King David didn't plan to get Bathsheba pregnant, the wife of one of his elite soldiers. And he didn't want to order her husband murdered. He did it to cover up the affair.
David already had at least seven wives at the time. The Bible writer gives no indication if Bathsheba was a willing partner or a woman suffering through a royal command performance. Women seemed to have little to no influence, as in some nations even today. They were treated much like children.
1In the spring of the year, when kings at war typically return to the battlefield, David sent his army to finish the fight with Ammon. He sent his commander Joab, all the officers, and all the soldiers to Ammon’s capital of Rabbah. But David stayed behind, in Jerusalem.2Late one afternoon, after a siesta, David got up and walked to the flat rooftop of his palace. He saw a beautiful woman taking a bath.3David had his people find out who she was. They gave him this report: “The woman is Bathsheba. She’s the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4David sent for Bathsheba. She came to him, he had sex with her, then she went home. At the time of the bath, she was purifying herself at the end of her menstrual cycle. 5She became pregnant. She sent the message to David. “I’m pregnant.”6David sent a message to Joab: “Tell Uriah the Hittite to report to me.” Joab did.7David asked Uriah how the war was going and how Joab and the soldiers were doing.
URIAH DIDN'T COOPERATE
To quickly sum up the Bible story, David hoped Uriah would go home and sleep with his wife, so he would think the baby was his. Uriah refused to enjoy the comfort of home when his fellow soldiers were fighting to get inside a walled city.
So David sent him back to the battle, carrying a secret message for the commander's eyes only. David wanted Uriah killed in the battle. The commander obeyed and sent him to the front line.
The prophet Nathan soon confronted David, who repented and then married the widow. Their baby son died. But another son of Bathsheba became Israel's next king. His name was Solomon.
