MICHAEL SPENCER HERZOG                                                         26 July 2009

THE KING AND URIAH’S WIFE

I am really happy that we’re still in the David cycle of stories for our Old Testament lectionary readings.  Every third year we spend ten weeks with David stories.  There is the  anointing of David by Samuel, the story of David and Goliath,  David and Jonathan, David the king, the temple, and now we’re here at the story of David and Bathsheba.  David is such a prominent character in the Bible that his name is actually mentioned more times than Jesus’.

The Book of 2nd Samuel is the story of the reign of David over Judah and Israel.  It covers a period of approximately forty years from his ascent to the throne of the tribe of Judah, when he was about thirty years of age, until shortly before his death.  The book can be divided exactly in half. The first twelve chapters are a record of David's triumphs, the last twelve a record of his tragedies.  The first twelve describe a period in which David was highly successful in forming the nation, driving away the invaders, and bringing Israel into a period of prosperity.  The last twelve are an account of domestic struggle, rebellion, and civil war.  And it is in  chapters 11 and 12 that we learn the cause of the collapse of David's kingdom.  These chapters record David's twin offenses of adultery and murder. 

The passage from 2nd Samuel for this week begins:

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go forth to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. They ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah, but David remained at Jerusalem.

It was Alfred Lord Tennyson who said that in the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.  True, perhaps, but David is not a young man.  By the best reckoning he is at least fifty years of age at this time.   Being in one’s fifties doesn’t seem the least bit old to me -- but we can agree he is no longer young.  In Palestine the thoughts of young men turned to war in the spring. The nation of Israel had been locked in a bitter struggle with her ancient enemy, the Ammonites.  The war had become bogged down by the winter rains.  When spring came and the rains let up Israel went back to the field of battle, but with one crucial difference -- David did not accompany them. It was traditional for kings to go into battle with their troops. But this spring David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

The story continues:

It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking upon the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" So David sent messengers, and took her, and she came to him, and he laid with her. Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, "I am pregnant."

I have to throw in another little story here -- I love stories.  I was working on this sermon a week ago -- nothing on paper yet -- when there was a knock at the door.  When I opened the door there were two wholesome-looking young men in short-sleeved white shirts with conservative ties and friendly smiles.  I always welcome the Mormon missionaries -- I admire their dedication.  We had a little chat.   They asked if there was anything they could help me with.   I identified myself as a Methodist Lay Speaker and  told them I was working on a sermon about David and Bathsheba and I wasn’t sure where I was going to go with it.   “Well,” one of them said.  “It always seemed to me that David had lost touch with God -- and that if he had prayed over his decisions he never would have gone down the path that led to his destruction.”  That’s hard to argue with.

So, we have David -- the great king and mighty warrior who was taking an afternoon nap while his army was miles away across the Jordan battling the Ammonites.  David had fought many battles and been victorious.  He is greatly loved by his people.  He has wealth beyond imagining.  But, David is bored -- perhaps.  A late mid-life crisis?  At any rate, he had time on his hands.  And what did our mothers say? . . . “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”

David had wives and concubines -- dozens, at least.  He was not looking for another wife or a life companion.  He was bored and looking for a little . . . diversion on a solitary afternoon.   His intentions were not honorable.  To have his way with Bathsheba  and send her home was his plan. 

He inquired to find out who she was and discovered that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. This should have stopped him in his tracks, because she was the wife of another man.  But more importantly, she was the wife of one of David's closest compatriots.   Uriah was one of David's elite corps -- one of his “mighty men.”    There are many stories of their loyalty to David and their willingness to go to their death for him.  Uriah was one of these men. This should have given David pause.  He should have gone no further.

But, he was the king.  When the king says jump the only question is “How high?”  He brought her to his house.  He lay with her and sent her home.  Just a casual, illicit affair, no big deal -- until word came a few weeks later.  Bathsheba delivered the chilling news, "I'm pregnant."  And David, who had almost forgotten about the whole affair, got a reality check.   He knew it would be only a matter of weeks before Uriah would be home from the war. Anyone can count up to nine and David would be exposed.  It’s hard to keep secrets when the king is involved and certainly the palace servants knew of his indiscretion.   The penalty for adultery in Israel was the stoning of both parties.  David knew it could mean his life.  Even if he were to be granted immunity because he was king he knew that his reputation would be destroyed.

We might well ask about David: “What was he thinking?”  At the moment he saw Bathsheba he should have turned his back and walked away.   He was tempted, but he could have resisted.  God would have given him strength.  But as my Mormon visitor suggested, David had lost touch with God.  His moral compass had gone -- selfishly -- out of whack.

