Introduction

Bathsheba is a woman who longs for love. With her devout husband away fighting the king's wars for many months at a time, discontent and loneliness dog her steps--and make it frighteningly easy to succumb to King David's charm and attention. Though she immediately regrets her involvement with the powerful king, the pieces are set in motion that will destroy everything she holds dear. Can she find forgiveness at the feet of the Almighty? Or has her sin separated her from God--and David--forever?

With a historian's sharp eye for detail and a novelist's creative spirit, Jill Eileen Smith brings to life the passionate and emotional story of David's most famous--and infamous--wife. Smith uses her gentle hand to draw out the humanity in her characters, allowing readers to see themselves in the three-dimensional lives and minds of people who are often viewed in starkly moralistic terms. You will never read the story of David and Bathsheba in the same way again.

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Excerpt

1
Jerusalem, 994 BC
Darkness curtained the sky, hiding the stars, sheltering Bathsheba
in the inner courtyard of her home. She clutched the
soft linen towel to her chest, shivering, while Uriah stood
with his back to her, a sentry guarding her privacy.
“Of course you must do this, but hurry, dear wife.” His
mischievous tone heated her blood. Suddenly the chilly spring
breeze seeping from her bare feet to the rest of her robedraped
body didn’t seem quite so cold.
“Yes, husband. Would you like to help?” Her tone teased
him, and she took courage from his own playful manner. She
had Tirzah, her maid, to pour the water over her head, but if
he was in such a hurry to be with her . . .
He turned to face her, his dark eyes pools of interest. She
had never suggested such a thing before. Tirzah always helped
her do this. It was a woman’s place, a woman’s ritual. Would
his strict adherence to the law of Moses let him help her?
Did she want him to?
She pulled the robe tighter about her, watching him. He
seemed to be assessing her question, and she knew him well enough to know he was thinking through every purification
law and tradition to determine whether such a thing was
proper before Adonai.
“We would defeat the purpose, Bathsheba,” he said at last.
“Though if Tirzah were not available to help . . . I am your
husband, after all.” Gentleness filled his expression, his eyes
revealing how much he longed to do as she asked.
“It is a sacred moment.” She looked into his face as he took
a step closer. “To remind a woman she is set apart unto God,
and for her husband alone.” She placed a hand on his arm,
seeing him warm to the thought.
“The law of Moses—it would allow for such a thing?” He
rubbed a hand over his beard, the thought clearly troubling.
He worked so hard to obey the law . . . If only he could relax
and not take every jot, every little word, so strictly. But even
after three years of marriage, she trod carefully in matters of
the law lest she be party to his guilt. Guilt that was not worth
the price of carelessness.
“I don’t know,” she said at last, stroking his cheek with
her hand. “Until we do, Tirzah will help me. I will hurry.”
She smiled at the relief in his eyes and moved quickly to the
bronze basin he had purchased for her own private use. She
set the towel on the stone bench beside it, and slipped the
robe from her shoulders, listening to his sigh.
“I will ask Jozadak in the morning.” The lame Levite tutor
Uriah paid to teach him the law would spend many hours
seeking an answer to Uriah’s question.
She glanced at him, his back now turned to her, the wellmuscled
body evident beneath a tan linen tunic. He was an
intelligent, handsome man, and she marveled at his constant
questions, his determination to learn the ways of her people.

“Are you ready, mistress?” Tirzah interrupted her musings,
pulling her thoughts back to their purpose here. Distraction
was too easy with Uriah nearby. The water in the basin
sparkled with the night’s chill, making her shiver again. Tirzah
rested the jar on her shoulder, waiting.
Bathsheba pulled the comb from her hair, letting the length
of it fall to her back, the thick tresses covering her like a cloak.
She stepped into the basin and knelt, the frigid water prickling
her flesh. She sucked in a quick breath as Tirzah poured the
first stream of cool water over her head.
She took the hyssop from Tirzah’s outstretched hand and
rubbed her arms and legs, then wrapped both arms about
her, bracing herself again. Tirzah lifted the water and poured
a second stream over Bathsheba’s head until it touched every
part of her body. The shock of the cold and drenching water
caused her to look up, to gaze heavenward. Her heart constricted
with this gentle reminder of her need to be pure
before Yahweh—something she could not do during her time
of uncleanness. She bowed her head, praying her humility
would grant her favor in His eyes. Would her night in Uriah’s
arms bring about the child they both craved?
She closed her eyes as Tirzah poured the water a third
time. Shame filled her, her heart as bare before the Lord as
her glistening skin. Oh, Adonai, I am in need of You, a sinner
at birth, unable to keep Your perfect law. Wash me and I will
be clean, whiter than snow.
The words, once a memorized tradition she had learned
to quote by rote as a girl in her father’s house, had become
personal in recent months. A sense of unworthiness filled her,
a stark reminder that her uncleanness must be atoned for.
She let the last of the water drain into the basin and lifted shaky hands toward the heavens, tears mingling with the
moisture dripping from her hair. Forgive me, Adonai. She
knew a sacrifice must be given to know true forgiveness,
but her heart longed for it just the same. Perhaps it would
be enough to acquire God’s favor this night.
She stepped out of the bath and snatched the towel from
the bench, drying her skin along with her tears. Slipping her
arms through the sleeves of her robe again, she hurried into
Uriah’s outstretched arms.

