Was Bathsheba just Collateral Damage?
As I listened to my pastor talk about King David and Bathsheba’s story, a question rose up in me that I couldn’t shake: Was Bathsheba just collateral damage in King David's story? In 2 Samuel, David saw Bathsheba bathing from his rooftop and summoned her. She was taken by a king who held all the power and ended up pregnant. David tried to cover it up by bringing her husband, Uriah, home from battle. When that didn’t work, he arranged for Uriah to be killed. After Uriah’s death, David took Bathsheba as his wife, and their first child died as a consequence of David’s sin. The weight of David’s sin fell squarely on Bathsheba's life. The Bible doesn't sanitize the fallout of sin. Instead, it exposes the deep impact sinful choices have on others. Bathsheba was used, her husband was killed, she was forced to marry the king, and on top of it all, she lost her child, all because of choices she didn’t make. The Bible never blames her. It never even hints that she was at fault. Ins...