Mothers of the Bible - Pt. 2

 

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.” (2 Samuel 11:1-5 ESV).

 

I know it seems a little strange that I would choose Bathsheba to continue this short series on “Moms of the Bible.” Yet, as we understand more of her life I believe we see an incredible example of courage and faith. I find it very difficult to imagine what Bathsheba was feeling when she was summoned to be with the king. David’s indiscretions with her led to much heartbreak as she found herself pregnant, then widowed, then married to the man that caused all of this. Remember, after all the trauma of the first encounter with David, the resulting child died. Her grief was just as deep as David’s, though her guilt was not the same. Her faith remained resolute and her love for David grew. She kept strong for her second son, Solomon. Instead of letting her heartache lead to despair or walking life as a victim, she decided to live life fully with a heart of love. She is one of only five women mentioned in the genealogy of Matthew. Her impact in history is unquestioned. Yet it was forged in immense difficulty.

 

Aside from the history-changing actions of Bathsheba, her wisdom lives on through the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and in many of the Proverbs. Most notably is the famous Proverbs 31 passage that has both inspired and frustrated women worldwide. King Lemuel, generally accepted as a pseudonym of King Solomon, introduces Proverbs 31 as an oracle his mother taught him. Proverbs 31 likely contains the very words of Bathsheba. It is especially poignant that Bathsheba would make it a point to teach her son to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute” (Proverbs 31:8). No one had spoken up for her or defended her rights when she was stripped of her life as Uriah’s wife and placed in the king’s harem. Bathsheba’s life did not take the course that she anticipated, but her story reveals the character of one who discovers the purpose God has for her despite extraordinary suffering and difficulty. She certainly is an example for all of us.