Thread by @carmenjoyimes

I thought it was just my incredibly niche timeline of Southern Baptists thrown together with Anglicans ... but apparently not. David and Bathsheba are trending. A few points that I'm not hearing clearly enough: a 🧵1/

This will be a *short* sermon, since we're on Twitter and that's how things work. If you want the *long* version, since some of you clearly prefer that, here's a link: soundcloud.com/prairiecollege… 2/

The story of David and Bathsheba has a lot of gaps. It's brilliantly told narrative, meant to characterize David and the kind of king he is. Some of its genius requires us to draw conclusions based on what we already know. 3/

Part of the debate suffers from ill-formed definitions of adultery and rape. Those arguing that it depicts adultery are usually trying to pin blame on Bathsheba for bathing in public, thus seducing David, while those arguing that it depicts rape point to uneven power dynamics. 4/

It's easy to see, in the age of #metoo and #churchtoo why these dynamics matter. But here's the deal: we think of "adultery" as consensual by definition, while the Bible thinks of the responsibility of male heads of household to keep their hands off their neighbor's wife. 5/

See Exodus 20:14. The Ten Commandments are addressed to men by default. They were to restrain their strength for the sake of community. Regardless of a woman's desirability, a man was charged to protect his neighbor's marriage. 6/

It's hard to think of another OT story that fits the bill more precisely. Bathsheba is LITERALLY his neighbor's wife, meaning she is totally off limits to David, not only on this basis, but also because of David's standard practice in warfare. 7/

We learn in 1 Sam 21:4-5 that David prohibited sexual relations during battles or "missions" from the king. This was to maintain ritual purity so that they could carry out the divine will. In those days, battles were considered religious. 8/

This is why Uriah refuses to go to his wife when he answers David's summons. He shows more restraint when drunk than David does when sober -- for the sake of the men's mission, to show solidarity with them. David fails to take this mission seriously. 9/

To the original question -- adultery or rape? -- this could fairly be called adultery only because they are both married, not in the sense of "consent." David violates Uriah's marriage covenant, and the narrator reminds us this by repeatedly calling her "the wife of Uriah." 10/

Amnon's violation of Tamar differs from this only because neither of them was married. The stories are parallel. He saw; he wanted; he took. The word "rape" (2 Sam 13:14, NIV) is simply "lay down," a word that is used repeatedly in a non-sexual sense in the chapter. 11/

To be clear, it's obvious that Amnon raped Tamar. David's silence regarding this stems from his lack of moral authority. He is guilty of the same crime. But -- you ask -- didn't Bathsheba seduce him? Let's take another look: 12/

The first thing to note is that she was NOT bathing on the roof. Go ahead and re-read the story. I'll wait here. [2 Samuel 11:2]
13/

See what I mean? It's David who is on the roof -- a normal place to be in the cool of the evening. He ought to be at war with his men, but nevertheless, here he is, bored. Why is she bathing where he can see her? 14/

Times have changed. In David's day, there was no indoor plumbing in Jerusalem. Bathing normally happened in public, at the pool of Siloam, not terribly far from here. Are you following? Bathsheba's bath is MORE private, not less, than normal. 15/

Why bathe at home? V. 4 explains that she was cleansing herself ritually following menstruation. This indicates that she was a pious keeper of Israelite purity law (and also that she was not already pregnant, which is important to the question of parentage). 16/

David sees and summons her. She has no choice but to come. Her husband and her father are both soldiers under David's command. No one can refuse the king. 17/

Uriah is one of David's mighty men [2 Sam 23:39] -- not only a neighbor, but a trusted warrior well known to David. Bathsheba was the daughter of another of David's mighty men [2 Sam 23:34], making David's treachery even more egregious. 18/

Bathsheba's only words in the entire story are "I'm pregnant." David has put her in a predicament. She wants him to make things right. If her husband returns and she is pregnant, she could be stoned for adultery. But this is not her fault, and David knows it. 19/

David's Plan A is for Uriah to make love to his wife. It's still early, so he may not realize she's pregnant and will later think it's his child. When he piously refuses, David has him killed and takes Bathsheba into his harem. 20/

This is not a story about David's unmet sexual needs. He already has 7 wives at this point. It's a repetition of the age old pattern that we saw in the garden of Eden. Saw -- Wanted -- Took. A refusal to define good and evil as God does. 21/

As king, David's chief responsibility was to guard the nation against apostasy by following God's commands. Deuteronomy 17 specifically warns against the accumulation of wives. Bathsheba, as I've already mentioned, is #8. 22/

