Prolife Kitchen Table

Episode 38 - Focal Point - Baby Chris Week 38

• Presbyterians Protecting Life • Season 1 • Episode 38

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The tumultuous story of David and Bathsheba illustrates how seriously God takes the sin of adultery. Sexual purity is not a peripheral Christian matter - it is a non-negotiable, foundational, core, not subject to interpretation or nuance.  

Scripture references in this episode include:

Genesis 2:24                     Acts 15:20                         Mark 7:19

Exodus 20                         Acts 10:19-16                    Matthew 5, 15, 19

2 Samuel 11                        Genesis 18:25                  I Thessalonians 4:13-14

Hebrews 3:1                       Numbers 21:4-9              John 3:14-16

Isaiah 26:3                          Isaiah 50:7                       Luke 9:51

Matthew 14:29                  John 21:7                          Hebrews 12:1-2

Romans 8:26-29               2 Corinthians 12:9-10      John 16:33

2 Peter 3:13


Some of the commentary on the loss of David and Bathsheba's son is drawn from an article by Rev. Robert L. Deffenbaugh, published June 1, 2004, "The Death of David's Son."


https://www.ppl.org/baby-chris

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Abortion Pill Reversal https://abortionpillreversal.com    24/7 Helpline at 877.558.0333    Email: help@apr.life  or Chat at the weblink above

Post abortion recovery for both women and men at https://www.rachelsvineyard.org

Life Training Institute https://www.prolifetraining.com

Charlotte Lozier Institute https://lozierinstitute.org

Guttmacher Institute https://guttmacher.org


Compelled by the gospel, PPL equips Presbyterians to champion human life at every stage. PPL.org


Introducing Bathsheba’s Story

Host

Welcome back, and have a seat at the ProLife Kitchen Table, the weekly podcast of Presbyterians Protecting Life. My name is Deborah Hollifield, and for 38 weeks we have been following the imaginary baby Chris's developmental milestones in the womb, and using former PPL Executive Director Marie Bowen's book, Pregnant with Promise, to learn about the ways that God views all life, especially life in the womb.

Sexual Purity In Scripture

Host

This week's profile of a pregnant woman in Scripture is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, who was seduced and impregnated by King David. It's a story of the oppression of a woman by a powerful king, the consequences of sin and its collateral damage, the justice of God and God's ultimate restoration. Once again, Scripture proves its relevance to our chaotic modern lives.

Host

By way of background, we've already learned in Genesis chapter 2:24 that God's intent for sexual expression is one man and one woman in a covenant marriage. Every other kind of extramarital sexual activity such as adultery, homosexuality, incest rape, and bestiality are included under the umbrella term of "fornication" or "sexual immorality." The word for sexual immorality in the Greek New Testament is "porneia," where we get the English word "pornography."

Host

Sexual purity is not optional or peripheral to Christianity, it is a foundational core principle of Christianity. You may have read in the book of Acts chapter 15 that when Paul and Barnabas traveled to Jerusalem to speak to the Jerusalem Council about what was required for Gentiles - those who were not Jewish - what was required for them to follow Jesus, verse 20 reads, "Gentiles who turn to God should abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from what has been strangled, and from blood."

David Stays Home, Temptation Begins

Host

Idolatry is forbidden in the first of the Ten Commandments and remains in effect for New Testament believers. The unclean food provision was canceled by Jesus in the book of Mark, chapter 7:19, where Jesus declared all foods clean, and later reinforced in Acts 10:16-19, where God comes to Peter in a vision and instructs do not call anything impure that God has made clean. But the prohibition against sexual immorality or fornication not only remains in effect for New Testament believers, it is restated and reinforced by direct commands from Jesus in Matthew chapters 5, 15 and 19, and by the apostles in the books of Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, Hebrews, and Revelation. This is not obscure or subject to interpretation or nuance.

Host

So first, when returning to the story of David and Bathsheba, we know that David has taken multiple wives and concubines like the pagan nations around him. So despite his devotion to God, he's acting both like a pagan king and his predecessor, King Saul.

Host

This is a good time to remind you that while polygamy, having more than one wife, is recorded as being relatively common in the Old Testament scriptures, it is never portrayed as God's ideal and is always shown to have negative consequences for generations in the families where it is practiced. But that is the social sea that the story of David and Bathsheba swims in.

Host

Last week we learned that the Ammonites - the nation that descended from the incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - have ever since been at war with the nation of Israel. This story is set in 2 Samuel 11, that while Israel is at war with the Ammonites, King David's army has gone out to war, but King David has stayed home.

Summoned To The Palace

Host

One night he is restless and walking on the roof of the palace at the time when Bathsheba, a beautiful woman who is married to one of David's soldiers named Uriah, is bathing on her rooftop. This might sound a little odd to us, but in that hot climate, the houses in those days were constructed with walled patios on the rooftops where the families could relax and sometimes bathe in coolness. The palace was apparently higher than her roof, and King David could look down on her and was so taken in by her beauty that he sent messengers to bring her to him.

Host

Can you imagine? The king's messenger shows up at your door and tells you that your presence is required by the king and don't have a reason to give you! Imagine how upsetting that would be. And then to arrive and discover that the reason you have been summoned is so that the king can have sex with you! How, exactly, do you say no to a king and live?

Host

Later in the chapter, we will learn that Bathsheba loved her husband, so no matter how many commentaries you might have read that called her a loose woman for taking a bath in her own house, or how many people have claimed this to be outright rape in other commentaries, it is not outside the realm of possibility that David - whom we know to have been both a hero and a handsome man from his description in Scripture - went to the trouble to actually seduce her until she was w illing.

Pregnancy And The Failed Cover-Up

Host

Afterwards David sent her home, no doubt thinking that he could keep the matter concealed, and no one would ever know about his act of adultery. But then Bathsheba sent him word that she was pregnant, and since her husband was away fighting battles with David's army, it's going to become clear that someone else has fathered her child.

Uriah’s Integrity And Death

Host

David plans what seems to be the perfect solution. It's a simple matter for the king to call her husband, Uriah, to come home and spend a few nights with his wife. Naturally, everyone will assume the child is the offspring of Uriah. There is just one problem: Uriah is extremely loyal to the men who are still on the battlefield. He takes seriously the commitment of soldiers to remain clean during battle and therefore to abstain from sexual intercourse. Uriah refuses to go home to sleep with his wife while his comrades are on the battlefield sleeping in the cold. He remains with David's servants and sleeps in the doorway for several nights.

Host

Eventually David realizes Uriah is not going home, and so sent him back to the battle with a note for the commander, Joab, ordering the general to assign Uriah to the front lines of the hardest fighting, and then to abandon him there, so that Uriah would be struck down and die. This happened, and Uriah was killed.

Host

Maybe you can remember a time in your own life as a child or even as an adult when you did something wrong and tried to cover it up. Was your deception found out? Were you punished? How did you feel when things were finally out in the open?

Host

David's determination to cover up his own sin results in his planning Uriah's death. He probably didn't set out to commit murder. Certainly when he followed his desires and lay with Bathsheba he had no such intent. Still, that one act of passion set him on a path that led him to commit things he would not have imagined.

Host

Chapter 11:26 tells us that Bathsheba mourns for her husband, and at the end of that time David moves quickly to make her his wife. What would that have felt like just a week after her husband's death? She probably didn't know what David had done. More than likely she interpreted the sequence of events as God's punishment for her sin with David. Added to that was the distinct possibility that she had little choice in the matter, because how did one refuse the king?

Nathan’s Rebuke And Judgment

Host

David is about to learn that his sin is not only against Bathsheba and Uriah, it is against God Himself. The prophet Nathan comes to David with a message from God. He tells the story of an injustice. A man with many sheep takes the only ewe, a female sheep, of another man. The ewe is a family pet, but is seized and callously slaughtered to feed the richer man's guests. David is enraged by the account and pronounces his judgment: The man should restore four times back to that poor man for the one lamb that was taken.

Host

Nathan's next words must have penetrated David's heart with the fear of God. "You are the man!" Nathan says. This is an accusation of the judgment of God speaking through Nathan, confronting David with his sin and judging him by his own words. God has revealed to Nathan what David has done. Though David has many wives, he had taken Uriah's one wife and had Uriah murdered in an attempt to cover his sin.

