privacy. 

4) Precedents – David had to do research to find out who Bathsheba was.  She was a woman alone, with her husband off to war. David was a powerful king. She was unable to refuse His command.

If Bathsheba was found to be a victim, why would it be wrong for her to live out this label the rest of her days?

God defines us, not our circumstances.  According to Webster’s Dictionary, to be victimized means that you are acted upon adversely by a force or an agent.  Examples of a force could be: cancer, a car crash or a financial setback.   Examples of an agent would be oppression or mistreatment by a parent, boss, or even a coach.  Victimization could also occur when you are rejected or betrayed by someone you trusted.  

Arlene explained that even though victimization may have happened in the past it is possible that a person could still live like a victim in their heart.  If you feel like a victim, your actions will flow from that mindset.  She explained that you might have a fear that you will be rejected, that someone will hurt you, or that someone is taking advantage of you. But there is hope in Jesus! It says in Isaiah 1:5, “Why should you be beaten anymore?   Why do you persist in rebellion?  Your whole head is injured,   your whole heart afflicted” but then the bible goes on to say in Isaiah 61:1, “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted”.  That is what Jesus will do for you!

It is important that we allow the Lord to heal us! Arlene gave us three reasons why we need to be free:

 

1. We can then fulfill the call on of God on our lives. 

2. We won’t make decisions based on a victim mentality.  

3. We will not make ourselves  a target for Satan. He will exploit our weakness. 

After hearing all the evidence, Arlene asked us, “what is the verdict….guilty or not guilty”?

The verdict….she was a victor!  Bathsheba allowed God to define who she was.  Arlene jumped ahead to the end of David’s life.  David had made a promise to Bathsheba, “My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the LORD your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne” (1 Kings 1:17).  Despite this promise, another son of David wad conspired to take the throne.  Bathsheba went to David with Nathan and reminded him of his promise.  David needed to take action in order to save her own life and the life of Solomon.  David acted on Bathsheba’s request and anointed Solomon king.  If Bathsheba had a victim mentality she would never have been able to do what she did.

Arlene then brought us to Proverbs 31. Jewish tradition tells us that there verses were written by Bathsheba as instructions to Solomon for selecting his wife or the words of Solomon about his mother.  Please read Proverbs 31 from this perspective.  If Bathsheba was a vixen this would not have been her testimony.

So  what can we hold on to and apply to our own lives? That when the curtain closes at the end of your life, in god's perspective, it  doesn’t matter what you were but who you have become!!

“A woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 30b).