Sitting in chunks of a story (rather than moving through it quickly) is where the phrases or details come alive that are sometimes overlooked when we read a story in its entirety. While the story of David & Bathsheba is generally common knowledge to those who study the Bible, at times we can rush through stories we think we know. Taking the time to sit in each aspect of the story gives us space to imagine and notice the circumstances to the best of our ability.

Fast forward to the years of David’s reign as king. He had just found out that Bathsheba, the woman he took advantage of was pregnant with his child, he’d killed her husband because of his refusal to go home to be with his wife while his unit was still at war, and now he’d married her. 

A prophet, Nathan, came to David when prompted by God and told him a story...

When someone extends mercy, the recipient has a unique emotional response. Depending on your own previous relationships, someone deciding not to give you the consequences you deserve may be something you crave or desire. Mercy may be something you long to experience. There are others who may have generous amounts of mercy extended to them which inhibits their ability to frequently experience consequences...

It is easy to take for granted the incredible way God loves us. We easily embrace the large quantity of blessings He pours out until the moment we notice we once again have sinned against Him. 

In these moments of self-awareness, we often realize our issues and start to spiral. We forget that doing bad things, while completely our responsibility, is a very normal, human trait. Shame tends to creep in and tries to convince us that we are bad people because of our sin, but God knows that every person will be sinful. Knowing this does not change His opinion that we are not worthless. He sees the value of His people regardless of their behavior, but that is not the end of the story. 

Our God, who chose David to be king, was not surprised at David’s brokenness. He knew David would be an imperfect, sinful person. He was displeased but knew David’s heart.

When I read 2 Samuel 11 in its entirety, the aspect of the story that is most offensive to me is the apathy David displays. He does not seem brokenhearted about his failures. There seems to be no disruption within his soul as he continues to make these selfish, inconsiderate, destructive choices. We have not yet seen any remorse or consideration of others in him. 

The reason this disturbs me is the familiar way my heart can grow cold to the needs of others...

We each have a unique memory of the first time we intentionally lied, the moment we felt the heat rise within us, the nerves bouncing within us, the fear of what would occur the moment we got caught. For some of us, this feeling never truly goes away, but, for others, this is something we have pushed down and ignored in an effort to be able to keep hiding and excusing our behavior. Over time, we become experts at deceiving others and even deceiving ourselves...

As we continue the story of David meeting Bathsheba, we can see he was also behaving in a similar, spoiled sort of arrogance. He saw something, expected it to be his, and then took full advantage of the situation...

Whatever we want, we want it now. Our lives get busy, hurried, and stressful, and something we desire swiftly becomes a need in our minds. The evidence is everywhere: from Amazon to DoorDash. I include myself in this culture issue because I frequently use these convenient ways of getting what I want...

The battle lines were tense with anticipation. Blood, sweat, and angst drenched the bodies and minds of the soldiers awaiting the next phase of war. Descending from the distant Philistine camp on the other side of the valley was a man who was head and shoulders above the rest. He glistened in the sun, his bronze helmet and armor heavy with intimidation. The massive warrior stood to shout at the ranks of Israel who trembled  with fear...