Tag: Bathsheba

Psalm 89: A Hymn in Time of National Struggle – Part III
Psalm 89: A Hymn in Time of National Struggle – Part III

Thursday, January 23, 2025

The next several posts were published in 2018, and they seem appropriate this year in a time when nations around the globe struggle to find effective, authentic, life-giving governance.

Peter Frederick Rothermel: Thou Art the Man (2 Samuel 12:7)

Finding the Servant

Moving forward into 2 Samuel, we see that King Saul and his son Jonathan die, the former David’s nemesis, the latter David’s dearest friend. Ordering the execution of the messenger who brings him this news, David says, You brought this on yourself. You condemned yourself when you confessed that you killed the one whom the Lord chose to be king. And so we consider, when we navigate the turbulent waters of national conflict, do we live by the standards of our times or do we open our hearts to other ways?

Following instructions and bolstered by the Lord, the young king leads his troops in victory as they bring the Ark back to Jerusalem. We might pause in chapter 6 for the accounting of Uzzah who acts in his own time rather than God’s; and we watch David move forward cautiously in the arc of his reign. In Chapter 7, David prays, Sovereign Lord! What more can I say to you! You know me, your servant. It was your will and purpose to do this; you have done all these great things in order to instruct me. How great you are, Sovereign Lord! And so as we reflect we consider, Do we add to the violence or do we work for the way of peace?

Juan Gimenez Martin: In the Harem

In Chapters 11 and 12, we discover that the gifted and blessed young king succumbs to the easy temptation of deceit, infidelity, betrayal and even murder. The prophet Nathan uses a parable to bring David to the reality of his offenses. Nathan said to David. “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I made you king of Israel and rescued you from Saul. I gave you his kingdom and his wives; I made you king over Israel and Judah. If this had not been enough, I would have given you twice as much. Why, then, have you disobeyed my commands? David confesses and repents, and then he hears the news that darkness will cloud his own future. The intertwining lives of David, Nathan, Bathsheba, Uriah and the yet unborn sons Solomon and Absalom play out before us. And so as we reflect we consider, Do we add to the violence we experience or do we look for the way of peace?

The faithful servant stumbles. Our generous God forgives. Betrayal or fidelity, desperation or hope, hatred or love. Clear choices with difficult paths lie before us when the word of the Lord is rare and visions are scarce in our lives.

We hear this story . . . we take it in . . . and then we reply . . . O Lord, I will always sing of your constant love; I will proclaim your faithfulness forever.

Tomorrow, God always abides.

Compare other translations of these verses by using the scripture links and drop-down menus.

For other reflections on Uzzah and the ox cart, enter his name into the blog search bar and explore.

Images from: https://allenvandermeulen.org/2015/08/02/sermon-silence/ and
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January 23, 2025

2 Samuel, Bathsheba, David, Jonathan, Nathan, Urriah, Uzzah
2 Samuel 11 and 12: Conversion – Part I
2 Samuel 11 and 12: Conversion – Part I

Thursday, February 8, 2024

We visit this story about once a year as we journey together at Noontime, and here it is again. We have reflected on the narrative and how Psalm 51 – the beautiful song of contrition and yearning – rises from this account of lust, adultery and murder. We have also spent time thinking about how David succumbs to very human emotions only to later rise to his divine best self by finally facing the truth about his own actions. We have spent a bit of time with Bathsheba, wondering what more we might learn from her if only we had more details of her life. Today we meditate a bit on the role that Nathan plays in this drama: the truth-revealer who is wise with words and strong with God, the prophet who becomes the instrument of David’s conversion.

This is a fitting path to continue as today we celebrate the conversion of St. Paul, the devout Pharisee who was known for his persecution of the followers of The Way who becomes one of the most fearless defenders of the Christ story. A wonderful book to read about Paul’s conversion, particularly as it parallels the life of Christ, is Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives by Jerome Murphy-O’Conner. The writer delineates for us the thesis that both Paul and Christ experience not one but two major conversions: a conversion of heart and a conversion of vocation. Using scripture and other ancient texts, Murphy-O’Conner supports this idea to lead us through his thinking that understanding our conversion is one thing. Acting on it is another.

Tomorrow, from Saul to Paul.

For a reflection on Paul’s conversion with an audio link, visit: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/conversion-of-saint-paul/

Adapted from a January 25, 2009 Favorite.

Image from: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Paul-Parallel-Jerome-Murphy-OConnor/dp/0814651739
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February 8, 2024

Bathsheba, Jerome Murphy-O’Conner, Nathan, St. Paul
1 & 2 Chronicles: Our Sacred History – Part II
1 & 2 Chronicles: Our Sacred History – Part II

Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 2023

Cornelis de Vos: King David handing the Scepter to Solomon

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done . . .

