Bathsheba: Regrets

“Then she [Bathsheba] said to him… ‘Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders’ ” (1 Kings 1:21).

I have not escaped this life unscathed and apart from personal regrets and neither did Bathsheba. Note the personal inference here. So although horrific and sometimes heinous sins make us remorseful, that’s another matter entirely. Our focus is the regrettable things that we’d like to “do-over” if we could. So for clarity, let’s define this regret. The Oxford Language Dictionary, defines regret as a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or has been done especially a loss or missed opportunity. The “offense” is of a personal nature. It was committed by you or done against you, affected you personally, and possibly changed the course of your life, as it did Bathsheba’s. Since that’s the case, regrets affect us all. How so? None of us will navigate this world without regrets because we sin, make mistakes and do “regrettable things.” So even “the lost” are affected, unless their consciences are seared and hearts hardened.

In 1 Kings 1:21, we see the current consequences of Bathsheba’s former sexual sin. Although she didn’t seduce King David, she participated, and it was sinful. No doubt, she’d never forget that sin or its life-changing consequences. But today, Bathsheba regrets being considered an “offender.” Here’s the backstory. When King David tarried from war he was restless. One night he strolled upon the roof of the palace and in the distance, he saw Bathsheba naked and bathing. When he saw her beautiful form, he had to have her. David, forgetting his sensibilities gave way to his baser instincts. Since he was king, he bid her come, and she did. David bedded Bathsheba, and unbeknownst to him in the throes of passion, he planted his royal seed in the womb of a married woman. I can scarcely believe that he did so, hearing she was married and since David knew her husband well. King David had picked her husband, Uriah, to be one of his elite fighting men. And that tells us a lot about Uriah, because only thirty-seven of the best – all noble and valiant fighters comprised David’s special forces. (See 2 Samuel 23:39.) Nonetheless, when David saw Bathsheba, all restraint went out the door and he took her himself and bedded her because he could.

Some scholars identify David’s egregious assault as an all-out rape. So, of course, it would be in today’s “Me Too” climate. As tragic as the assault may seem on the surface, its repercussions made it most intolerable. It launched the greatest sex scandal in Israeli history! And indeed, when it was all said and done, Bathsheba had much to regret. How could she not? Now with grave concern, Bathsheba speaks the brutal truth in the verse before us, and the reality is this. If David dies without naming Solomon as successor to his throne, she and Solomon will suffer the consequences. Did you catch that? David would go merrily to the tomb, and Bathsheba and Solomon - the innocent ones - would endure some harmful repercussions at the hands of David’s fourth son, Adonijah. At the time of Bathsheba's confession, Adonijah was hard at work behind the scenes proclaiming himself the successor-king and David’s heir apparent. He went so far as to throw himself a kingly banquet, making sure to exclude these “offenders” from among the guests, and David, too!

Did you see the unspoken truth about consequences? They can last a lifetime. Some thirty years have passed since David and Bathsheba’s sexual sin, and Bathsheba has endured many of its devastating effects already, and even still, “it ain’t over!” Bathsheba and Nathan are convinced that Adonijah will deal with “the offenders,” with sinister motives if he comes to power. That’s years after David had his way with Bathsheba and many consequences later, yet, she is still regretful and fearful. These feelings, come like waves and wash over us without warning. It’s horrifying to consider what Bathsheba had already faced and might face in the future. No wonder she had regrets! I bet she wished she’d never bathed, seen a rooftop, or obeyed the king!

For review, here’s what David’s sexual exploits have already cost Bathsheba. She was robbed of the love of Uriah, the fidelity of their union, their unborn children and grandchildren, and their future life together. But there was more. The child David planted in Bathsheba’s womb perished too, at seven days, as God pronounced through His prophet, Nathan. The innocent baby died a day short of receiving his name on the 8th day of circumcision. So, she missed that too! As far as scripture reveals, he lived to die for the sins of his father - wow! How do we know? Otherwise, God could have taken the baby from the womb! Remember, the wages of sin is death. (See Romans 6:23.) No doubt, Bathsheba would remember every detail of the event forever. She could have a dozen children, and they would all be unique, but this one, her unnamed son - her first - paid the ultimate price for their sin. If there was a conciliation, though, it might be this: After the respectful mourning period, David married Bathsheba. Over time, she birthed four more sons and, most significantly – Solomon, the successor king. Notice that God has not held this sin against Bathsheba. Instead, He dealt with David. Sadly, the bitter consequences affected her and her infant son because we never sin in a vacuum and neither do the results end with us!

Bathsheba is not alone. Having regrets is part of an age-old story, and other Bible characters also sinned and experienced not only the consequences but also sin’s remorseful accompaniment – regret! The Bible tells us that Adam and Eve couldn’t live without regrets, either. Even though they were uniquely created by God and not born of sinful man thus having no inherent sin nature but rather possessing such following his first disobedience. It’s obvious they had regrets because when they sinned, they covered their nakedness (their shame and guilt) with garments of leaves and hid from God. They weren’t alone, either – there were others too. No doubt, Judas experienced the fierce sting of egregious regret and it proved fatal. Upon realizing the depth of his betrayal, regret overwhelmed Judas and he hung himself on a tree. (See Matthew 27:3-8.) So life without regrets is unattainable, but for believers, there’s a remedy! His name is Jesus!

What’s the takeaway? Thankfully, most of our regrets aren’t as tragic or public as these. Even still, they sting and often torment our hearts and minds. Sometimes the consequences endure, and we see the mistakes in our handiwork - intentional or not – resurface. These will continue to affect us until we take the next step and repent as God’s Spirit so guides. Ladies, we all need Jesus! He is the remedy and our only hope of being free from the pain and shame of regrettable things - big or small. Even though I can still see the evidence of past mistakes and choices, I know that Jesus has settled all of my past - including the things which led to painful regrets! So thanks be to God - these things are forgiven and nailed to the Cross! When the enemy attempts to use these against me, I remind him of Jesus’ work on Calvary on my behalf!

Prayer: Mighty and gracious Lord, in the shadow of the Cross, may our regrets be few! But when or if they surface, may they bear the fruit of repentance which birth confession leading to forgiveness and reconciliation because You have loved us with an everlasting love and prepared the way! Amen and amen.