1 Kings 1:28-31  Then king David answered and said, “Call me Bathsheba.” And she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king. And the king swore, and said, “As the LORD lives, that has redeemed my soul out of all distress, even as I swore unto you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead;’ even so will I certainly do this day.” Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, “Let my lord king David live forever.”

Do you remember how David first met Bathsheba? It was the time when kings go out to war (2 Sam. 11:1), but David wasn’t where he was supposed to be, was he? He didn’t go to war, but sent the captain of the guard with the soldiers while he stayed home. One day he was walking on the rooftop and he saw a woman bathing. It was Bathsheba. She was beautiful, and he wanted her. He was the king, and he got whatever he wanted—well, almost everything. She got pregnant, and he tried to cover it up, but her husband, Uriah, was a noble man and would not go home to his wife while his fellow soldiers were still on the battlefront. So David had him killed. Wow! David, the man after God’s own heart, really fell far into sin this time.

With Uriah dead, he was free to take Bathsheba as his wife, and he brought her into the palace. Months passed, the baby was due to be born, and all seemed well—but then Nathan the prophet came by for a visit. He had a story to tell David about a rich man who took a poor man’s pet lamb and killed it to feed his guest, although the rich man had an entire flock of fattened sheep out in the field. David was enraged by such injustice and declared that the man should pay fourfold for his crime. Then Nathan boldly pointed the finger in the face of the king and said, “Thou are the man” (2 Sam. 12:7). David immediately repented. God did judge him, but He also tempered His judgment with mercy. The baby died, but God later blessed David and Bathsheba with another son, Solomon, who would later succeed David on the throne.

What about Bathsheba? Was she to blame? No, she was not. For one thing, she most likely had no idea that the king or any other man could see her. After all, they were supposed to be gone to war. But how do I know for sure that she was not to blame? Because God did not hold her accountable, only David. Not once was she mentioned in the rebuke.

There is something else I found interesting. If you read the account in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12, Bathsheba is mentioned by name in 11:3, when David asks, “Who is that beautiful woman?” and her name is not used again until 12:24, after the death of the baby. In the meantime, she is simply called “the woman” or “Uriah’s wife,” even after Uriah is dead and David has married her. Why is this? I do not pretend to know for certain, but I believe this is God’s way of honoring the memory of Uriah, for Bathsheba was married to him when she conceived the child.

Although the circumstances under which she came into David’s life were not so good, still no one can deny the powerful influence that Bathsheba had over David and especially over her son Solomon. It was settled from the time of his birth that Solomon would be the next king of Israel, but when David was old and feeble, his son Adonijah attempted to make himself king. Nathan the prophet heard about it and told Bathsheba. He advised her to go in and tell the king, saying that he would come in behind her and corroborate her story. They did so, and David acted immediately by instructing Zadok the priest to anoint Solomon king. His orders were carried out, and there was great rejoicing in the city, so much so that Adonijah feared for his life and all his followers deserted him.

Solomon thought a great deal of his mother. He even gave her a seat at his right hand in the throne room (1 Kings 2:19). And he wrote down some of what she taught him, and it has been recorded for us in Scripture. Scholars believe [and so do I] that the King Lemuel of Proverbs 31 is none other than King Solomon. The Talmud says, (Avoth d’Rab. Nathan, c. 39): “Solomon was called by six names: Solomon, Jedidiah, Koheleth, Son of Jakeh, Agur, and Lemuel.”

• Solomon — “peaceful” (2 Sam. 12:24)
• Jedidiah — “beloved of the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:25)
• Koheleth — {couldn’t find this one in the KJV}
• Son of Jakeh — “obedient” (Pr. 30:1)
• Agur — “stranger; gathered together” (Pr. 30:1)
• Lemuel — “belonging to God” (Pr. 31:1)

Solomon did not obey all his mother’s advice, especially when it came to women, for he ended up with seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines; but on the whole, his reign represented a time of peace, and the Bible says there was never any other man as wise as Solomon. Imagine God coming to you in a dream and saying, “Ask Me for anything and I will give it to you.” What would you ask for? Solomon asked for wisdom and discernment. Wow! God honored him by granted that request and giving Solomon things he did not ask for besides, riches and honor. I have to think that the teaching of his mother influenced his mind and heart to be inclined to make such a mature choice.

Bathsheba bloomed where she was planted. She taught her son well, and she supported and respected her husband the king. In short, Bathsheba was a wise and honorable woman. She had a lot of wisdom to give, and she imparted it to her son, the future generation. Aren’t you glad she did? For now we have the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon to greatly enrich our lives, and the nation of Israel has a rich heritage. She poured her life into one son, and by doing so, she touched the lives of millions upon millions for centuries to come.

We do not know the difference we may make. All we can do is obey God when He calls us to do a thing, trusting Him with the results. Never mind how small that task may seem. The God who multiplied the loaves and fishes can also multiply the lesson you are teaching to your kindergartner, or the meal you are preparing for that new mother. Just be faithful with whatever God asks of you, no questions asked, and leave the results to Him.

Next week: Bernice

Photo taken in Milton, FL 2017

Scripture links to Bible Gateway, KJV