Bathsheba

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me…” (Luke 18:38).

Bathsheba (Artemisia Gentileschi)

King David was chosen by God to be the ultimate father of the Christ.  He was not only a good man, but one who was chosen to lead the Hebrews.

And yet, King David was not a perfect man.  He saw Bathsheba bathing, desired her, committed adultery with her and had her husband killed so that he could take the wife of another man, who he was coveting.

So, in the course of that little story (which we first hear about in 2 Samuel 11), King David – God’s chosen one – sinned against many of the ten commandments – coveting his neighbour’s wife, committing adultery, committing murder, lying and honouring himself over God…

This was a time of darkness for both David and Bathsheba…  There is no romance in this story.  Instead, we are told of the facts as they are – grievous sin.  The result of that sin is terrible suffering.  Bathsheba herself suffers terribly.  Her child born of that adulterous union, died.  God judged them.

And yet, the story does not end there.  Instead, King David repented and Bathsheba gave birth to Solomon, who was greatly loved by God (2 Samuel 12:24–25).

And Bathsheba became more and more influential in the court.  Eventually, we are told in 1 Kings 1, that Bathsheba reminded King David of his oath that Solomon would rule after him, when Adonijah attempted to seize the throne.  God made use of her wisdom and courage to ensure the succession of the line that God had appointed for Christ.

Bathsheba is referred to in the New Testament, being included in the genealogy of Christ, where Matthew refers to her as @the wife of Uriah@ (Matthew 1).  Even her title here is a reminder of the sin that was redeemed through the forgiveness of Christ of the contrite heart.

And I have been thinking about that today as I have been thinking about the implications of sin and redemption.  For God has made a way for all of us – even the most terrible of sinners.  And He has done this out of love.  He allowed His Only Son to be Begotten of a line that included King David.  And He saw the good in David when David lost his way and could not even see the good in himself.  And God did not say, “You made a mistake David, now I will not allow my Son to be begotten of your line.”  He did not say, “You disgust me.  How could you sin in this way when I have given you everything?”  Instead, God waited for the contrition and then proceeded with His plan.  He allowed Himself to be begotten of a line of good men and women who also sinned…

And I have been thinking about that today, because that is such a testament to the MERCY of God.

For despite everything that happened, when the blind beggar knew Christ was in the road, he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me…” (Luke 18:38).

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.