The initial transgression was bad enough -- but now comes the cover up.

David was faced with the problem of what to do.  His very life might be at stake.  And so David sent word to his general Joab,  "Send me Uriah the Hittite."  You can see it.  Uriah strides into the king's chambers.  They engage in some manly small talk.  David is nervous -- excessively friendly.  "Uriah, how goes the war? "Great." "How are Joab and the troops?" "Just fine." "Well I just wanted to get a report from you Uriah, good to have you back. I understand Bathsheba really misses you.  Why don't you run on home and take a few days off?"  “Wash your feet,”  he tells him -- “hit the hay.”  In other words, climb into the sack with your wife.  

But instead of going home and going to bed with Bathsheba, Uriah went down to the guard room and bunked with David's servants.  When David questions his actions, Uriah tells him that he cannot make himself comfortable sleeping at home with his wife when the army is sleeping in the field. “I will not do this thing,"  Uriah says.  Whether Uriah suspected what David was up to or if he was simply the good and loyal soldier he seems,  Uriah showed himself to be a better man than David.   The very thing Uriah would not do, David had already done.  

Now David was a desperate man.  He knew he had to cover his tracks in some way. So he threw a party, invited Uriah, and then sent him home drunk, thinking that Uriah's inhibitions would be lowered and his principles compromised. But Uriah was not that kind of man.  He refused to go home and spent the night again with David’s servants.

David was running out of options.   He had to do something. So he sent Uriah with a letter to Joab his general telling him to put Uriah into the battle where the fighting was the heaviest and then to withdraw so that he would be killed.  And Uriah delivered his own death warrant.  And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David were among the people that fell.  Uriah the Hittite was slain also.

There’s more to the story, but that’s in next week’s reading.  This is plenty for us to think about.

What is this story doing in the Bible?  What is its purpose?  It is such a classic example of the abuse of power.  For fun I Googled “Presidential Scandals.”  We have to see parallels between David’s story and the indiscretions of our political leaders.  A surprising number of U S Presidents had their dalliances -- from Thomas Jefferson to William Jefferson Clinton.  Thomas Jefferson, by the way, was the first to use the expression, “Executive Privilege” when people questioned his actions. 

I am reminded of a story told by Garrison Keillor -- he calls it, “A Letter from Jim.”   The letter-writer is considering adultery.  He is about to go off to an out of town conference with a woman who teaches in the same school he does.  He feels unappreciated at home and this friend makes him laugh and treats him as though he’s something special.  He thinks however that if he strays off the straight and narrow others in his little community might do the same.  We all depend on each other.  Maybe his little indiscretion could be kept secret, but it is about as secret as an earthquake.  If he leaves town with this woman who is not his  wife, somehow the school patrol will forget to guard the intersection and someone’s child will be injured. A sixth grade teacher will think, it doesn’t matter, and eliminate South America from geography.  Somehow his adultery will cause the man in the grocery store to say, “I don’t care about the Health Department. This sausage was good yesterday — it certainly can’t be any worse today.”  Our society depends on everyone doing the right thing -- acting responsibly.  When they don’t we have chaos and disaster.

We are suffering through a serious economic recession right now -- brought about, at least in part, by people who didn’t do the right thing.  They put themselves and their interests first.  It won’t matter -- I’ll just cheat a little bit.

Then -- Crash! -- all fall down. 

David transgressed -- and then compounded his transgression by trying to cover it up.   The Watergate burglars broke into Democratic Party Headquarters.  It was a small thing -- the break in was a small thing.   But then the cover up brought down the President of the United States. 

David’s offenses tore through his family and destroyed his kingdom and all that he had accomplished.

I find it interesting that in King Solomon’s court -- Solomon was David and Bathsheba’s second son -- young men who were being groomed to be the leaders of the nation were taught many things, the law, commerce, politics -- and a course in ethics.  A legacy perhaps from Solomon’s father David who lost his moral bearings.

I believe that God intends for us to look after each other.  The creation story in Genesis says that God gives us dominion -- and expects us to take responsibility -- for all of creation.   As Christians we have built a society based on some very simple understandings:  Do no harm.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Love God, and your neighbor as yourself. 

My Mormon visitors were right -- if we’d just pray before we make the big decisions it is less likely that we’d bring the structure of society crashing down on ourselves and others.  David lost touch with God.  We don’t have to.  Prayer.  We could try it.  Couldn’t hurt. 

AMEN