Women of the Bathsheba Tamar Pastor Ritva Williams April 2016 RECAP 1040-970 BCE: The life of , son of Jesse, descended from Boaz and Ruth. He was anointed while still a youth by the prophet Samuel as the successor to King , who came to see David as a dangerous rival. Saul offered to make David his son-in-law by marry him to his daughter Merab, but later changed his mind and gave her to someone else. Saul’s younger daughter, Michal, fell in love with David and was married to him in exchange for 100 Philistine foreskins. Michal helped David escape her father’s assassination attempts. David fled into the wilderness, where he became a warlord with a militia of 400 men. King Saul gave Michal to be the wife Paltiel. As a warlord, David and his men provided protection to travelers, shepherds, villages, small towns, and even worked as mercenaries for the Philistine king of Gath. During those years David acquired his wife . She was originally the wife of Nabal a wealthy landowner with 3000 sheep and 1000 goats. Nabal refused to compensate David and his men for their protection, but Abigail who was clever and beautiful went behind his back to personally deliver provisions to David. When Nabal learned what his wife had done he had a seizure and died. David wooed Abigail and made her his wife. He also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. Once David became king of Judah (~1010 BCE) he made the return of Michal a condition of the peace treaty with Saul’s descendants. We know nothing of their life together until seven years later when as the newly crowned king of all Israel, David brought the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem. Michal saw David leaping and dancing before the Lord and despised him in her heart. She scolded him for his behavior, David was not impressed; consequently she never had a child (2 Samuel 6:16-23).

1 READ 2 SAMUEL 11:1-12:25; 1 KINGS 1:11-31; 2:10-25 Who is Bathsheba? How does she come to David’s notice? What happens? How does David attempt to fix the situation he has created? How does it all play out? Do you think the death of David and Bathsheba’s baby was punishment for their sin? Why or why not? How would we describe Bathsheba’s place in the royal family based on the stories from 1 Kings? READ 2 SAMUEL 13:1-39 Who is Tamar? How is she related to Absalom and to Amnon? Who is Jonadab? What role does he play in this tragedy? The “cakes” that Amnon requests are actually “heart-shaped dumplings.” There is some romantic or erotic overtone involved. What does Tamar mean in verse 13? See Leviticus 18:9,11; 20:17; and Deuteronomy 27:22. Deuteronomy 22:28-29 helps us understand her response in verse 16. What do we make of her brother Absalom’s initial response to her situation? Why does he wait 2 years to avenge her? What does it do Tamar?

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