An Unsung Hero
An Unsung Hero
By Dr. Danny Purvis
It is interesting to me that often buried in very familiar events in the Bible, there is a person involved in the event that many people seem to forget. And if not outright forgotten, oftentimes pushed to the periphery of the narrative. We remember the main participants and the obvious details of the story, but we also, many times, do not pay attention to a person that in literary terms might be considered a “minor character”. Such is the case with this particular event. And what event is that? The story of David’s adulterous relationship with Bathsheba.
Most Believers are at least tangentially aware of this horrible moment in the life of David. The details and the aftermath can be found in the 11th and 12th chapters of 2 Samuel. As I said, most Believers are aware of the basic and most sordid details of this story. David, from an elevated position of his house observed a young lady bathing. The Scripture tells us that he saw that the woman was “very beautiful to behold” (2 Samuel 11:2b). Not satisfied with simply gawking at her, he then inquired about her and was told that her name was Bathsheba and that she was married to a man named Uriah. What comes next is very predictable.
David sent emissaries to Bathsheba with orders to bring her to him…which they did. Unfortunately for everyone involved, David engaged with an illicit relationship with Bathsheba. And that could have been the end of the story. No one need know what actually happened. However, David proved the Bible right in Numbers 32:21 when Moses warned us all that: “Be sure your sins will find you out”. I am sure that neither David nor Bathsheba ever counted on her getting pregnant as a result of this ill-conceived dalliance, but that is exactly what happened. And what David then did next was also predictable. He panicked.
Terrified that this private sin would become public, he arranged a series of events that would cover up his iniquity. We’ll get into the details in just a second. When these attempts failed, he did the unthinkable. Since Uriah was a soldier in his army, David sent word to his senior general, Joab, that in the next battle Uriah was to be sent to the front lines and then abandoned to ensure his death in battle. Let me truncate that elaborate plan…David had Uriah murdered. And he had this man murdered in an attempt to hide his horrendous sin. But that is the short part of the story.
Though we are intimately aware of the details of this entire sordid affair, we often do not reflect as much as we should on the person of Uriah. Oh, we know his name. And we see him as an innocent pawn in this terrible plan. But he does oftentimes register more as an afterthought in this story as we focus on David and Bathsheba (and later on David’s priest Nathan). However, as easy as it is to see David as the villain in this tawdry tale, it is just as important that we see Uriah as the unsung hero. In fact, these two men are actually portrayed as opposites in this drama. In other words, Uriah is actually the anti-David here. What do I mean by that?
Well, of course David’s initial response was not to have Uriah killed. He had a much more involved and deceptive plan in mind. Let’s go back to the beginning to see how Uriah is set up as the antithesis of David. First, there is an important, blink and you miss it moment at the beginning. The author tells us in 2 Samuel 11:1 that it was spring and that it was a time when “kings went out to battle”. However, at the end of that verse we are told: “But David remained at Jerusalem”. The inclusion of this information along with the use of the word “but” certainly implies criticism. David was not with his soldiers as he was supposed to be. He was shirking his duties. He was not with his men in the field which left him in a spiritually vulnerable position. Here is where it gets interesting.
David’s original plan was to make it look like Bathsheba had been impregnated by her husband Uriah. Uriah, of course, was right where he was supposed to be and where David was supposed to be. David knew that for this ruse to work, he would need Uriah to be back in Jerusalem. So, he sent word to bring Uriah from the front and back to Jerusalem. Using the excuse that he was inquiring of Uriah how the war was going, David then told Uriah to go home. He even sent along a nice meal with him. The implication here is clear. David figured that Uriah would do what any husband would do on leave from a long absence from his wife. Uriah would sleep with his wife and her pregnancy would then seem to come from that union. But that’s not what happened.
Much to David’s chagrin, he was told that Uriah did not go home but instead slept on the ground outside of the door of David’s house. When grilled by David as to why he did not go home, Uriah’s answer was filled with the honor that David abandoned. In a nutshell, Uriah told David that Joab and his brothers-in-arms were all still out in the field and were not able to come home to eat, drink and lay with their wives. He concluded by saying: “As you live and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing”. See the difference that we are supposed to see between Uriah and David? Not only did Uriah refuse David’s “generosity”, he added that because of his loyalty to his brothers and his loyalty to David, he could not with a clear conscience do this thing. He was telling David that to do this would be dishonorable.
Not done yet, David then tried again. He commanded that Uriah stick around another couple of days, bit this time he upped the ante. David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him to one end. He wanted to get Uriah drunk. He figured that if he could do that, then Uriah’s inhibitions would wane and that his thinking would be muddled. Surely in this drunken, less inhibited state Uriah would find his way to his and his wife’s bed. But again, despite this unscrupulous tactic, Uriah kept his honor and simply slept in the servant’s quarters until morning. It was only after all of this that David embarked on his murderous plan that ended with Uriah’s death and the subsequent pain that would mark the remainder of David’s reign. In this story, Uriah is the hero.
I want to be Uriah in this story. Every way that David acted dishonorably, Uriah acted with honor. Every way that David behaved wrongly, Uriah behaved rightly. As David is the poster boy here for doing everything wrong, Uriah in this event did everything right. He is the picture of how we are supposed to act. David, a man after God’s own heart, is the picture of all that we are supposed to avoid. Simply put, Uriah does not get the recognition he deserves in this story. This event is often referred to as “David’s sin with Bathsheba”. Maybe we should start calling it “Uriah’s display of courage and honor”. Just food for thought.