The narrator is unequivocal in blaming David (2 Sam 11:27). The prophet is unequivocal in blaming David (2 Sam 12:1-12). Bathsheba is never chastised. Yes, she loses her son. She suffers for David's sin, as people always do when their leader is recalcitrant. (e.g., Pharaoh) 23/

To pin the blame equally on Bathsheba is to ignore how God assesses the story through Nathan, the prophet. It's to ignore the clear exegetical signals throughout the chapter. It's to be unaware of the architecture and culture of the city of David. 24/

David acts cooly, as though he has every right to do what he does. If he were king of any other ANE kingdom, there would be nothing remarkable about his behavior. Kings can do whatever they please. But we’re not in any other kingdom, we’re in Israel. 25/

That means that David’s power is not absolute. He doesn’t make the rules. Yahweh does. 26/

For David as for every Israelite, the neighbor’s wife is like a daughter to be protected, not an experience to be collected. David knows who Bathsheba belongs to. He knows she is unavailable. But this does not deter him in the least. Like a predator, he summons her. 27/

The same man who had been so scrupulous to honor the Lord’s anointed (when it was Saul) now acts as though he is in a category unto himself – as though the Lord’s commands do not apply to the Lord’s anointed. David thinks he has all the power. All the authority. 28/

He is like a master chess player, shrewdly planning his moves so that his opponents are left with no way out. And who is his opponent? A member of his own team. 29/

It reminds me of another king of Israel who spent all his royal energy chasing a successful commander from his own army all through the wilderness. Doesn’t it? What has happened to David that he should become so much like Saul? 30/

Perhaps he feels Uriah is a threat. We’re not told. At the very least, Uriah stands in the way of what David wants. And David has come to believe that because he has power, he can have whatever he wants, when he wants it. 31/

The most shocking part of the story comes after the murder of Uriah, when David tells his commander, "Let this matter not be evil in your eyes." David is trying to redefine his own egregious behavior as acceptable. אַל־יֵרַע בְּעֵינֶיךָ אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּ֔ה (2 Sam 11:25) 32/

Nathan, the prophet, using the same phrase, makes absolutely clear that what David has done is evil in God's sight, which is the only opinion that ultimately matters (2 Sam 12:9). 33/

Nathan's rebuke lands squarely on David. David knows he is in the wrong. This is where his story becomes an example for us to follow. His response is just two words in Hebrew, “I have sinned against YHWH.” He offers no defense. No equivocation. He’s been caught in the act. 34/

I can imagine the responses David might have given: But she shouldn’t have been naked where I could see her! But Uriah should have gone home to his wife and I wouldn’t have had to have him killed! But the Ammonites killed him, not me! David offers none of these excuses. 35/

David takes sole responsibility, here and in Psalm 51.

With every failure we stand at a crossroads. We can hedge and whine and deflect and give excuses, shifting the blame, or we can take responsibility, repent, and take a better path forward. 36/

David’s brokenness is his greatest act of worship: “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” 37/

Ironically, every few months this story pops up again on Twitter as a matter of debate and the same well-worn tropes play out. The narrator is clear about who's at fault. The prophet is clear about who's at fault. David himself is clear about his fault. 38/

This larger conversation reminds me of the importance of returning to the text again and again, attending to its details and remaining open to the possibility that we have missed something or even misconstrued it. Reading with others is essential to helping us see this. 39/

Every one of us has the tendency to miss things because we are embedded in communities that have shaped what we notice and what we don't. Reading with those outside those communities can be so helpful. I hope you've picked up something helpful in this thread. 40/40

Addendum: Reading this again with all of you has been a joy. Thanks for sharing it widely! I never dreamed it would connect me to so many others. One more thing I've realized since posting -- the text never says that Bathsheba is naked. 41/40

Isn't nakedness an obvious prerequisite to bathing? Not necessarily. We lived in the Philippines and regularly visited a crowded community with no indoor plumbing. Bathing happened in the street at a common spigot. When that's where the water is, you find ways to be modest. 42/40

In that context, women wore "malongs" -- a tube skirt of generous length and width that makes a great changing room in a pinch, or a sleeping bag in hot weather. Just because you bathe naked doesn't mean everybody else does. Context matters. 43/40

This is not to say that if she had been naked, then David's lust was her fault. Far from it. His sexualization of her act of pious hygiene tells us a lot more about him than it does about her. 44/40

Some have concluded from my thread that I do not believe women can sin sexually. I have said no such thing. We all need to work on developing better reading skills. Please be kind to one another as you carry on this conversation. 45/40