What is the purpose of the David & Bathsheba story?

[_just me]

The David and Bathsheba story. It truly is an odd one. On the face it is a story of lust and coveting. However, the story contains some disturbing elements.

I am most disturbed that God decided to kill the baby that Bathsheba got pregnant with.

2 Sam 12:15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.

God promises to "raise up evil" against David and his house and to take his wives and have the neighbor have sex with them in broad daylight. Why would God raise up evil? Isn't that satan's job? And why on earth would he subject these women to the cruelty of being raped by the neighbor in front of the community?

2 Sam 12:11 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

I think it is odd that the child of Bathsheba and David turns out to be the next ruler. I mean, what about all the other children that were born of mothers who were not adulterers? So strange.

I guess there is a lesson that is supposed to be derived from the story, I just can't figure out what it is. I guess we learn that adultery isn't a capitol offense, unless you are the product.

[_Scottie]

http://www.youtube.com/user/NonStampCol ... K7P7uZFf5o

Yes, it certainly is taken out of context. But in what context is it OK for an infinitely powerful being to threaten puny petrified humans that they’ll be forced to eat their own children?

Well there must be a context in which making such a threat is the epitome of kindness, generosity and love, or else Yahweh wouldn’t have done it would he?! And whatever that context is, you DEFINITELY took that verse OUT OF IT!

Hmmm! Well, how do we know whether a passage from the Bible has been taken out of context or not?

Well, if it sounds horrendous, brutal, savage, merciless, immoral, murderous, petty, heartless, unjust,, sickening, appalling, barbaric, cruel, unfair, ridiculous or disgusting it’s been taken out of context - otherwise - it’s ok.

Well look - I disagree. I think that if a scriptural verse sounds horrendous, brutal, savage, merciless, immoral, murderous, petty, heartless, unjust,, sickening, appalling, barbaric, cruel, unfair, ridiculous or disgusting, then it probably IS horrendous, brutal, savage, merciless, immoral, murderous, petty, heartless, unjust,, sickening, appalling, barbaric, cruel, unfair, ridiculous or disgusting.

What! That makes NO SENSE AT ALL! This is SCRIPTURE we’re talking about!

[_bcspace]

What is the purpose of the David & Bathsheba story?

Don't bathe in a public fountain and to show that David's other wives were authorized by God.

[_Aristotle Smith]

I think part of the problem is that people assume that everything in the Bible will be both uplifting and PG. I'm not saying you are assuming that, but it is a background assumption that tends to color how people read the Bible.

Another problem is the "pride cycle" version of life that is foisted upon Mormons because of the Book of Mormon. That is, you are good you are blessed, you are evil, your are cursed, you repent and the cycle starts over. Real life is so much messier than this.

A third problem is in the idea that one can turn to a random section of scripture and read it relatively separated from the rest. I.e., well this here is the David and Bathsheba story, what can I get out of this? Perhaps the answer for any given story, separated from all of the rest, is "Nothing."

The story has to be read as part of the entire David cycle. 1 & 2 Samuel (in the Hebrew Bible it's just Samuel, one book) are the most ambiguous and richly written books in the Old Testament.

You need to see this story as coming just after 2 Samuel 7, which in my opinion is the high point for David in 1 & 2 Samuel. But what happens after that high point where David and his descendants receive all of those promises? All hell breaks loose and David is cast into his darkest hour. Is this all David's fault? Is this God's punishment? Is this just the vicissitudes of life? All or none of the above? The Old Testament writers don't ever directly answer these questions.

Just take the baby that comes from David and Bathsheba. It dies, so are we to conclude that the union is cursed by God? It would seem so, until the second baby from that union, Solomon, becomes king, which makes the whole thing ambiguous.

The writer of Samuel was wrestling with lots of problems and the society was transitioning from one ruled by charismatic judges and Jehovah to one ruled by kings. Is this a good thing? Samuel (the book) is schizophrenic about this. Was David a mighty ruler blessed of God, which accounts for his success? Or was he a sinner who did not deserve the throne? Again, the book is ambiguous. Or take poor Saul, the writer of the book clearly doesn't like him but seems to go out of his way to make you feel sorry for him. Why?

What's my point? The story by itself probably doesn't have much of a point. As one thread of a tapestry it tells about how messy and incomprehensible life can be, with the assurance that in the end God will be faithful to his promises.

[_just me]

Great comments, guys. Dang, Aristotle, that was deep. Scottie, you made me chuckle.

[_Runtu]

Don't bathe in a public fountain and to show that David's other wives were authorized by God.

I sincerely hope that's not all you get out of that story.

by the way, thanks AS, for the thoughtful response. I very much enjoyed and appreciate your perspective on this.