As we move from childhood to maturity, we take on commitments and we either fulfill or turn away from promises. As we seize control of as many facets of our lives as possible, we also strive for success as the world around us identifies it. And somewhere in the blur of activity and struggle, they is always the chance that we might move away from the core of who and what we are.

In the story of David and Solomon we find two men, and the women who surround them, scrabble to come out on top and in front, surrounded by security, relaxing into comfort. The details of David’s anointing and rise, his battles with both his enemies and King Saul he has pledged to serve, are all benchmarks in David’s life. So are his interactions with Michal and Bathsheba, and the prophet Nathan. David’s son Solomon must also struggle against heavy odds to survive into adulthood and to assume his father’s seat of power; but later he succumbs to the wishes of others and the lure of success and fame. Details of a temple are laid out and even include specifics about music, vessels and decorations. Life at court attracts both those who support and those who tear down what once was full of hope.

How do we arrive at the peak of power in our lives? What do we store up for the journey ahead and what do we jettison? What do we tend to and what do we ignore? Does our relationship with God grow or diminish? Have we found wisdom that nourishes and serenity that heals . . . and do these gifts from God even matter to us?

Today we take time to examine our lives to see how or if we have followed God’s lead in the living of our hours on earth, and to examine the kind of kingdom we have been building. We consider what we have set aside as having great value and what we have cast off as holding us down. And we discover, in the many relationships and encounters we have experienced, that both our storehouse and the debris we leave behind reveal a great deal about who and what we have become.

The two books of Chronicles have four major portions: a genealogy of our leaders beginning with Abraham (1 Chronicles 1-9), a description of the monarchy under David and Solomon (1 Chronicles 9 – 2 Chronicles 9), the divided kingdom (2 Chronicles 10-18), and the period from Hezekiah to the Babylonian exile (2 Chronicles 19-36). This story of divine promise interwoven with human commitment and infidelity tell a story that we might see reflected in our own personal sacred history. This story is worthy of our time over the next few days.

Image from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cornelis_de_Vos_-_King_David_presenting_the_sceptre_to_Solomon.jpg
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May 28, 2023

Bathsheba, David, fame, hollow success, kingdom, Michal, power, promises, Solomon, storehouse, The Temple
Psalm 51: Contrition
Psalm 51: Contrition

March 14, 2022

The most famous of the lament psalms, this prayer is said often during the Lenten season; it is also called Prayer of Repentance. It was written after David sinned with Bathsheba and their child was lost (2 Samuel 11 and 12).

“The first part (3-10) asks deliverance from sin, which is not just a past act but its emotional, physical, and social consequences. The second part (11-19) seeks something more profound than wiping the slate clean: nearness to God, living by the spirit of God (12-13), like the relation between God and people described in Jer. 21, 33-34. Nearness to God brings joy and the authority to teach sinners (15-16). Such proclamation is better than offering sacrifice (17-19). The last two verses ask for the rebuilding of Jerusalem (20-21) . . . Most scholars think that these verses were added to the psalm some time after the destruction of the temple in 587 B.C. The verses assume that the rebuilt temple will be the ideal site for national reconciliation”. (Senior 680-681)

The elements that help to bring us to reconciliation in this prayer are the call to be cleansed and purified with the sprinkling of the hyssop – a woody bush whose small branches were used in ceremonial sprinkling as prescribed by Mosaic Law – the acknowledgment that our wrongdoings effect every part of us – even our inmost heart – and the understanding that true reconciliation comes only through God’s healing hand. The writer of this psalm knows and expresses the idea that we of ourselves are nothing and can do nothing . . . other than act in and of God.

Let us offer up this prayer today as we continue to pray for the people of Ukraine.

Tomorrow, miserere.

Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.680-681. Print.

Image from: https://scripturestudyjournal.wordpress.com/category/repentance/

Adapted from a reflection written on February 11, 2010.
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March 14, 2022

Bathsheba, David, Mosaic Law, repentance
1 Kings 1: Joy and Turmoil
Wednesday, October 27, 2021

1 Kings 1

Joy and Turmoil

We continue our journey as we visit with scripture looking for stories about joy that will surprise us in a number of ways. To explore other stories in which joy astounds us, click on the word Joy in the categories cloud in the blog’s right hand sidebar and choose a reflection, or enter the word Joy in the blog search bar. You may also want to visit the Joy for the Journey blog at www.joyforthee.blogspot.com to see how joy surprises you there. Today our story is from the Book of Kings.

It does not take much imagination to envision the picture painted here in this opening chapter of the long books of Kings. David has reached old age and the many sons, wives, concubines and courtiers all jockey for the throne of this now powerful nation.

