URIAH AND BATHSHEBA

Uriah and Bathsheba were a couple. Uriah is a Hebrew name meaning ‘God is my light’. He was believed to have converted to Judaism so as to be recruited into David’s army. The word ‘Hittite’ is from the Hebrew word ‘Heth’ who was one of the sons of Canaan from the lineage of Ham. Ham was an accursed son of Noah.  Uriah was so devoted to service, such that it left his comrades in awe of his decision to forgo the remaining months of his absence leave as against duty calls.

Ham was believed to be the father of the African nation. Uriah and Bathsheba were believed to be descendants of Canaan.
Click here to read the previous episode:  Who is King David?

Bathsheba

Bathsheba was Eliam’s daughter and Ahithophel’s granddaughter. She was a woman of unusual A typical Jewish mikvahbeauty. Her marriage to the Hittite was more of her grandfather’s will. Earnestly desiring to settle with an eligible bachelor who lived a simple civilian life, having seen more wars in her girlhood days than she could remember. Fortunately, she had learned the art of self-defense by instinct, having stayed with her shrewd grandfather for a better part of her days, and having to play hostess to the duo (Ahithophel and David) when they had secret contacts in Ahithophel’s abode.  

Having lived amongst warriors, she had been circumstantially conditioned to love them. Nevertheless, she sought for true rest. Her first few months of marriage to the Hittite warrior left much to be desired. The marriage between Uriah and Bathsheba was formal!

Bathsheba’s countenance transitioned swiftly when Uriah informed her of his decision to go to war. She could recount the few times they had been intimate as man and wife. Uriah was a far cry from being romantic.
Perceiving her girlhood fantasies had been a mirage, she gnashed her teeth in disillusionment. Was it her fate to live amongst warriors and blood-thirsty men?

Uriah was already undergoing the re-mobilization protocol as required of soldiers who had officially ended their marital absence leave. He had left a note (a customary bill of divorce) with Bathsheba too; It was one that allowed the wives of soldiers to re-marry should they die while on active service!

Bathsheba was lonelier than she was in the days of her spinsterhood; she cast a steady gaze at the mirror as though carefully scrutinizing her feminine physique. How that she had been the dream of many men before she was married to Uriah. She wondered if she was not captivating enough to make Uriah desire completion of his absence leave just to be with her. Quite honestly, she desired to be loved, out of love and not necessarily out of duty. She wondered if her marriage to Uriah was born out of love or out of his desire to add another feather to his cap in his military career.

How she admired David, (from his travail in the wilderness to when he was king over Hebron, capital of Judah), his strength, boldness, agility, and masculinity …all were quite endearing to her!  How the King must be in readiness to face his foes, as usual. He must have temporarily resigned from making melodies on the psaltery and the harp. A part of her had always desired to read much of his poetic anthologies. His unwavering love for the LORD was not in question. He was soft spoken and artistic in the art of poetry and music, yet fearless and fierce on the battlefield.

Bathsheba brooded in untold sadness, rolling over her bedside, as though it was a cure for the widening gap impacted by this overwhelming envelope of loneliness. One might not assume she was unfriendly, she only had few friends, not being a Jew by birth.

The thought of spending some weeks at her mother’s place vanished when she remembered the mikvah immersion bath. According to Jewish purity laws, a woman must wait seven days after her menses ends before her cleansing in the mikvah.

A typical Jewish mikvah

The mikvah was an ancient sacred pool for ritual baths. Ancient Jewish women perform this cleansing exercise so as to resume sexual relations with her husband.  Wives who tend to rebellious are often deliberately unwilling to have their ritual baths, men who have sex with such women are referred to as being unclean.

Having done her calculations well enough to know that she might soon be ovulating since her menstrual cycle was short. She concluded on staying with her mother after her bath since it was just two days to the end of the 7 days period of waiting.

Michal

No sooner than David pulled the last string on his acoustic guitar than he heard troubled stomps of feet which became louder as they approached him. Which of his wives would be so daring?

He hated been interrupted on the job. Michal should have stayed long enough in the palace to have known that. She was obviously troubled and somewhat pictured an embittered woman with bottled up emotions. Michal’s complaints of being abandoned fell on insensitive ears as David adjusted his musical kits in their designated position. In a swiftly made way to the larger expanse of his chambers as though he needed some space.

David looked at her face, as though searching for the right words of response as she ranted on. Michal reminded David of her undying love for him and that her marriage to Palti was against her will. David perceived Michal to be a fair-weather wife. Her eyes were bloodshot with anger when David made this revelation. She was the political bait with which David assumed the throne, being Saul’s daughter. Almost immediately, her lips quivered faintly, uttering no word. One might fear that she must have gone numb from anguish as she silently but purposefully exited David’s chambers.

To be continued…

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GOD BLESS YOU