Wives of King David: Bathsheba
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It’s been awhile since I have written about a book, but this one is definitely worth mentioning! I found author, Jill Eileen Smith a few years ago when she first started writing her “Wives of King David
I don’t know about you, but I love stories that give us more insight into the different Bible stories. Even though these types of books are works of fiction like this one, it’s amazing to think about what could have happened and what things were like during that time period. I think it makes the story come more alive and makes the characters more easy to relate to.
This book was very well researched and really opened my eyes to the story of David, that time period, and what things may have been like during that time. One thing I had never really thought about was that Bathsheba was a military wife! Her husband, Uriah was soldier in King David’s army and he had to go away and “deploy” often. I loved that this book really went into that aspect of Bathsheba’s life – what it was like being a soldier’s wife and how lonely it was at times. I actually found myself relating to a lot of the same thoughts and feelings that Bathsheba went through as a military wife when her husband was gone to war.
This story was just really brought to life for me. I know a lot of people argue about if David raped Bathsheba or if she taunted him by bathing out on the rooftop, but this book really explains the culture back then and why she was bathing out there at that time. The author portrayed their story of one where both parties were at fault and I liked that. It was not just David’s fault, and it was not just Bathsheba fault. It took BOTH of them and it happened over time. Again, I know we don’t know what really happened, but I like this view and think it could very well be true.
The first half of the book sets the scene for the time period and the back-story on Bathsheba. The second half is about their sin and the consequences that came from that sin. I loved this story of redemption. It is so amazing to think about how God forgave them and that Bathsheba’s son, Solomon was the one that went on to build the temple.
This story was a blessing to my heart and a beautiful end to a wonderful series. I hope that you all can check it out and read it for yourselves!
I have always loved this story. David is one my all-time favourite people in the Bible because he was a man after God’s heart, and yet he was so fallible, just like you and me. And this story is such a story of God’s grace and redemption. Have you read Francine Rivers’ books?? She’s done 2 series – one on men of the Bible, and one on the women in Jesus’ ancestry. Such beautiful books!
What a nice review. I love historical novels, and I would definitely consider this historical.
Sounds really good! As soon as I finish the 3 books I am in the process of reading right now, I think I’ll pick up a copy. Thanks for sharing!
looks neat! I haven’t read any of the books in the series, but it looks so interesting!