David & Bathsheba Part I

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People. Two Jebbasides rose their spears to end David, but Uriah stepped in just in time. Uriah tackled one into the other, tumbling on the floor. Euriah was able to jab one with the blade and then strangle the other. 00:00:19 Speaker 2: I owe you one, Uriah, give me a healthy gift at my wedding. 00:00:24 Speaker 1: Uriah caught a fist and pivoted to throw another enemy over his shoulder. Uriah was a fierce warrior and loyal friend. David took more wives and bore more children, expanding his house and his name. 00:00:41 Speaker 3: Another wife. Then it's a lot to manage. My friend might be conscious, how many strings can a manti together before he strangles them? 00:00:58 Speaker 4: A glance became a gaze, and a gaze became a grave Shelloh, my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel, I'm l Extein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. You can conquer armies and still fall to a whisper. You can slay giants and crumble in a quiet room with no one watching. This is where we find David today. In Second Samuel, chapter eleven, the War is raging, but he's far from the front, and the king, who once refused to strike like Saul in a cave, now watches a woman bathe and doesn't look away. How does a man go from a worshiper to a withholder, from poet to a predator. That's the ache of this moment. This story is a slow erosion of the soul. Choice by choice, silence by silence, and maybe it's a warning for us too. 00:01:58 Speaker 1: This episode of The Chosen People with Yil Exstein contains explicit content that may be triggering for some listeners and inappropriate for young children. Listener discretion is advised. Spring came softly to Jerusalem like a lover's breath. The wind that swept over the city of David carried the scent of myrtle blossoms and olive groves, of warm earth and sweeter things. King David lay on a heap of silk cushions atop the highest terrace of the palace, his armor replaced by linen and a cup of red at his side. His feet were bare. He was at ease for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. Below him, the streets of the city bustled like veins in a living thing. But David watched them as a man half asleep, disinterested, detached. He had sent Joab to grind Ammon's bones to dust. Habishi rode beside him, and Uriah loyal upright. 00:03:13 Speaker 3: Uriah marched as. 00:03:14 Speaker 5: Well, I've earned a moment of peace. 00:03:19 Speaker 1: And yet peace like wine left too long in the sun con sour. He stood barefoot and wandered to the edge of the parabet, his fingers wrapped around the warm stone railing. He breathed in deeply and exhaled a king's weariness. He told himself he was tired, that was all. It was his right to lean back for a moment. It was his duty to have a moment of rest. At least, that's what he told himself. And then, as he leaned leisurely over the edge of his balcony, he saw her. It began with a shimmer, water catching light. A woman alone on the roof of a modest house was washing herself in a bronze basin. Her back was turned, her skin slick with oil and water. Dark hair hung wet down her spine. When she rose to rinse the linen about her waist, slipped low, and David's breath caught. He should have turned away, he did not. His hand gripped the wooden railing tighter. His dark and hungry eyes traced her every line and curve, as if memorizing a song. She bathed with a kind of sacred grace, unknowing and unashamed. The steam from her basin curled in the air, and at that moment she seemed less woman than enchantment. Dessert stirred in David like a slow burning charcoal fire. He watched her like one would a play. Enthralled, she wrapped herself at last in a simple cloth and vanished back into her home. The water on the roof cooled. The spell broke, but not in David. 00:05:24 Speaker 3: I must have her, She must be mine. 00:05:28 Speaker 1: David didn't think. He didn't pause, reflect or question his desires. He was carried by his desires like one would drift on a tide. He turned and called to one of his servants. 00:05:43 Speaker 2: You there, go to the house below, the one with the fig tree by the gate. Find out who lives there, the woman who was just bathing on the roof. Bring me her name. 00:05:58 Speaker 1: The servant bowed low and slipped away. Without question. David returned to his cushions and stretched himself like a cat in sunlight. He closed his eyes and wove her beauty into the folds of his memory. He would not sleep, not truly. His thoughts were aflame. He didn't consider the Lord, he didn't question his choices. He would ride the wave. The light was low when the servant returned, and the sky bled crimson across the stones of Jerusalem. David stirred from his half sleep, the scent of fragrant oils and flowers clinging to his robes and hair. A servant stood above him, voice, quiet but clear. 