ABOUT BATHSHEBA

0. About Bathsheba

a) Bathsheba was the unlikely link between Israel's two most famous kings - David and Solomon. She was lover and wife to one, mother to the other. Her adultery with David almost brought an end to the family through which God planned to physically enter his world. Out of ashes of that sin, however, God brought good. Eventually Jesus Christ, the salvation of mankind, was born to a descendant of David and Bathsheba.

b) David and Bathsheba's story shows that little wrong decisions often lead to big mistakes. It is likely that neither was where he or she should have been. Bathsheba  may have been rash in bathing where she might be seen; David should have been at war with his army. Each decision contributed to the beginning of a very sad series of events.

c) Bathsheba must have been devastated by the chain of events - unfaithfulness to her husband, discovery of pregnancy, death of her husband, death of her child. We are told that David comforted her (see 2 Samuel 12:24), and she lived to see another son, Solomon, sit on the throne.

@1. ²⁴ Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him. (2 Samuel 12:24 NIV)

d) From her life we see that the little, day-to-day choices we make are very important. They prepare us to make the right choices when the big decision come. The wisdom to make right choices in small and large matters is a gift from God. Understanding this should make us more conscious of the decisions we make and more willing to include God in our decision making. Have you asked for his help with today's decisions?

1. What were her strengths and accomplishments?

a) Became influential in the palace alongside her son Solomon.

b) Was the mother of Israel's wisest king and an ancestor of Jesus Christ.

2. What were her weaknesses and mistakes?

a) Committed adultery.

3. What can we learn from her life?

a) Although we may feel caught up in a chain of events, we are still responsible for the way we participate in those events.

b) A sin may seem like one small seed, but the harvest of consequences is beyond measure.

c) In the worst possible situations, God is still able to bring about good when people turn to him.

d) While we must live with the natural consequences of our sins, God's forgiveness of sin is total.

4. What are the key verses?

a) ²⁶ When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷ After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. (2 Samuel 11:26-27 NIV)

b) Bathsheba's story is told in 2 Samuel 11; 12 and 1 Kings 1:2. A related passage is Psalms 51.