Often, this passage has been approached from the viewpoint of blame. Depending on who is doing the preaching, there is either blame placed on Bathsheba as if, by bathing where she could be seen from the palace roof, she has tempted David into this situation. Or blame is placed on David for giving in to his attraction to this beautiful woman (which is a backdoor way of still blaming Bathsheba!). If it is about temptation, I wonder if it is more about the temptation to abuse one’s power or the temptation to go after what one wants without any consideration of the potential harm to others.
Earlier, we are told that David is a man after God’s own heart and yet he treats people as disposable – using them when it is convenient for him, manipulating them to cover up his wrongdoing, and disposing of them when they are no longer of use to him. This episode is pivotal in David’s story. It begins a downward spiral from which, in the end, he never recovers. Unrepentant sin has a way of affecting lives that way. How differently might things have gone for all the parties involved if David had just averted his eyes, knowing nothing good would come from barking up that tree! Or if he had owned up to what he did – before God and the people affected by his actions – and tried to make amends!
When you are tempted to sin, what is the most effective tool for resistance? If you were reminded that you are a person after God’s own heart, would that strengthen your resolve not to sin? When you do sin, how do you respond – do you try to cover it up, blame it on someone else, or repent and resolve to do better?
Today, pray for people in a position of power, that they might bear it with honor and integrity.