2 Samuel 11:22-27

Bathsheba Becomes David's Wife. 2 Samuel 11:22-27

22 So the messenger went, and came and showed David all that Joab had sent him for.
23 And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate.
24 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

25 Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.
26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

18.

What was David's reaction? 2 Samuel 11:25

When David got the full message delivered by the man sent by Joab, he sent word back to Joab in order to allay any suspicions which may have been aroused. He told the messenger to assure Joab that the king understood the reason for the strategy. He urged him not to be displeased on account of the outcome of the battle and became quite philosophical as he said, For the sword devoureth one as well as another. He sent word then that they should fight more valiantly against the city and overthrow it. Such would have been the normal message of a good king to a valiant soldier, and probably the messenger did not suspect anything.

19.

What was the apparent outcome of the matter? 2 Samuel 11:26-27

Bathsheba entered into the usual period of mourning for her husband. Her mourning may have been sincere, for she was a victim of circumstances to a great degree. After the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to his palace. Bathsheba became his wife, and the child which was to be born would have been considered as theirs rightfully. The final verses of the chapter point out the true circumstances. What they had done was a sin against God. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good (Proverbs 15:3). Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13).