David and Bathsheba Part 2 - Faith and Other Oddities Episode 136

Because one, even two episodes, is not enough to cover this very significant story, we are continuing with David and Bathsheba. We consider how both Christian and Jewish Commentators have attempted to exempt David from sin, or the very least downplay how troubling it was. And we see how bias and cultural conditioning determines who we blame often more effectively than how the Biblical Text actually reads. We see how the writer of Samuel uses language and themes to connect this passage with other highly troubling passages in the Bible including the Levite and Concubine, Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his daughters, and even The Fall. We also demonstrate how God never ignores or downplays the wrong done to Bathsheba,, makes it a crucial element in his Redemptive history, and why that is hope for all victims of sexual violence.

Scriptures from this Episode:

2 Samuel 11

Genesis 3, 6, and 19

Judges 9:50-56, and 19

Resources from this Episode:

The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary by Robert Alter (Book)

1, 2 Samuel: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (Volume 7) (The New American Commentary) by Robert D. Bergen

First and Second Samuel: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching by Walter Brueggemann

The Rubin Edition Of The Prophets: Samuel 1 And 2 by Nosson Scherman

A History of Hittite Literacy: Writing and Reading in Late Bronze-Age Anatolia (1650–1200 BC) Kindle Edition by Theo van den Hout

Writing and Literacy in the World of Ancient Israel By Christopher A. Rollston (Article)

Faith and Other Oddities: Levite and The Concubine (Podcast)