-Dr. Danny Purvis
By Dr. Danny Purvis
It is interesting to me that often buried in very familiar events in the Bible, there is a person involved in the event that many people seem to forget. And if not outright forgotten, oftentimes pushed to the periphery of the narrative. We remember the main participants and the obvious details of the story, but we also, many times, do not pay attention to a person that in literary terms might be considered a “minor character”. Such is the case with this particular event. And what event is that? The story of David’s adulterous relationship with Bathsheba.
Most Believers are at least tangentially aware of this horrible moment in the life of David. The details and the aftermath can be found in the 11th and 12th chapters of 2 Samuel. As I said, most Believers are aware of the basic and most sordid details of this story. David, from an elevated position of his house observed a young lady bathing. The Scripture tells us that he saw that the woman was “very beautiful to behold” (2 Samuel 11:2b). Not satisfied with simply gawking at her, he then inquired about her and was told that her name was Bathsheba and that she was married to a man named Uriah. What comes next is very predictable.
David sent emissaries to Bathsheba with orders to bring her to him…which they did. Unfortunately for everyone involved, David engaged with an illicit relationship with Bathsheba. And that could have been the end of the story. No one need know what actually happened. However, David proved the Bible right in Numbers 32:21 when Moses warned us all that: “Be sure your sins will find you out”. I am sure that neither David nor Bathsheba ever counted on her getting pregnant as a result of this ill-conceived dalliance, but that is exactly what happened. And what David then did next was also predictable. He panicked.
Terrified that this private sin would become public, he arranged a series of events that would cover up his iniquity. We’ll get into the details in just a second. When these attempts failed, he did the unthinkable. Since Uriah was a soldier in his army, David sent word to his senior general, Joab, that in the next battle Uriah was to be sent to the front lines and then abandoned to ensure his death in battle. Let me truncate that elaborate plan…David had Uriah murdered. And he had this man murdered in an attempt to hide his horrendous sin. But that is the short part of the story.
Though we are intimately aware of the details of this entire sordid affair, we often do not reflect as much as we should on the person of Uriah. Oh, we know his name. And we see him as an innocent pawn in this terrible plan. But he does oftentimes register more as an afterthought in this story as we focus on David and Bathsheba (and later on David’s priest Nathan). However, as easy as it is to see David as the villain in this tawdry tale, it is just as important that we see Uriah as the unsung hero. In fact, these two men are actually portrayed as opposites in this drama. In other words, Uriah is actually the anti-David here. What do I mean by that?
Well, of course David’s initial response was not to have Uriah killed. He had a much more involved and deceptive plan in mind. Let’s go back to the beginning to see how Uriah is set up as the antithesis of David. First, there is an important, blink and you miss it moment at the beginning. The author tells us in 2 Samuel 11:1 that it was spring and that it was a time when “kings went out to battle”. However, at the end of that verse we are told: “But David remained at Jerusalem”. The inclusion of this information along with the use of the word “but” certainly implies criticism. David was not with his soldiers as he was supposed to be. He was shirking his duties. He was not with his men in the field which left him in a spiritually vulnerable position. Here is where it gets interesting.
David’s original plan was to make it look like Bathsheba had been impregnated by her husband Uriah. Uriah, of course, was right where he was supposed to be and where David was supposed to be. David knew that for this ruse to work, he would need Uriah to be back in Jerusalem. So, he sent word to bring Uriah from the front and back to Jerusalem. Using the excuse that he was inquiring of Uriah how the war was going, David then told Uriah to go home. He even sent along a nice meal with him. The implication here is clear. David figured that Uriah would do what any husband would do on leave from a long absence from his wife. Uriah would sleep with his wife and her pregnancy would then seem to come from that union. But that’s not what happened.
Much to David’s chagrin, he was told that Uriah did not go home but instead slept on the ground outside of the door of David’s house. When grilled by David as to why he did not go home, Uriah’s answer was filled with the honor that David abandoned. In a nutshell, Uriah told David that Joab and his brothers-in-arms were all still out in the field and were not able to come home to eat, drink and lay with their wives. He concluded by saying: “As you live and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing”. See the difference that we are supposed to see between Uriah and David? Not only did Uriah refuse David’s “generosity”, he added that because of his loyalty to his brothers and his loyalty to David, he could not with a clear conscience do this thing. He was telling David that to do this would be dishonorable.
Not done yet, David then tried again. He commanded that Uriah stick around another couple of days, bit this time he upped the ante. David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him to one end. He wanted to get Uriah drunk. He figured that if he could do that, then Uriah’s inhibitions would wane and that his thinking would be muddled. Surely in this drunken, less inhibited state Uriah would find his way to his and his wife’s bed. But again, despite this unscrupulous tactic, Uriah kept his honor and simply slept in the servant’s quarters until morning. It was only after all of this that David embarked on his murderous plan that ended with Uriah’s death and the subsequent pain that would mark the remainder of David’s reign. In this story, Uriah is the hero.
I want to be Uriah in this story. Every way that David acted dishonorably, Uriah acted with honor. Every way that David behaved wrongly, Uriah behaved rightly. As David is the poster boy here for doing everything wrong, Uriah in this event did everything right. He is the picture of how we are supposed to act. David, a man after God’s own heart, is the picture of all that we are supposed to avoid. Simply put, Uriah does not get the recognition he deserves in this story. This event is often referred to as “David’s sin with Bathsheba”. Maybe we should start calling it “Uriah’s display of courage and honor”. Just food for thought.
-Dr. Danny Purvis
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