Host

Nathan goes on to pronounce God's sentence of David's punishment: First, he declares that the sword shall never depart from David's house, and in later chapters we will see that this comes true.

Host

Secondly, Nathan tells David that his own wives will be taken by a neighbor who will lie with them publicly as punishment for David's secretive sin. This too comes to pass.

Host

And then those words are followed by a terrible punishment that will be a heartbreaking consequence for David and Bathsheba. "Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die."

Host

Now I want to pause at this point to say that certainly not every child that dies before birth or during infancy is the result of sin. Only God knows why this sorrow comes and to what purpose. As Abraham said so long ago, "Shall not the judge of all the earth deal justly?"

Host

And we should point out that this is the first of a number of painful events that David will experience as the result of his sin regarding Uriah and Bathsheba. David's daughter will be raped by one of his own sons. Another of his sons would be murdered. A son would rebel against his father and temporarily take over his throne and sleep with some of David's wives on the rooftop of the palace from which David first looked upon Bathsheba.

Host

The tragic death of David's son is a consequence of David's sin, but it is not the penalty that David deserves for his sin. The penalty for adultery and murder is death on each count. That means David deserves to die twice over if it were possible.

The Child’s Illness And Death

Host

Once again we see how seriously God takes the sin of sexual immorality. It can't be overstated or reasoned away because we are now "modern and enlightened." For God to allow David's sins to have no painful consequences would enable the wicked to conclude that God does not really hate sin, nor does he do anything about it when we do sin.

Host

The story resumes when the child is born to David and Bathsheba and becomes very sick. The Bible says that David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and wouldn't eat. And then after seven days the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him the child was dead, and they said, "'Behold, while the child was still alive we spoke to him and he didn't listen to our voice. How then can we tell him the child is dead, since he might do himself harm?' But when David saw the servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead, and so asked, 'Is the child dead?' And they said, 'He is dead.' And so David arose from the ground and washed and changed his clothes and came into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested they set food before him and he ate. Then his servant said to him, 'What is this thing you've done? While the child was alive you fasted and wept, but when the child died you arose and ate food.' And he said, 'While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, "Who knows that the Lord might be gracious to me that the child might live?" But now he has died, and why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.'"

Grief, Worship, And Solomon’s Birth

Host

We are not told about Bathsheba's distress, her thoughts, fears, and regrets during her pregnancy and now this loss. But we do read that in the months to come David can comforts Bathsheba, and God graciously gives them another child whom they name Solomon, and who will be given the task of building the temple in Jerusalem and become the richest and most powerful king of Israel's history.

Host

Clearly, this story has lessons for us about the consequences of sin. Even if we repent and are restored by God's mercy, our disobedient actions sometimes set in motion events that bring us sorrow and regret. The consequences of our sin may bring pain to not only ourselves, but also to those we love.

Host

King David modeled for us a faithful way of dealing with the sorrow that comes in the loss of a child by praying for the child's recovery, and when the child died by submitting to the sovereignty of God whose judgments are always perfect, and who always acts mercifully for our good even when we don't understand it.

Consequences, Mercy, And Hope

Host

Some couples learn that their unborn child has a medical condition that is incompatible with life. They might hear the sad news that if the child survives birth, he or she will not live long or be able to thrive. These parents need the love and support of the church as they face the grief and loss to come.

Host

Doctors often counsel such couples to abort their unborn babies, and friends, too, may encourage abortion, thinking to spare the parents the emotional pain of bearing the child, only to be called to give the baby back into the arms of God. Couples who take this route, however, find that abortion does not help them avoid feelings of grief and loss, but only adds to their burden of guilt because they have participated in taking the life of their child.