00:06:51 Speaker 6: My Lord, I have returned with news. 00:06:54 Speaker 1: David blinked, slow as a man coming out of a dream. He sat up, the cushions shifting beneath him. 00:07:02 Speaker 6: The woman you wanted me to find. Her name is Bathsheba, granddaughter of General a Hitherville, of your high counsel. 00:07:10 Speaker 1: The servant paused, emphasizing the next point. 00:07:14 Speaker 6: She's also the wife of Uriah, the Hittite, one of your own mighty men. 00:07:19 Speaker 3: I see. 00:07:22 Speaker 5: Uriah is away with Joah fighting the Ammonites, so. 00:07:29 Speaker 3: She's alone. 00:07:30 Speaker 1: David said nothing for a long while. The servant remained still as a shadow. There was a storm behind the King's eyes. He turned his face away and stared out at the sun's retreat, fingers clenched. 00:07:47 Speaker 3: At his side. 00:07:49 Speaker 1: This was no mistake, now, no idle gaze caught on beauty. This was a decision, a deliberate thing. He told him. He had earned this. He had fought giants, he had fled mad kings. He had bled, clawed, and wept his way to the crown. What was one night of pleasure to a man who had carried the weight of nations? 00:08:17 Speaker 3: Bring her to me. 00:08:18 Speaker 1: The servant did not reply. He bowed, turned and vanished into the evening. David went to his chamber and cast aside his robes Jonathan's robes, although the memory of Jonathan was far from David at the moment, as was the memory of the Lord. Candles were lit and wine was poured. He stood before the polished bronze mirror and saw the man staring back, Not the shepherd boy, not the giant slayer, not the warrior king beloved of the people, another man entirely. He straightened his collar, smoothed his beard, and waited. The city of Jerusalem lay quiet. The hush of midnight blanketing the homes of the innocent, But within the palace of the King, the fire still burned. David sat alone and stared into the flame. The fire crackled and hissed, licking up the dry wood with a hunger that matched his own. He felt it inside him, that same consuming heat. Then he heard the door creak open. The hinges groaned slow and solemn. The iron handles gave way to the servant's hand, and through the parting came the woman. She stepped into the din trembling light of the flames, and the room itself seemed to still. 00:10:06 Speaker 3: Bath Sheba. 00:10:08 Speaker 1: She wore a simple but elegant, pale linen robe. Her hair was unbound beneath the veil, falling in dark waves down her back, a river of night spilling over bare shoulders. Her hands were clasped before her, knuckles white from tension. The flicker of flame kissed her skin with amber light. The door closed behind her. They were alone. David said nothing, neither did she. They stared across the space between them, her silence filled with things unspoken. Bath Sheba bowed her head. Her voice, when it came was a whisper. Barely above breath. Yet it was unwake and decided. 00:11:02 Speaker 7: You summoned me. My lord, is the counsel of my grandfather. 00:11:06 Speaker 1: Growing stale, David raised his eyebrows at her daring confidence in the presence of a king. 00:11:13 Speaker 5: Is that what they say of me? Now that I've grown bored of counsel? 00:11:17 Speaker 7: They say many things of kings, my lord, but only a fool believes he is beyond counsel, and only a woman with no future forgets to listen. 00:11:25 Speaker 1: He failed to see the warning between her words. His desire blinded him. Instead, he rose and approached her. 00:11:35 Speaker 3: And I see you listened to my call. 00:11:39 Speaker 7: Of course, my king, I heed counsel. Now tell me what would a king want with a woman like me? 00:11:46 Speaker 1: Her eyes then slid up to meet his. They both knew it wasn't a question, not quite. She knew why she was here. No woman came to the king's chambered night unaware. She saw David, striking in his features, handsome in the firelight. 00:12:08 Speaker 3: Regal in his royal robes. 00:12:11 Speaker 1: Many women in Israel pined after him, But bath Sheba didn't have the luxury of desire. She wasn't given the luxury of considering what she would and would not want, she was beckoned by the king. It was less an invitation and more of a command. She had no control over that. But what she did have control over was how she presented herself. She could have cried, pleaded, begged him to send her home. She did none of those things. There was power in stillness, power in speaking last bath. Sheba had watched the men of her family long enough to learn the women who survived did so not by resisting, but by outlasting. And so she held his gaze, let him see. The woman he had summoned was not a lamb, but something quieter, harder. Her blade sheathed in silk, Her heart was torn in two. She was there and she had to accept it. But should she enjoy it? Should she play the game? Should she lean into her fate or fight it? Either way, she was David's. The king then closed the gap between them. Slowly he crossed the floor, his bare feet whispering against the rug bath. Sheba did not move, but betrayed the confidence of her voice and the decisiveness of her mind. Her hands trembled, her breath came short, and glad you came. 00:14:05 Speaker 7: And now that I'm here, What shall you do? 00:14:08 Speaker 1: David reached out and touched her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his own. He couldn't see the fear in her eyes. His desire blinded him. David's hand did not fall away. The last in his chest screamed louder than the voice in his soul. He kissed her, and she did not pull away. Perhaps she wanted to pull away, perhaps she wanted to lean in. It mattered little. Her choices were stripped from her as gently as the sleeves of her gown. The king was warm and strong, and the room spun with incense and whine. The night unfolded in silence and sin. David moved as though bewitched. Bath Shiba followed his every movement, resigning to the choice made for her. When her robe fully slipped from her shoulders, and when his lips found hers, they forgot the war, the crown, the laws of Moses, Uriah. David, poet warrior king made love like a starving man. And in the dark afterward, when she slept beside him and the fire burned low, David lay still and stared into the dying coals. He felt no shame, not yet, but it would come, it always does. Weeks passed, spring deepened, and the city of Jerusalem bloomed with blossoms and the scent of new life. But the king did not bloom with it. He buried his days beneath council meetings, coin counts and petitions, matters that should have stirred a ruler's pride, but now meant nothing. In truth, David was absent. His body remained, but his soul had fled. David was like a tree uprooted. 00:16:30 Speaker 3: From the water. 00:16:32 Speaker 1: He only thought of her, bath Sheba, every stolen second, every breathless gasp, every sigh beneath his skin. The taste of her had not left him, and worse, no pleasure could replace her. David bedded others, he tried, but the hunger remained. No perfume or soft sigh stirred him as she had. He had become a man gnawed by want, ruled by shadows. He turned to his servant, lounging silently near the stairwell. 00:17:11 Speaker 5: Bring her again, Tell Bathsheba, the king wishes to speak with her. 00:17:17 Speaker 1: The servant hesitated. He looked like a man with thorns behind his teeth. 00:17:23 Speaker 6: My Lord, bath Sheba has She's already asked to see you wonderful sin for her, and as always, say nothing to anyone. 00:17:36 Speaker 1: The door opened, Bathsheba came and cloaked, not in beauty but in burden. The linen draped her frame, but it could not hide her fear. David, ignorant, smiled and stepped forward. 00:17:53 Speaker 3: You look radiant, but. 00:17:55 Speaker 1: Bathsheba stepped back. There was silence, then her voice, fragile, broken. 00:18:04 Speaker 7: My King, I am with child. 00:18:07 Speaker 1: The words pierced like a spear. David's knees nearly gave beneath him. He gripped the edge of the table, blood draining from his face. 00:18:18 Speaker 3: Are you certain? 00:18:20 Speaker 1: Could it be your husband's Bathsheba's eyes turned sharp at that. What followed was a slow, simmering anger. She was no longer a submissive servant summoned to the courts of the king. Now that she bore the king's child within her, she could speak her mind. 00:18:41 Speaker 7: My husband, you mean Uriah Uryah, one of your generals. Euryah has been on the battlefield since the snow's melted. You know that you sent him. It's your child, and now now I'm alone, exposed, and and it's your fault. 00:19:11 Speaker 1: She did not scream, She did not weep like a widow in black. Her grief was quieter, more dangerous. She stood like a statue in the flames of what had been, and David the King felt smaller than he had ever felt. He wanted to cry out to the Lord, but he did not. David put a hand to his temple, then to his lips. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat. He whispered words, though he barely knew what they meant. 00:19:47 Speaker 5: I I'll make this right. It will be as if none of this happened. 00:19:52 Speaker 1: Bathsheba stepped back at that, wondering if she should be terrified. She certainly didn't trust him. 00:19:59 Speaker 5: I swear it, You'll be protected. No, no shame will come to you. 00:20:03 Speaker 7: No shame, No shame. What do you mean, no shame? 