11 — Samuel

When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she mourned. She tore her garments and wept for seven days. And when the days of mourning were over, David sent for her and brought her into his house. She became his wife and bore him a son.

To the court, to the city, to the army—it was a king’s quiet kindness to a widow.

But Uriah did not go home. He slept at the palace gate, wrapped in his cloak, with the king’s servants. samuel 11

The restlessness of idleness settled on him. He rose from his couch and walked onto the rooftop. Below, in a quiet courtyard, a woman was bathing. The light caught the water on her skin, and David, the man after God’s own heart, stopped. He did not turn away.

He sealed the letter with his own royal signet. Then he called Uriah back. “Carry this dispatch to Joab,” David said, looking the loyal soldier in the eye. “Go with courage.” When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she mourned

And the thing David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.

When she returned to her house, she carried with her a secret. Weeks later, a message arrived for the king: “I am with child.” She became his wife and bore him a son

David listened, his face a mask. To the messenger, he said coldly, “Tell Joab not to let this trouble him. The sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen the attack against the city and overthrow it.”

Joab read the letter. He understood. He did not question the king. That night, he launched an assault on the city walls. In the place where the enemy’s archers were strongest, he placed Uriah and a few other men. The arrows flew. Uriah the Hittite fell, his blood soaking into the foreign soil of Ammon.

But the Lord saw.