5 Women with a Connection…Part 4

If you could come up with one sin you have committed that disqualifies you from being used by God, what would it be? I’d have to sort through more than one myself. But the truth is, for a follower of Christ, there is not one sin the Lord would call out to us. The fourth woman in this series is Bathsheba. Her story is found in 2 Samuel 11.

Men ruled in the ancient world. Women were not in the marketplace and didn’t have a strong voice in a marriage. And the kings had supreme power over their kingdoms and its inhabitants.

In 2 Samuel 11:1-5, we see the “man after God’s own heart” willingly sin against God, and a woman. David started out humble and successful as God’s leader, but then there is a heart-shift to lust and disobedience. 

Take a look at what may be a familiar story to you.

In the spring when kings march out to war, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing — a very beautiful woman. So David sent someone to inquire about her, and he said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hethite? ” David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. Now she had just been purifying herself from her uncleanness. Afterward, she returned home. The woman conceived and sent word to inform David: “I am pregnant.”

2 Samuel 11:1-5

Well, now, that’s a troublesome situation! God had chosen David to reign and expected him to follow His commands…and he didn’t. We have to wonder if Bathsheba had a say in this command from her king, or if she had no choice except to obey the summons. Did she go willingly, or was she raped? We don’t know that for sure.

Eventually, David is faced with his sin, and he and Bathsheba lost this baby not long after his birth. But although Bathsheba and David committed adultery, the two later give birth to Solomon, the wisest man who had ever lived at that time in history. Most of the Proverbs are attributed to him.

Why is this story in the Bible? It’s a story of rebellion and loss. Would you erase this from scripture if you could? What stories of your life would you erase? Perhaps if you did, then you believe God could use you in His plan. What loss have you suffered that disqualifies you from Kingdom purpose?

He can use anything in our lives to bring glory to His name and draw us closer to His heart. ANYTHING! Pray and ask Him to show you what you need to release to Him. Lay it in His hands, lay it on His altar, and ask Him to redeem even that!

Keep reading as we finish this series next week and see what connects these 5 unique women.

Read all in this series in 5 Women With a Connection.

Banner photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash