"Friends, brothers! On this day, we celebrate!" he shouted as the audience cheered him on, "For on this day, the Lord has delivered us. He covered these brave men as they fought and repelled the Philistine invaders! Truly the Lord is a mighty lion!"
The audience roared with applause. Bathsheba couldn't help but filled with pride at her husband's ability to command respect. She knew the child in her arms would be a great man too. She looked down at him to comfort his squirming body, and when she looked back up, her eyes met David's. She could see his smile form underneath his thick black beard.
As the crowd cheered, Joab son of Zeruiah shouted "Surely the line of David will rule forever! Hail King David! Hail! Hail!"
The rest of the room began cheering "Hail". The men all rose and saluted their king. The band began to play a triumphant melody as the party began to grow in chaos. The wine was flowing and the laughter could be heard on the outer wall of the City of David. Gareb the Ithrite approached the king in merriment and bowed low. He remarked, "You have been blessed, my king. If only Uriah were alive to see this day, and know his sacrifice was not in vain."
Bathsheba heard this and quickly turned to David. She saw his smile fade, and his eye cast down. He never talked about him. She didn't like to think of it either. She became pregnant with the king's child while her husband was away at war. Uriah died on the front lines shortly after the king found out about the child. She didn't like to think of it, what hand the king might have had in her husband's death. "Yes, I'm sure he..." David started slowly trying to find his words.
"He would be proud." Bathsheba said reassuringly. David turned his head to her. He looked down to the child and his smile returned.
Then he turned again and faced the back of the room. That's when she heard two small cymbals clashing together from the front of the room near the entrance. A small child could be seen entering the room with a man behind him. Bathsheba had never seen him before, but David seemed familiar with him. "I bring a message for the king!" The man called out.
The clatter in the room died down, and an eerie silence fell upon them. The man made his way to the table of honor, and looked up to David. "Will the king hear me out?"
David looked about and replied, "Nathan, the king will always have time for a prophet of the Lord! Give me your message."
Bathsheba sat as Nathan told a story of a man with many sheep and lambs, and another with only one lamb that he loved. She sat rocking her child, and she not once looked up to the men talking. She just looked into her child's face. She remembered the night David sent for her to come to his bed chamber. She would've denied him, but she had been alone for so long and who denies a king? She missed her husband, but her new life was far better than her old. She snapped back to the conversation when she heard David cry out in anger, "Surely, this rich man should be put to death! Bring him here! He will repay the poor man tenfold for what he has done!"
Bathsheba looked to Nathan as he said, "That man stands here before us all. For you are the man!"
David stood did not move or speak, and the crowd stood silent as Nathan continued, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Why have you hated me? I gave you victory over all your enemies! I gave you the kingdom of Saul and the Wives' of Saul! Everything you do succeeded! But now you have despised my word and done evil in my sight. You stole Uriah's lamb from him." Nathan shouted and pointed at Bathsheba, "And when you couldn't convince him to go home and sleep with her, you had your lackeys send him to his death in battle and stole her for yourself."
Bathsheba could not believe what she heard. She saw Joab lower his head and quietly leave the room. She had hoped it wasn't true, but she knew from Joab's reaction that is was. He was the commander at Uriah's last battle. Suddenly, it made sense. She felt a deep unease in her stomach as the baby began to stir and whine.
Absalom began to raise up to approach Nathan, but David grabbed him and made him sit back down.
Nathan looked at Absalom and back to Daivd, "Now the Lord will strike all these from you. Your kingdom will be taken from you, your wives will be taken from you. All by someone close to you, someone you trust with your life. You betrayed Uriah's trust, and so too shall they betray yours! What you did in the dark, he will do before all Israel!"Once Nathan finished, the silence was deafening. David stood and walked to Nathan. Bathsheba was certain he was about to end the man's life. But instead, he fell to his face, and cried aloud, "I have sinned against the Lord." and continued to sob in front of the crowd.
"Rise David Ben Yishai. The Lord has taken away your sin. You will not die, but someone must." Nathan said was sadness as he turned to Bathsheba.
Later, after Nathan and the party guests left, the baby began coughing in Bathsheba's arms. She pleaded with God for the child to return to good health for seven days. But on the seventh, his breath stopped. Heart broken, she wondered the halls of the palace at night, sobbing silently. That's when she heard her husband, whom she had not seen all week. He sang a song to God in his room. He sat naked upon the floor as he sang, "Clean my with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones you have crushed rejoice! Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquity."
He looked up and saw her watching him. He bade her to come in and sit with him. They sat in each other's embrace and that night conceived the child who would one day be the king of Israel.
Author's Note: I wanted to tell the story from the eyes of Bathsheba as she isn't really mentioned much in the original story, but it none the less effected her quite a bit. The setting of a grand party makes the rebuking of David by Nathan even more powerful as many people who were there (such as Joab) would've known about Uriah's assassination. I also wanted to emphasis David's humility in the story, as I feel like it wouldn't have been as powerful if it had been a private conversation. I also chose to throw in some of Psalm 51, as it is known to have been written after all this took place, so naturally David would be composing it in that time.
Bibliography: The King James Bible (2 Samuel & Psalms)
Image: Nathan confronts David, painted by Emanuel Granberg; Source: Wikimedia Commons
