B is for The Beautiful Bathsheba

Bathsheba, Barnabas, Benjamin:

Hmmmm- Hard to decide which "B" to discuss: Benjamin, youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, full brother to Joseph...

Barnabas, follower of Jesus known as the encourager...

or Bathsheba, wife and widow of Uriah, Mistress and then wife of David, mother of Solomon, Nathan, Shimea, and Shobab. Okay, let's talk about her.

Bathsheba was married to a soldier hero named Uriah. In fact he was one of David's mighty men. One day, while he is off fighting one of David's wars, David notices Bathsheba. He wants Bathsheba. And what David wants, David gets. He is after all, the king.

A couple of months later, Bathsheba notifies David that she is pregnant. Can you imagine? I can see her sitting in her kitchen waiting to see how David would fix this. She hears of his plan to bring Uriah home so that people would think the baby was his.  She knows Uriah well enough to know that this won't work. He is too honorable to come home when the rest of his soldiers are still in the battle. She is wondering what David will do now.

The next thing she knows is that her husband is dead, killed in a battle that just didn't make any sense. She suspects that David has "fixed" their problem. And sure enough, she is called back to the palace and they are immediately married. 

Fastforward a few months. David is visited by Nathan the prophet and is convicted and repents of his sin. A few more months pass. The baby is born and dies. David comforts Bathsheba and they have another child, Solomon. and then another and another and another.

Talk about a soap opera life! And the most amazing part of the whole story is that through all of this yucky story, God's plan is unfolding. Ultimately Bathsheba and David are the great great great (etc) grandparents to Mary, mother of Jesus (through Nathan) and Joseph (through Solomon ).

I'm so glad that He sees it all and makes it work for good.

L