00:20:09 Speaker 8: Calm down, I'll I'll fix this how I'll send for your riyah. He return to your side, and and bet you the child will be his by right, and it would be like. 00:20:24 Speaker 7: What we did never even happened. You get to remain the anointed, righteous king of Israel, and I get the privilege of lying to my husband every day. Oh sounds fair. 00:20:37 Speaker 1: If David hadn't been lost in a sea of his own paranoia, he would have taken the jab to heart. But David was nowhere to be found, not the real David. This man was a ghost, a shell of the man who once knelt before Samuel. Bathsheba left and David sat for a long long time, staring into the darkened window. At last he called his servant again. 00:21:07 Speaker 5: Send word to joeb I want Uriah brought home from the war. 00:21:14 Speaker 1: The servant bowed, but even as the message was sent, David knew this would not be fixed with ink and scrolls. He had taken the first step off the cliff. The fall had only begun. 00:21:37 Speaker 4: This one stings. You want to look away, you want to skip past the room, You want to fast forward to redemption. But the Bible doesn't flinch. There's no triumph in this chamber, no song, only the sound of a man drowning quietly in his own desire. David, the one that we love, the one that we name our sons after, the one who danced with abandon and he wept with insecurity. He's here, stripped of all that once made him beautiful. And Batsheva, she isn't a footnote. She isn't just a temptation. She is a daughter of confidant, pulled into a game that she never asked to play. This story doesn't resolve in the verses, it breaks, and sometimes that's exactly what we need. Let's take a closer look at what this Bible story actually says. Verse two tells us that from the rooftop, King David saw a woman bathing. Now, some versages say that this was the beginning of David's sin what he saw. They argue that a person is great and as pious as David shouldn't have been concentrating on this view. I think we all know how hard it is to restrain ourselves from the temptation of doing something wrong. Sometimes we're successful and other times we're not. And although we might have expected did more restraint from someone like King David's stature, sometimes were successful and sometimes were not. Although many of us might have expected more restraint from someone of King David's stature. But let's also be clear, the story that we'll be looking over at the next couple of days is one of the most difficult stories in the entire Bible. We don't like seeing the greatest of us fall Dewey. We don't like to be reminded that our heroes are human. And while the Bible is very clear about David Sin, many great Bible scholars have tried to find ways to at least partially exonerate him, because of his greatness and because he's so central to this story that we're studying each day, the story of the Chosen People. But there's one comment by the great sage Don Isaac Barbinel that I think is the most direct and that really holds to the simple meaning found in this Bible story. I'll quote it for you in English, of course, this is what he says. If the text calls him a sinner, and he acknowledges his own sin, then how could anyone make any mistake in believing him? Seems to me better to say that he did indeed sin very gravely, and he acknowledged his sin very profoundly, and returned in complete repentance and accepted his punishment, and it was for this reason that his sins were atoned for that is deep. We have so much to learn from this story by looking at it directly in the face, not by shying away. The Bible doesn't sanitize things does it? It gives us the truth, the raw truth, and the truth, my friends, is sacred even when it stings, maybe especially when it stings. David's failure here is breathtaking and tragic, and yet beneath it all there's still hope. Sin is real, but so is return. The Chosen People have long wrestled with this. How can someone so beloved fall so deeply? And what does God do with the broken aftermath? The answer lives in a Hebrew word. We keep returning to tshuva. You might translate it as repentance, but it means to return, to come back, to repent to Shuva. Even the greatest of us stumble, But what defines us isn't the faalst whether we remember how to walk home. We don't need a crown to fall into complacency. It can happen in traffic, on our couch, in an unlocked phone screen, or an unspoken grudge. So ask yourself, where have you've fallen into complacency? What part of your soul is stretched out on a cushion gazing at rooftops. Just like in the Bible, God is calling each of us his chosen people, to stand up and return to him. 00:26:00 Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People with Isle Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey dot Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Schllabager and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, Kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dog compraduct auctions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed the Chosen People with Yile Egstein. Please rate and leave a review,