Bathsheba

The Wives of King David
Book Three
Jill Eileen Smith
2011
Revell
Fiction/Biblical

Reviewed by Cindy Loven

This story caught my attention, because I have always loved the stories of King David, and having read several of the other books in this series I definitely wanted to read this book.
Bathsheba was a lovely young woman, who had once been offered to King David as a bride, but after he had promised his wife Abigail, not to take anymore wives, he didn't accept her.  Which was fine, because the man offering her, her grandfather, really didn't have the authority to do so, her own father had given her to marry Uriah, the Hittite, after Uriah saved his life.
Uriah loves Bathsheba, and she loves him, but her heart grieves that she has not born him a child in their three years of marriage, but more than that, she is lonely.  She hates that he has to go off to war, and fight, and misses him greatly.
After the death of Abigail, King David finds himself very lonely too.  In fact he too, should be off to war, but he is not, he is at home grieving when he catches his first glimpse of Bathsheba.  After finding out she is married to one of his soldiers, he stays away from the roof, even though she fascinated him.  It is after several years and in a moment of weakness that he sees her once again and this time, he has to have her.   What happens then is a sin, in the eyes of Adonai, their Lord and in the eyes of the people, if they were to know.  Trying to deceive Uriah into lying with his wife, to protect himself, King David does not take into account that Uriah is an upright man and will not lay with his wife, during a battle.  With that plan gone awry, there is nothing to do, but to send him into the thick of battle, hoping he dies and freeing him to then take Bathsheba as his own wife.
I loved this story, it however does not end with the death of Uriah and the marriage of David and Bathsheba, it continues on into the adulthood of their son Solomon.  A very compelling story, and book lovers of Biblical fiction will not want to miss.  342 pages US $14.99 4 stars.
This book was provided for review purposes only, no payment was received for this review.
Available March 2011 from your favorite seller of Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing.