Peeping David
David and Bathsheeba--what a scandal! I'm reading yet another Max Lucado book, Facing Your Giants. It's a detailed journey through David's life as runt of the litter, chosen by God, giant slayer, fugitive, king and yes, general sinner.
Now, I love Max Lucado (big shock) but in this book he said something that really got to me. Hours later, I'm still annoyed. Here it is:
We've gone through most of David's life, past the Goliath thing, past the running from Saul, past the death of his best friend. I feel like I really know David at this point. We're now up to his perhaps most famous temptation--Bathsheeba. She's another man's wife. So here Max is describing the scene, Bathsheeba taking a bath. that's really all we know about what she was doing. But David is enamored. Max describes what must have been a beautiful woman (at least in David's mind). A servant is summoned who tells David who she is--Uriah's wife. But David doesn't care and takes what he wants from her. SCANDAL!
So, I'm following along with my friend Max who fictionalizes the Bible but it's a story I know pretty well from having read it dozens of times myself. But then he says this:
"Now, we'll always wonder whether or not Bathsheeba was bathing somewhere she shouldn't."
Um, wait--what? I've never wondered that. Have you? It honestly never crossed my mind that Bathsheeba was doing anything other than bathing! And by the way, what kind of creep watches? I'm sorry Max but are you suggesting she was bringing this upon herself here? The Bible says nothing about her reaction to the whole thing but she does end up marrying David. Still, we have to take the times into consideration. What should she have done? I really don't know.
It's a familiar tale unfortunately. Powerful man. Powerless (or at least less powerful) woman. Who is taking advantage of whom here? It smacks loudly of recent comments made by one powerful politician (a woman) who defends another (former president) suggesting that the intern he had an affair with should have known better because she was an adult. Right. In a contest of intern vs. president, I know who wins. Just like I know who wins in King vs. military wife.
A similar situation happened in my own life when I was exercising in the wee hours of the morning in a 24-hour gym in my apartment complex. A would-be attacker tried to get the better of me. In that case, I won. But I had advantages over the intern and Bathsheeba--I was prepared. I was warned. I was early in my workout and not too tired yet. But later when I filed my police report on the incident, the officer taking my report wanted to know why I was down there at that time of day.
Nevermind that it's a 24-hour gym! Nevermind that I pay rent and had every right to be there! Nevermind that this was my standard workout time! Bathsheeba was just taking a bath! And even if she wasn't--a gentleman would have seen the naked woman and averted his eyes.
Why is it we spend so much time teaching girls how not to be victims of sexual assault and yet so little on teaching boys how not to assault? I don't know.
Well Max, I suppose I can forgive this comment of yours but should our paths ever cross in person, I'm going to have to set you straight on this one.
Now, I love Max Lucado (big shock) but in this book he said something that really got to me. Hours later, I'm still annoyed. Here it is:
We've gone through most of David's life, past the Goliath thing, past the running from Saul, past the death of his best friend. I feel like I really know David at this point. We're now up to his perhaps most famous temptation--Bathsheeba. She's another man's wife. So here Max is describing the scene, Bathsheeba taking a bath. that's really all we know about what she was doing. But David is enamored. Max describes what must have been a beautiful woman (at least in David's mind). A servant is summoned who tells David who she is--Uriah's wife. But David doesn't care and takes what he wants from her. SCANDAL!
So, I'm following along with my friend Max who fictionalizes the Bible but it's a story I know pretty well from having read it dozens of times myself. But then he says this:
"Now, we'll always wonder whether or not Bathsheeba was bathing somewhere she shouldn't."
Um, wait--what? I've never wondered that. Have you? It honestly never crossed my mind that Bathsheeba was doing anything other than bathing! And by the way, what kind of creep watches? I'm sorry Max but are you suggesting she was bringing this upon herself here? The Bible says nothing about her reaction to the whole thing but she does end up marrying David. Still, we have to take the times into consideration. What should she have done? I really don't know.
It's a familiar tale unfortunately. Powerful man. Powerless (or at least less powerful) woman. Who is taking advantage of whom here? It smacks loudly of recent comments made by one powerful politician (a woman) who defends another (former president) suggesting that the intern he had an affair with should have known better because she was an adult. Right. In a contest of intern vs. president, I know who wins. Just like I know who wins in King vs. military wife.
A similar situation happened in my own life when I was exercising in the wee hours of the morning in a 24-hour gym in my apartment complex. A would-be attacker tried to get the better of me. In that case, I won. But I had advantages over the intern and Bathsheeba--I was prepared. I was warned. I was early in my workout and not too tired yet. But later when I filed my police report on the incident, the officer taking my report wanted to know why I was down there at that time of day.
Nevermind that it's a 24-hour gym! Nevermind that I pay rent and had every right to be there! Nevermind that this was my standard workout time! Bathsheeba was just taking a bath! And even if she wasn't--a gentleman would have seen the naked woman and averted his eyes.
Why is it we spend so much time teaching girls how not to be victims of sexual assault and yet so little on teaching boys how not to assault? I don't know.
Well Max, I suppose I can forgive this comment of yours but should our paths ever cross in person, I'm going to have to set you straight on this one.
Comments