A Story of God and All of Us - By Roma Downey Page 0,62
man. And where there is man there is sin. So even in his moment of greatest of triumph, temptation clouds David's judgment. He knows better.
He knows that God has blessed him in abundance, and that the sin that is now crossing his mind is no different than turning his back on God.
But he can't help himself. The woman before him is so beautiful. No, delectable. Every manly urge in his body desires her. She is sensual, voluptuous, wondrous, and dazzling to behold. And she is untouchable--
Uriah's wife.
"Do you mind?" David yells to Uriah above the roar of the crowd, extending his hand to Bathsheba.
Uriah nods his acceptance.
"I mind," says Bathsheba, smiling. David takes her hand anyway and swirls her into a dance.
Uriah watches David. Surely he is imagining it. Can David really be dancing this close to his wife. He is more than a little uneasy with how much David seems to be enjoying himself.
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No matter whether it is night or day, Bathsheba is never far from David's thoughts as he turns Jerusalem into a thriving hub of Israelite power. As king, it seems only right that he possess anything in his kingdom that he desires--and right now, he desires Bathsheba.
David stands on the roof, surveying a model of his proposed temple in front of him. The sight is beautiful to behold. It is broad daylight. From his palace's rooftop terrace, he can look down into the courtyards of the many homes and gardens that surround its walls.
Suddenly, David's gaze is distracted by another wondrous vision. Down below, two women servants hold up a sheet to conceal their mistress as she washes in her courtyard bath. Too bad for them that the sheets protect this woman--Bathsheba--only from the side. No one ever thought that the king himself might be looking down from on high, watching her naked body as she soaps and oils her skin.
It is just a bath. A simple daily ritual that Bathsheba enjoys. She is merely washing herself. David considers this sight to be the pinnacle of beauty and sensuality. He is out of his mind with desire. This afternoon bath he is witnessing has made him incapable of coherent thought. David, a man after God's own heart, is in the clutches of a most powerful temptation, and drifting further and further from God.
A man clears his throat behind him. "Your Majesty?"
Startled, David snaps out of his trance. He turns to see the robed prophet Nathan strolling tentatively across the terrace, curious as to what sight has David so inspired.
"Ah, prophet!" David enthuses. "Look! My temple... for the Ark."
"I don't understand, Your Highness. You've summoned me to discuss... a temple?"
David beckons to him and points down to the small architectural model of his glorious temple. It is stunning to behold, with towering pillars and the sturdy walls of a fortress. "The world has never seen anything like this, prophet.
The Lord will be pleased."
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But if Nathan is dazzled, he does not show it. He stands still. Then he
speaks in solemn tones. "The Lord came to me last night."
"And tell me: is He pleased with our work?"
"The Lord told me this: the House of David will rule over Israel forever."
"We are blessed," David exults, overcome with joy. As if to punctuate the enormity of his blessings, he sidles back over to the wall and gapes once again at Bathsheba.
"Your son will be king," Nathan is telling him, although David isn't listening.
"Your son," he says louder, making sure that he is heard, "will build this temple."
A stunned David turns around. "My temple?"
"God's temple," Nathan corrects.
"Right, right," David says, temporarily forgetting Bathsheba. "God's temple."
He longs for the construction of a great monument to ensure that Israel will always remember his accomplishments. But now God will not grant him that comfort. Instead, it will be his son who will be remembered.
A son. The thought turns David's disappointment to gratitude. Oh, how wonderful. I will have a son, and to know that my son will be king. And that his son's son will succeed him. And so on. Forever.
"Thank you, Nathan," David says, dismissing the prophet.
Nathan leaves. David turns back to the vision below and walks to a lower deck where he can see her more vividly. Even from on high, Bathsheba's wet skin glistens in the sun.
David is troubled by the thoughts that this vision produces. He feels so irrational, capable of almost any sin to satisfy the desires now stirring within him.