(June 19, 2014 at 4:40 pm)Tonus Wrote: I'll let the Bible tell it:
2 Samuel 11:2-5 Wrote:And it came to pass at eventide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David send and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her (for she was purified from her uncleanness); and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am with child.
Note that we are not informed that Bath-sheba consented to this. She was summoned by the king, who slept with her and sent her on home and thought nothing more of it until she informed him that she was with child.
David deals with this by summoning Uriah (Bath-sheba's husband, who is out fighting a war that David decided he was too busy to attend) and trying to get him to sleep with Bath-sheba so as to trick him into thinking that the child she bears is his. Uriah, however, seems to be a pretty loyal fellow, and refuses to enjoy even the basic comforts of home while his brothers-in-arms are on the battle front. David even tries getting him drunk, but even alcohol can't override Uriah's conscience. Note: the story does not involve Bath-sheba in any of this, so it's entirely possible that she is unaware of David's scheming or even that her husband is back. We cannot accuse her of complicity in the scheme, or of an unwillingness to come clean and explain to her husband what happened.
Finally, David realizes that Uriah is simply too good a person and does an appalingly cowardly thing-- he arranges for Uriah to be killed on the battle front. There is no ambiguity in his orders; he specifically explains that the reason he wants Uriah sent to the busiest part of the front is so he can be abandoned by his fellow soldiers and die at the hands of Israel's enemies. Upon being informed of her husband's death, Bath-sheba mourns him. David waits until her mourning period is over, then sends for her and takes her as a wife.
It is at this point that god decides to intervene. Uriah, had he not been treacherously set up to die in the field by the guy who had boned his wife, might have been a tad upset that god took so long to finally do something.
So... did David rape Bath-sheba? The case seems pretty strong. The story doesn't tell us how she reacts to being summoned to see the king, or what she said or did upon realizing what he wanted. Indeed, the story treats her as something of an afterthought; the prophet Nathan's moral fable treats her as the possession of another man, assuming it even refers to her at all. Nor is it that surprising, since the old testament god did not seem put off by rape. Yahweh is angry at David for setting up Uriah's death and for "taking" Uriah's wife; he's not particularly concerned with Bath-sheba aside from treating her as stolen goods.
The story implies that Uriah was a good man, loyal to his king and to his countrymen. His wife mourns his passing. If she consented to a one-night stand with the king, the story does not tell us. It doesn't say anything about her feeling guilty or being complicit in the act of adultery. And we cannot say that her guilt is established by the death of her child-- Yahweh specifically tells David that the child's death is punishment for the reproach that the king's actions brought upon god's name.
After being made to understand just how angry god was, and what he was going to have to suffer for his actions, David admits that he wronged... GOD. I guess Uriah and Bath-sheba don't mean anything to god, since he doesn't chastise David further for forgetting who it was he really mistreated. No, not at all! God immediately "puts away" David's sin and spares his life. Uriah stays dead. Bath-sheba remains the wife of the man who raped her, and will now bear a child that god himself has promised to kill. It's like JUSTICE ALL AROUND!!!
Except for a few tabloidish/baseless accusations I think you have captured the essence of what is being communicated here!
Over all I give you 7.5 (what the heck) 8 out of 10 exegetical points! Very good ton-ie (the tiger)
