Hey, Bible readers. I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

I usually try to give you a heads-up when there's an episode that may not be suitable for young ears, and that applies today, but I also want to give you a different heads up. We'll briefly mention a topic that may be sensitive for some of you. So if you're a person who has a history of sexual assault, just know we'll reference briefly in today's episode. So you can listen cautiously or choose to skip this episode or save it for a time when you feel prepared to listen.

Do whatever serves you best. When today's reading opens, the timeline has overlapped with what we read two days ago. Israel has been at war with the Ammonites and the Syrian mercenaries they hired. Israel defeated the Syrians and made them their servants, but things were left up in the air with the Ammonites. Typically, Kings lead the way in their country's military exploits. But David decided to kick back at home for some reason we never find out about, instead of leading his people into battle. It may seem like it's not a big deal, but this little decision exposes a big gap in his leadership. It hints at passivity. David is shirking responsibility. And while his army is off to war, David's walking on his roof one day and sees Bathsheba bathing on her roof. First of all, that's where people bathed because that's where they could easily catch and store rainwater. We have no reason to think she was trying to entice David. In fact, she probably assumed the king of all people was off to war like he was supposed to be, since that's where her husband, Uriah, was. He was one of David's mighty men.

Second of all, Bathsheba was keeping the commands of God by purifying herself. So here she is, trying to be obedient, when armed guards show up at her door and bring her to the king's palace. David has brought her there because he wants to sleep with her. And here's one thing scripture seems clear on. It never once puts the blame on Bathsheba. God addresses the sin in this situation, but it's always singular toward David. It seems evident in the words of scripture that this was not a consensual act.

Some scholars have even defined his actions as rape. Regardless how you define it, we want to be cautious about imposing our own ideas onto scripture, whether that means imposing our own trauma onto the story or overlooking something the story does reveal simply because it seems to paint David in a negative light. The more prominent view is the consensual one. But if this idea of sexual assault is new to you and you want to read more about it, we'll link to a short article in the show notes.

All of this happens while Bathsheba's husband, Yuraya, is away at war, and now she's pregnant, so it obviously can't be his baby. According to Leviticus 20, the punishment for adultery is death, so Yuraya could have had her killed for committing adultery, because as far as he knows, that's what happened. So here's Bathsheba, violated and pregnant, and she's at the mercy of the men in her life.

She can't appeal to the law because the King is the one who sinned against her.

David hatches a plan. He'll bring her husband home for more so we'll have an excuse for the pregnancy. But David underestimates Yuriah's commitment to the Israeli standard of wartime celibacy. Yuraya refuses to see his wife. So David moves to plan B. He'll have Yuraya murdered in battle. And in a shockingly cruel part of David's plot, he sends Yuriah back to the battlefield holding the very letter that orders his own death.

David has now committed sexual sin and murder in one chapter.

Now Bathsheba is left violated, pregnant, and widowed. She mourns over her husband. And 2 Samuel 11 ends by telling us, The thing that David had done displeased the Lord. And another translation says, It was evil in the eyes of Yahweh. There's zero evidence of Bathsheba's complicity here.

And then she's forced to marry the man who violated her, who also murdered her husband.

And she takes her place among the harem of women in David's palace. You may think being married to the King sounds awesome, but this sounds more like torture. In chapter 12, God sends the Prophet Nathan to confront David about his sin. Nathan tells David a story about David, but it doesn't even occur to him that this parable is about him. David is so self-deceived that he either thinks he hasn't sinned or that his sin wouldn't be discovered. He pronounces judgment on himself with his response to the parable, demanding a four-fold payment. Then Nathan exposes him. God has really harsh words for David. He says David has grown entitled and ungrateful. This is tantamount to despising God's words, which leads him to commit evil.

At this point, David has personally earned the death penalty twice over, it seems, once for what was likely sexual assault and once for murder.

But Nathan says God has put away his sin. What an incredible act of mercy. However, Even though there's forgiveness, this sin is not without consequence. That fourfold judgment David demanded will be handed out to him. And here's what those four consequences look like. First, the sword won't depart from his house, meaning there will be division and death in his family. Second, his wives will be taken away from him in a humiliating way. Third, God will raise up evil against David from his own household. That is terrifying. Then, after David confesses, Nathan tells him the fourth consequence. His child with Bathsheba will die. David fasts and prays over his newborn son's sickness. He's desperate and remorseful, and he knows God is the the only one he can turn to. But God says no. When the baby is a week old, it passes away. God knows what this pain is like to have his son die. David shares in that pain. And here's where we see David's true repentance as he positions himself with humility. Even after hearing such a harsh word from God, even after the death of his son, he somehow still trusts God's goodness and goes to the tabernacle to draw near and worship God.

Repentance is marked by worship. It serves as evidence of a changed heart. In the midst of his ache and almost certain self-hatred at this point, he demonstrates that he knows who God is and what it means to be his child. We run to our Father when we sin, not from him. We are the ones who can't be trusted, not Him. Then David goes to comfort Bathsheba, who must surely be full of grief. And that's when they conceive their second son, Solomon. There is so much beauty and redemption in this story that I can't wait to tell you about. This is one of my favorite things in all of scripture. I know it's been a dark day in our reading, but hang in there. God is working something incredible here. And it hardly feels worth noting, but since scripture noted it, I will. Israel wins the battle against the Ammonites, and they take Rabba, which is modern day Ammon Jordan. Ammon, like the Ammonites. Then they also defeat the Philistines and one of their twelve-toed warriors. These military victories are an act of mercy. Given David's breaking of the covenant, it would have made sense for Israel to lose.

But David goes back to the battlefield, bearing the responsibility that he previously shirked, and God grants them victory. What was your God shot today? I'm not going to lie, today was rough for me. It beat me up a little bit emotionally. This has always been a sad passage, but researching it and reading all the commentaries made it exponentially sadder. All my sadness centered around Bathsheba's circumstances and David's sin. So I had to refocus my vision to look for what this shows me about God. And here's one thing that jumped off the page at me. In 2 Samuel 12:8, God is talking to David through Nathan, and he lists out all the things he's already given David. Then he says, If this were too little, I would add to you as much more. David got greedy because he forgot how rich and generous God is. He forgot the Father's heart. God had already blessed him with more than enough and was still willing to give him more. God is a good Father who wants to lavish gifts on his children. I love how Jesus says it in Luke 12:32, Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.

His heart is so merciful, so generous. In a day filled with sadness, the one little pocket of joy was where I saw him. He's where the joy is. It's time for our weekly check-in, Bible readers. Have you noticed a shift in your heart since we started? Are you able to make this more and more a part of your regular life? And if not, what might be in the way of that? Ask God to carve out time for himself in your schedule. If you're farther behind than you wanted to be, the fact that you're here today is a good sign of things to come. The hope of good things to come is much needed after what we read today. This passage was really heavy and sad, and God meets us in those spaces. He doesn't run from us or despise us. He's eager to draw us near. He is a generous, merciful, loving God, and I'm so excited to keep getting to know him more and more with you tomorrow. We'll see you there. Ever find yourself at a loss for words when it comes to prayer? Hope Nation's Pastor Chad will guide you through those moments in his podcast, Talking God.

Join Pastor Chad to learn more about prayer movements and common topics that resonate with your everyday needs. Click the link in the show notes to check it out.