Bathsheba rose from the bed, careful not to awaken Uriah.
He shifted at her movement, and she stilled, looking down on
his contented form. His chest rose and fell in a slow rhythmic
pattern, his breath even and soft. The dark hairs of his neck
curled beneath his night tunic and met the edges of his beard.
She felt a blush fill her cheeks as she lingered, remembering,
longing to keep him with her. But they had only two more
nights together before he left again for many months. On
the third night he would sleep in another room, refusing any
intimate touch in preparation for war. Something she could
never understand and could not bring herself to accept. The
days spent marching to the place of battle should give him
plenty of time to become pure. Why did he have to start
before he even left her side?
She sighed, felt along the wall for the clay lamp where it
sat in its niche in the wall, then grasped it with one hand
and slipped from the room. She padded softly through the
dark halls toward the cooking room, where embers were
banked in the clay oven, sufficient to spark a flame and light
her lamp. She moved to the jar of oil and replenished the bowl to keep the light from going out. The lamp illumined
the room where the servants would soon set the bread to
baking and prepare the foods Uriah would take to break his
morning fast. He always rose before dawn, ate quickly, then
hurried to the tent where the ark stood, in time for the first
trumpet’s sound. One more way he showed his devotion to
Adonai. Or perhaps he thought somehow his actions would
win the Lord’s favor . . .
Banishing the thought, she sat on the end of a long wooden
bench and rested her elbows on the smooth table, trying to
stifle a yawn to no avail. She never slept well before Uriah
left for war, and she couldn’t decide if it was missing him
that troubled her most or the fear of losing him to an enemy
arrow. She searched her mind, wishing she could stop the
fear, but exhaustion kept the worry always on the fringes,
clinging when she wished she could release it like chaff blown
away with the wind.
What was wrong with her?
“Trouble sleeping again?” Tirzah appeared at the threshold
of the cooking room, her own lamp in hand, her hair disheveled
in a tangled mess. She stepped closer and took a seat at
Bathsheba’s side. She placed a hand on Bathsheba’s shoulder,
patting it softly.
Tears pricked Bathsheba’s eyes. Exhaustion made her emotional,
something Uriah seemed at a loss to handle. So she’d
taken to hiding her feelings from him when she could. He
was good at drawing them out of her when the mood was
right, when he felt especially considerate.
“Worried again?” Tirzah stood and retrieved a flask of wine,
pouring some into a clay cup. She handed it to Bathsheba and
sat beside her. “Drink.”
... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the publisher:

1. The story begins with Bathsheba carrying out her ritual purification with her husband, Uriah, standing guard. How does his adherence to the law and Bathsheba’s desire for her husband set the stage for the rest of the story?
2. Bathsheba’s husband and father are warriors and often gone to fight the king’s battles. How does Uriah treat his position as captain in the king’s army? How does Bathsheba respond to yet another war? Have you ever been discontented with your life?
3. Soon into the story something happens in King David’s life to cause him grief, making him decide to stay home from the battle. His men do not agree with his decision, while Bathsheba thinks he is entitled to have time to grieve. Do you agree with Bathsheba’s assessment? Have you ever been in a situation where you had to keep working despite trauma in your life? Has there ever been a time when you were not allowed to grieve?
4. Bathsheba meets David as they both stand on their rooftops watching the troops march off to war. David is still grieving and Bathsheba is already mourning the many months Uriah will be away, her loneliness already setting in. When David speaks to her, she can’t help feeling drawn to him, but the attraction scares her, though she senses she has nothing to fear from him. Have you ever entertained a relationship that should have been chaste but you knew deep down could lead to more if you let it? What might Bathsheba have done to walk away sooner than she did?
5. At one point in the story, Bathsheba realizes that like her father, Uriah expects her to blindly obey the men in authority over her. How does this attitude contribute to her future temptation? Have you ever faced a situation where you were expected to obey without thinking, without considering the consequences or whether the thing was right or wrong?
6. Uriah, like her father, is protective of Bathsheba, but they carry their protection too far, making her feel stifled and imprisoned. How does over-protectiveness tend to backfire? What is it about human nature that rebels against being emotionally smothered?
7. War comes again and Bathsheba pouts about Uriah’s leaving. He confronts her about her attitude, then storms out and eventually leaves for battle without further discussion. Is there ever a good time to walk away without resolution to a problem? How did Bathsheba’s attitude make Uriah feel? Do you think she was being selfish or just blinded by her loneliness? How would having a child have changed the dynamics of their relationship?
8. When spring came again, so did war. This time David had taken more concubines, and stayed home a second time. He is restless and moody and dissatisfied until he sees Bathsheba bathing in her courtyard. How did he react to what he saw? Why do you think he made the decision he did rather than walk away?
9. Bathsheba obeys David’s summons, feeling trapped the minute she enters his rooms, yet drawn to his wooing her. How have her past feelings made her vulnerable for this moment? Could she have done anything different to guard her heart?
10. Bathsheba discovers she is pregnant. David handles the situation in all the wrong ways, committing some heinous sins. What might the outcome have been had he acted more nobly? Should he have risked his throne to tell the truth? Have you ever been in a situation that you thought would be improved by lying?
11. Of course, all of the king’s plans do not turn out as he’d hoped, and by the time the child is born, God is forced to step in and act, to get David to see his sin. Nathan the prophet shows up and tells David a story. How does the use of story help David see his own sin? How do you think God uses story today?
12. The death of the child devastates both David and Bathsheba. Even after God forgives them and gives them Solomon, they never quite escape the sword, that God said would never depart from their house. What consequences immediately followed Solomon’s birth? What trouble did God raise up in David’s own house?
13. Absalom’s rebellion was one of the biggest blows David suffered in all of his adult life. He mourned this son’s loss like no other. Have you ever known the pain of separation from one you loved? Have you ever blamed yourself for the choices of an adult child? Was David directly responsible for what Absalom did? How can we learn from David and Absalom?

Weblinks

»	Official web site for The Wives of King David
»	Author Jill Eileen Smith's web site

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