Moonlight flooded the rooftop as Bathsheba completed her cleansing bath. Though her body should have relaxed in the warmth of the water, Bathsheba felt restless. With the coming of spring, Uriah had gone off to battle. One day seemed like another. Busy with her daily tasks, she still felt lonely. She longed for Uriah to come home.

A rap at her door broke into the quiet. Reaching for the knob, she pulled open the door, surprised to see a messenger of the king. At the “request” of the king, Bathsheba had been bidden to follow him to the palace.

Walking through the stillness of the night, Bathsheba’s thoughts spiraled in every direction. Was this about Uriah? Somehow she did not think so. She was unsure of how she was feeling, but what she did know was she could not ignore a summons from the king.

Entering King David’s room, Bathsheba knew exactly what she had been called for. Taking her into his arms, Bathsheba spent the night. It wasn’t too long after that night, Bathsheba knew she was pregnant. Shame filled her heart. She could not have refused the king, yet the guilt from her betrayal of Uriah was overwhelming.

Weeks passed, and soon, another knock at the door. A messenger left word that Uriah was dead – killed in battle. Grief filled her heart as she mourned the loss of her husband. And then, her mourning came to its end. With one last rap at her door, Bathsheba was taken to the palace and became King David’s wife. The thoughts spiraling in her head that night long ago were nothing compared to the turmoil now spinning through her heart. How could she have done this wrong? Couldn’t she have found a way to say no to the king?

With little shared about Bathsheba, we guess at the thoughts whirling behind her choices and the results of her sin. We do know David called for her, and she went. Following David’s lust and their adultery came his lies, deception, and a murder plot, which led to the death of Uriah. As 2 Samuel 11 comes to an end, Bathsheba, now King David’s wife, bears his son, “but the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” (vs. 27) The Lord sent Nathan to confront David.

Beginning their conversation with a story, Nathan tells of a rich man entertaining a guest. Rather than taking from his own flock, the rich man takes a poor man’s only lamb as the meal. David’s fury at the man’s actions change to revelation as Nathan reveals him to be the rich man. With his eyes open to his sin against God, David shares his heart in Psalm 51.

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment…Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:1-4, 10-12)

While David’s sin certainly affected the lives of those around him, his sin was against God alone. Only through humbly acknowledging his sin and seeking forgiveness could David once again stand before a holy God. Cleansing brought joy and peace as his relationship with God was restored.

Not one of us is without sin, and our sin is against God alone. Separating us because of God’s holiness, it blocks our relationship with Him. Does your relationship with God need restoration? He is seeking you. Call upon Him. He offers forgiveness and cleansing from sin. Joy and peace will be yours as you step into His presence.