Uriah's Personality

Recently I have come to understand the passage where David commits adultery from a slitghly different approach. Instead of seing it from the eyes of the repent sinner (King David) which is the costumary way of reading this passage, I have been really interested in Uriah’s life.

Uriah was one of the mighty men of David. But his personality was not only focused on his bravery. He was also a man of commitment. David had ordered Uriah’s wife Bathsheba to sleep with him and during the process, got her pregnant. He them called Uriah from the battlefield trying to make him to lie with his wife in order to hide the fact that she was pregnant from another man. Uriah’s answer to David says a lot about his commitment:

“The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” (2 Samuel 11:11)

It was a tradition that while Israel or Judah were battling, the men would not go home. It was a sign of respect to the fellow brothers that were dying in the battle front. David once followed that tradition but not recently when he had taken Bathsheba onto his bed.

Uriah was a man of word and did not go home. His commitment colapsed David’s evil plan to hide his own sin. David was desperate and sent Uriah back to war in a position where he would certainly die and he finally did.

Now, with these awful sins over his sholders, David receives Nathan, the prophet:

The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.” David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:1-7a)

The short story used by Nathan to ilustrate the scenario to David once again tells a lot about Uriah’s personality. Uriah , being poor, had just one wife and treated her like a little lamb. He shared his food, his cup and even slept wih her in his arms. She was his little lamb that he loved and cared.

This attitude from Uriah certainly tells a lot about the way we should treat our wifes. They are our loved little lambs and we should take care of them with a lot of energy. We must take them in our arms and hold them admiring their precious uniqueness.

Dear Lord, do not let me forget about the commitments I have personally taken in front of you. Help me be strong during the temptations and lead me to the right path even if everything else shouts the opposite around me. Teach me to admire and treat my wife in a very special and profound way, so that she will be fulfilled with my love. Take my marriage on your mighty hand and leads us both onto your will. Amen.