Mothers of Jesus - Uriah’s wife

How heartbreaking. When I’ve heard this passage taught it’s always with chapter 12 and we’re keen to get to the “you are the man” revelation. But when you slow down and look into the mess, it reveals what our God is like, and where his heart is.

What is she doing when she joins the narrative? (verse 2) A detail that proves the baby is not Uriah’s- she’s had a period. And the Lord knows how many times her bathing on the roof has been used to call her out as a tempting hussy. But wait: she is doing the right thing. She is being obedient to the Law. Did she ever feel the sting- of seeking to live in a right way, and yet that not being enough to protect her from the evils of this broken world? Maybe you know that sting too? The questions that come with it. Why me? Did I do something wrong? Why did God allow that? Has God abandoned me? Questions that torture. And answers that never seem to reach deep enough to eradicate the sense of shame. No matter how many times you hear them.

In the moment that she is seeking to please God, she is preyed upon. Just like Eve saw and desired the fruit in Eden. King David sees and desires.

And in breathtaking brevity, he takes her.

Let’s be clear. There is no wooing.

Don’t be fooled. This is not a romantic love story.

King David’s power has grown, he holds the highest position in Israel. In the narrative he is literally higher. He looks down on her. She is naked and vulnerable. A woman with no legal status or power. The granddaughter of a Canaanite, wife of a Hittite. An outsider. Nathan’s parable (2 Samuel 12) highlights the power imbalance. And a lamb not intended for slaughter, is killed. She is sacrificed on the altar of David’s lust. He had wives and concubines at his disposal. He took another instead.

The narrator invites us to view Bathsheba as David does. Despite knowing her name, she is referred to as woman. Just a commodity to spend his lust upon. Not given the dignity of a name. He dehumanises her.

Like countless women before and after her, Bathsheba is used. Treated as nothing, shamed.

But after Bathsheba, from her comes The One. Who not only knows about her experience, but who is righteously angry on her behalf. And will ensure justice one day.

Bathsheba was dehumanized, he restores humanity.

Bathsheba was an outsider, he brings her in.

Bathsheba was taken, he was given.

So this Christmas we celebrate his coming. And in this broken weary world, we say come Lord Jesus.

By Cara Smith