I just finished an awesome book on Bathsheba. I've known the story since I was a teenager but hadn't studied it in depth before. She is one of many important women in the lineage of Christ. Her beauty stirred the passion of a king and her pain moved the heart of The King. You all probably remember the story. King David saw her bathing on her roof from his palace walls. He sent a soldier to find out who she was. She was Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, one of David's higher ranking soldiers in his army. He sends for her anyway, and he sleeps with her. (Even though he already had 5 wives and something like 10 concubines.) Her beauty was rare. And she gets pregnant after one night with the king. She has been trying to get pregnant for years with her own husband. And since Uriah was off to war, her adultry would be known and the punishment for adultery was to be stoned to death. She sends word to King David about the conception and he devised a plan to cover it up. He summons Uriah home from war saying he needed an update. Then tells him to relax and have night at home with his wife, hoping he would sleep with her. Catch the plan? One problem, Uriah was a man of the Law and there was some rule about not being with your wife for so many days after war and he didn't feel he could eat the feast prepared for him and sleep in a bed when his friends were still on the front lines. So King David sends Uriah back to war with a note for the captain to make sure he is killed on the battlefield. By the time word is sent back to the king of Uriah's death, all the women left behind have figured out Bathsheba's secret. She was condemned by her piers and hated because other men were killed along side Uraih! King David took her in as his 7th wife, hoping the people would be believe he was just showing compassion on a widow of his army. But the truth was revealed in full when a healthy normal sized baby was born only 5 months later. A prophet came to David saying the his house would always be troubled but that he was forgiven and would not die for his sin. The baby died a week later. Now this is just a part of this story. David was a man of God, after His own heart! He was an awesome worshipper who pleased God. But he was human and made a mistake. And he paid for that mistake the rest of his life. Some of his sons betrayed him and killed one another, his close advisors set out against him, thousands of his men were killed by a plague. BUT, in God's infinite mercy, Bathsheba had 4 more sons who were all worshippers of God and who followed the law. The eldest was annointed King even though he was not the next in line for the throne. That was Solomon!
It is imperative that we avoid sin and temptation with all our strength. Sin has a cascading effect on all those around us. And the changes brought on by those sins can never be reversed, its the price we pay. And our children and children's children could be affected too. We change the course of our lives when we choose to sin. However, God is more than able to redeem us. Those changes will still happen, but God changes us and will use it for His glory. Bathsheba was an redeemed adulterer, and God used her to birth a king and she became a woman in the lineage of Jesus. How awesome is God, to use our weakness for His purpose! But you have to give Him your failures, all of them, in full! He has already paid the price for them anyway, when He sent His son! There were still devastating repercussions from their sin but both she and David were restored in the eyes of God and played an important role in history. It is important to note that they were only fully redeemed after they fully repented. They turned their hearts back to God and he forgave them. There is so much to learn from this story. If there is something in your life that needs changing, don't hold back, repent and watch what God can do with your changed heart! Yes, there will be hardships that result from your sin but, one things for sure, it will be better than the life you live now in secret!