Treading Carefully - Though we might be inclined to report this episode with the levity or "bare-all" approach that fills our daytime television screens and minds, I think it is helpful to keep Brueggemann’s focus in mind: ". . . we are about to witness a most ruthless political performance . . . if we face this text at all, we are soon invited behind all the critical, scholarly questions to face the harder questions of human desire and human power-desire with all its delight, power with all its potential for death . . . the story is so massive and penetrating that it almost defies our capacity to interpret. Every effort fails before the subject itself, no doubt the way interpretation fails all great art."

Who and Whose -David sees a woman and asks her name. Interesting what comes back-dangerous hyphens! This is, "Bathsheba-daughter of Eliam-wife of Uriah-the Hittite." The line suggests that she has no existence of her own but is identified by the men to whom she belongs.

The Act - The verbs that describe the sexual act of David come at us with machine gun rapidity: he sent, he took, he lay (v. 4). David is king and an abuse of power happens. The womyn too gets her set of verbs-she returned, she conceived. No conversation, no modicum of compassion, relational interest, or affection-just lust. David does not call her by name, does not even speak to her. Just "the woman."

Ancient Christians named certain sins as being "deadly," because the impact both to self and to community was much greater than others; also once indulged deadly sins could become "dispositional" they could hardened into the personality itself. List some deadly sins that happen in this story; which do you feel was the most dangerous?

By way of contrast, list Uriah’s superior character qualities in refusing David’s overture. What does this reveal about David? As Joab’s messenger, what would you think of the message sent to David? And David’s response?

Please see the sermon for this week on DPS based on this text.

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[1] Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation Series: I & II Samuel (John Knox Press, 1990), p. 272.
[2] Ibid, page 272.
[3] Ibid, page 273.