Julia Margaret Cameron: Study of King David

God says: When you read these verses you will see how the plans of men and women come to nothing when they are made without me. You will also see how my faithful servant David includes me in his plans even when he must rely on family, friends and counselors to do his bidding. As you read this story, do not lament David’s old age or feebleness. Do not worry about the turmoil you see on these pages in such a way that you forget me. Do not rely on your own resources alone when you find strife in your own lives for where there is confusion and injustice I am also there. When you remember how David’s leaps of joy stir great jealousy in others, remember also that this darkness does not destroy him. Remember that with the grimness of suspicion David also knows the jubilation of joy. He is not foolish to rely on me, to trust in me. And neither are you . . .

Visit 1 Kings to read more of this story.

For more about anxiety and joy, click on the image above or visit: http://riselikeair.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/anxiety-joy-a-journey/

Image from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Study_of_King_David,_by_Julia_Margaret_Cameron.jpg
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October 27, 2021

Bathsheba, David, joy, Nathan
Matthew 7:1: Stop Judging
Sunday, November 15, 2020

Matthew 7:1

Stop Judging

Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

We have explored the story of David, Bathsheba and Nathan (2 Samuel 11 and 12) to find that Nathan uses a simple story of a poor man and his ewe lamb to bring King David to the reality of his actions.

Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

We have examined the story to find that little is said of Bathsheba and Uriah; the focus of this tale is on David and Nathan.

Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

We have reflected on how Nathan calls forth David’s secret with a parable rather than an accusation.

Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

We have watched how God works quietly in the lives of these two men who live so closely in a common goal.

Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

We might also examine our own lives to see what dark secrets we harbor at great cost.

Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

We might also reflect on the words and stories brought to us by trusted friends and colleagues.

Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

We might also watch to see how God works wonderfully in our own lives.

Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

Wayne Dyer

We might speak with friends and colleagues in parables that call forth truth.

Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

We might listen to friends and colleagues who speak in love with the words God gives to them, rather than judging.

“We often judge our insides which we know intimately, by other people’s outsides, because that is all we can see”. Excerpt from The Mindful Way Through Anxiety by Susan M. Orsillo, Phd and Lizabeth Roemer, PhD. Click on the Wayne Dyer quote to read more, or . . .

Enter the word relationships into the blog search bar and reflect on the parables you might give and receive.

Image from: http://www.greeleylawyers.com/recovery/
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November 15, 2020

Bathsheba, David, Nathan, relationships
2 Samuel 11-12 and Psalm 51: Sin and Parable – Part V
Friday, November 12, 2020

2 Samuel 11 and 12 and Psalm 51

Sin and Parable – Part VI

Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

I always wonder about Bathsheba. e might see her as one dimensional, a figure standing for beauty and grace, a woman-object, a child-bearer. Yet she endures in David’s court. And while she shares in David’s act, no mention is made of her grief or guilt, most likely because she is a female, chattel in these ancient times. We can imagine how much she may have suffered. She continues to appear in Kings and in Chronicles and is revered as Solomon’s mother, yet she is a quiet back-figure in this long-running story of sin and parable.

Let me hear joy and gladness, let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

It is appropriate that this story come to us as we near the end of the Liturgical year and prepare for Advent. The beautiful psalm of repentance, Psalm 51, was written when Nathan came to David after having committed adultery.

Oh Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise.

When we sing this song of repentance we are repeating the words of one who has lusted, one who has slept with another’s beloved, one who has arranged murder. This is fitting, for in some way we all transgress on those around us when we covet, take or tear down something or someone. And there are many small ways in which we end a life beyond the physical act of murder. We might destroy someone emotionally, professionally, psychologically or spiritually. et, there is always mercy to be sought . . . and granted.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will turn back to you.

There is much to be heard in this story. There is much to be lived, much to be sung. David takes something he wants. David destroys. Nathan speaks. Nathan restores. Relationships cannot be put back as they had been, time cannot be reversed, and although Uriah cannot return, some quality, some relationship reappears. Bridges can be built. Pride can be put aside. Transgressions can be brought to light. Forgiveness can be sought and given. Restoration can happen.

Miracles can take place . . . souls can be saved.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

What do we do when Nathan stands before us? How do we react? When confronted by big sin, we need a big spirit. We need constant relationships which help us to develop rather than comfortable friends who discourage us from growth or who encourage us to wallow. We need a steadfast spirit, a renewed heart, an eager soul. We need God. And these we have all been given. We need only take them up and commit ourselves to them.

Create in me a pure heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Create in me an open willingness to listen. Renew in me a faithful heart that takes in the world.

Amen.

