Did David Rape Bathsheba?

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You know the story of David and Bathsheba, right? David took a walk on his roof one afternoon and saw

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Bathsheba bathing, so he had her brought to him and spent the night with her. Bathsheba sent word to David she was pregnant, so to cover the affair

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David had her husband Uriah killed in battle and quickly married Bathsheba. Now there's been a growing interest in saying

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David raped Bathsheba. Some have gone as far as insisting we must interpret the story this way or else victims of abuse will feel betrayed by the church.

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That sounds too much like current social concerns are being imposed onto the text. Setting aside varying definitions of rape, the

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Bible doesn't say David raped Bathsheba. In fact, 1 Kings 15 .5 says David did what was right in the eyes of the

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Lord all his days except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. Besides, you could make as much of a case that Bathsheba seduced

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David, bathing in the afternoon where she knew the king would be taking his constitutional. You might say, but the

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Bible doesn't say that. Exactly. Here's what the Bible does say. David was a shepherd turned king of Israel.

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He was entrusted to shepherd the people of God, and he took another man's wife and had that man killed.

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From the line of David would come the greater shepherd king, Jesus Christ, who laid down his life for the sheep.

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In mourning over his sin, David prayed, Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God of my salvation.

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And the Lord was merciful to him. No matter the sin, whether it's adultery, rape, theft, or murder, forgiveness is found in Christ when we understand the text.