Host

Something else that is unfamiliar to most people but is a gift to couples facing this trial is a special program known as perinatal hospice. When an unborn child's life is expected to be brief, perinatal palliative care walks with parents through their grief by providing counseling and support from the time of diagnosis, including birth, planning, and medical decision making before the baby is born. It includes essential newborn care such as warmth, comfort, and nutrition. It also enables families to make meaningful plans for the baby's life, birth, and death, honoring the baby as well as the family. There are over 350 perinatal hospice programs worldwide, and referrals can be found at PerinatalHospice.org. That's P E R I N A T A L H O S P I C E. org.

Host

Hear the word of the Lord: "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope, for since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep." I Thessalonians 4:13-14. Thanks be to God.

Host

Wow, that is such a dramatic story, and for most of us it is emotionally exhausting, not only for us who just try to imagine what Bathsheba went through, but also for our listeners who have experienced one or more of these crises in their own lives.

Break And Resource: Viable

Host

But regardless of what such a tumultuous story says about the human condition, it says more about how God cherishes human life and how God restores us when our lives are controlled by others, when we seek his forgiveness, when he restores the things that our sins have destroyed, and how he restores blessing to our families after we fail him. We serve a good God. And now we've come up on our break, and afterwards we will return to learn about Baby Chris's 38th week of development in the womb and contemplate what that means to Advent.

Announcer

Presented by a five-member ensemble cast, Viable leads the audience through a journey of healing and restoration for post-abortive women and men through the love of Jesus Christ. Viable is endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee. You can find out how to present Viable to your church or pro life group at ViablePlay.org.

Host

This week thirty-eight Baby Chris devotional is called Focal Point.

Host

Hear the word of the "Fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest." Hebrews 3: 1. Thanks be to God.

Host

At 38 weeks, the placenta is now at its full size and is spread out flat against the uterus. It will continue its function of supplying nutrients and antibodies to baby Chris until he is born. His bones have hardened, a process known as ossification.

Host

His mother is now preparing for delivery in earnest. She may have taken childbirth classes to learn breathing methods to help with her pain control and work with the rhythm of her contractions during labor. One of the techniques an expectant mother learns is to choose a focal point on the wall or ceiling to help her concentrate for breath control during labor contractions. When a contraction begins, she moves her gaze to her chosen focal point, takes a few deep breaths, and begins a pattern of breathing and counting until the contraction ends. Having a focal point is important in helping her screen out the distractions that might interfere with her measured breathing, allowing pain and anxiety to get the upper hand.

Breathing, Focus, And Biblical Fixation

Host

The Bible teaches about the importance of focal points at critical moments in the life of the believer. As a consequence for the complaints of the Hebrew nation about the manna God provided for them as they wandered in the wilderness, God sent fiery serpents to torment them. When they went to Moses to repent, he offered them relief and healing by having them turn their focus upwards towards a bronze serpent hung on a pole. In the Gospel of John, Jesus invokes the serpent in the wilderness as a foreshadowing of his own lifting up that would bring eternal life and healing to those who would believe. Isaiah wrote that if we focus our thoughts on God, we will know perfect peace. As he neared the end of his earthly mission, Jesus set his face like flint towards Jerusalem. Peter focused on Jesus as he got out of the boat and walked toward him on the water, and again after the resurrection when he jumped into the water and swam towards Jesus waiting on the shore. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to look to Jesus to help us endure the race of Christian life.

Host

In the chaos of the world as it flexes and contracts around us, Advent coaches us to meditate on the mighty works of the Lord, the promises that are fulfilled in Christ, and the assurance of our eternal future together with the Lord. As we count down our days, we return to prayer and focus on Jesus as he perfects our faith.

Host

Like preparation for childbirth classes, the church season of Advent is an exercise in waiting as we practice again the techniques that will carry us through to the end of our lives, or to the return of Christ, navigating the challenges of daily life in a distracting world that threatens to overwhelm our peace. We grow weaker the nearer we come to deliverance, but we gain strength in Christ. We gain peace in tribulation as we focus on the knowledge that He has overcome the world.

Advent, Endurance, And Future Glory

Host

Hear the word of the Lord: "We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells." 2 Peter 3:13. Thanks be to God.

Announcer

We hope you enjoyed this week's reflection. We encourage you to share it and join us next time on ProLife Kitchen Table. May God bless you.

Head Shot

Deborah Hollifield

Host