To discover the medicinal uses of hyssop and how it was used in ancient times, click on the botanical image above or go to: http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hyssop48.html

Second image from: http://mydaybook.wikidot.com/giant-hyssop

Adapted from a reflection written on February 13, 2008.
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November 12, 2020

Bathsheba, David, healing, miracles, Nathan, relationships, restoration, Uriah
2 Samuel 11-12 and Psalm 51: Sin and Parable – Part II
Monday, November 9, 2020

Pieter Lastman: David hands the Letter to Uriah

2 Samuel 11 and 12 and Psalm 51

Sin and Parable – Part II

Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

The story is a famous one: David succumbs to human lust and he takes something which belongs to another. When Bathsheba conceives, he tries to trick her husband Uriah into a scenario in which the king’s child can be passed off as Uriah’s. When Uriah’s purity and faithfulness to Yahweh get in the way, David arranges the murder of this good and loyal man. A terrible tale. Nathan brings David the parable of a man who steals a beloved object from another. David at first is angry, then admits his guilt and expresses regret and grief for the damage he has done.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

Lust, Adultery, Murder. These are all acts of selfishness, of obliqueness, of anger. There is nothing direct here, nothing open or honest. These acts take place in shadow and in deep places. There is no light. There is no truth.

Let us consider the sins we have committed either actively or by leaving undone an action we have been called to complete. Let us consider how these commissions and omissions separate us from all that we are meant to be and do. And let us consider what these sins have to say about who we are.

Let us consider how many parables Jesus teaches us with his words. Let us consider how many parables Jesus teaches us with his actions. And let us consider how many parables our own lives teach.

Visit one of the Gospels and choose a parable that Jesus teaches us. Spend time with it today reflecting on how we might teach others through our actions rather than our words.

Tomorrow we consider the sacrifice God asks of us.

Adapted from a reflection written on February 13, 2008.

Image from: https://www.theleidencollection.com/artwork/david-and-uriah/
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November 9, 2020

anger, Bathsheba, David, guilt, loyalty, Nathan, purity, regret, Uriah
2 Samuel 13: Seeking Intimacy
2 Samuel 13: Seeking Intimacy

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Desire, love, lust. Lashing back in hurt and surprise, angry retaliation, calculated revenge. Family relations churn and twist as we read this story which is similar and yet different from the stories of Bathsheba and Dinah, as the HARPER COLLINS COMMENTARY points out. Family values and family sickness shatter human lives as these people roil in deceit and turmoil. David, the father, king and leader, does nothing . . . can do nothing . . . but watch as his family self destructs – for he himself is culpable. As the commentary states: David’s hands are tied because his sons are merely mimicking his own sick behavior. These people seek intimacy with one another and with God . . . and do not find it . . . because they look in the wrong place. True intimacy lies in the process, in the journey, in the progress of the soul.

From today’s MAGNIFICAT:

There are two messages today: first, we have to hold on to absolute responsibility for real order and commitment to the Lord God. Second, the fundamental character of life is a true waiting, hard for Occidentals to comprehend, especially for modern people. Life means waiting, not Faust-like grasping, but waiting and being ready. We are waiting for the terror of the night, and waiting for the day when this terror will have passed. “The people will languish from fearful expectation”. Anyone who remains stuck, waiting in fearful expectation just to see whether or not he will survive, has not yet laid bare the innermost strata. For the fearful expectation was sent to us in order to remove our false sense of security and behind it is this other metaphysical waiting that is part of existence. Man is always in danger of rooting himself, of running aground. Over and over again, life will shake anyone who waits in that way, in order to make him hurry out to meet what is coming. Then what vitality he has been given will come to life. Then he will feel that life goes above and beyond individual lives. Only in this way will he be truly human, by living above and beyond himself, waiting for the final reality. That is the reason for this striving and seeking further and knowing it will one day come: to wait until the lights flare up.

We have more expectation than earth can grant, because what we encounter in only a piece of reality, a piece of creation. We are waiting for the fulfillment of a promise: You will one day possess all this because God, as God, is himself reality, realness, and intimacy.

Father Alfred Delp, S.J. – condemned to death in Germany in 1945

If we might only think about the dual choice that faces us daily – complaining or rejoicing.

If we might only seek what is best for us today – our singular selves or our unity with God.

If we might only become one with God today . . . and all days . . . how much better we might see God’s creation and our place in it.

For some beautiful images of God’s creation in the Canadian Rockies visit Patrick Latter’s Photography blog at: http://hikingphoto.com/ or click on the image above.

Cameron, Peter John, Rev., ed. “Meditation for the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 1 July 2008. Print.

Mays, James L., ed. HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE COMMENTARY. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1988. 270-271. Print.

Image from: http://hikingphoto.com/
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July 14, 2019

Alfred Delp, Bathsheba, David, Dinah, Faust, waiting