Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 162
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IMMERSE
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KINGDOMS
2S
| 10:19–11:16
killed 700 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers, including Shobach, the
commander of their army. When all the kings allied with Hadadez er
saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they surrendered to I srael and
became their subjects. After that, the Arameans were afraid to help the
Ammonites.
In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent
Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the
Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David
stayed behind in Jerusalem.
Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was
walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed
a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out
who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam
and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her;
and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed
the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned
home. Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent
David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.”
Then David sent word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab
sent him to David. When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and
the army were getting along and how the war was progressing. Then he
told Uriah, “Go on home and relax.” David even sent a gift to Uriah after
he had left the palace. But Uriah didn’t go home. He slept that night at the
palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.
When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him
and asked, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after
being away for so long?”
Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in
tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How
could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I
would never do such a thing.”
“Well, stay here today,” David told him, “and tomorrow you may return
to the army.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. Then
David invited him to dinner and got him drunk. But even then he couldn’t
get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with
the king’s palace guard.
So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to
deliver. The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where
the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.” So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s