A Royal Romping
Jonah Awodeyi
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2010 Jonah Awodeyi
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ISBN 978-1-4467-1095-1
Sponsored by New Life Teaching Ministries
CONTENTS
Chapter Three The Rape of Bathshua
Chapter Five Joan visits Bathshua
Chapter Six Bathshua’s first child
Chapter Seven Bathshua’s Seduction
Chapter Eight First Royal Scandal
Chapter Nine Second Royal Scandal
Chapter Ten Jostling for the Throne
This fiction book, based on a true biblical account between King David and Bathsheba, explores the one-night affair, which almost destroyed King David’s household. The name Bathsheba is a variant name for Bathshua, which I shall use in the book. Most have read about her and her illicit affair with King Dave (David), and have kept their opinions to themselves. Doubtlessly, many see her as a heartless gold-digger who seduced Dave with her beauty. Of course, she was very beautiful, but she was also a well-trained village girl who, in my opinion, only had eyes for her husband, Uri. She has a long black shiny hair, which caresses her ivory tower neck and her shoulder. She has striking dark-blue eyes under her black brows. Her teeth are as white as pearl with a body carved-out for modelling.
This book therefore attempts to revisit the whole plot and re-enact the story from Bathshua’s point of view. To some readers, the story is simple. Bathshua seduced King Dave with her beauty. Some have asked the question, “Why did she have a bath in the daytime if she was not aware of King Dave’s presence and trying to seduce him?” In order words, she knew King Dave was not leading the nation’s army in a battle with his enemy; therefore, she took the opportunity to seduce him for a one-night stand, to despise her husband. In response, we must instantly ask the question, “What did she have to gain by betraying her husband’s trust with the intention of having a one-night stand with King Dave? Why would she risk being caught and stoned to death as an unfaithful wife if her husband found out later?” If this were the case, she must have conspired with King Dave to murder her husband in order to avoid such a shameful death. However, the king was the one striving to avoid the shame and disgrace of sleeping with the wife of one of his loyal and mighty men of war.
My wife and daughter are of the view that King Dave did not force Bathshua to have sex, but used his charm and wealth to seduce her. Therefore, it was a consensual affair. If this were the case, why was King Dave eager to have her husband come back home to sleep with his wife in order to cover up the affair? Whatever explanation is given to protect King Dave’s innocence, we must remember that he was the one who could not restrain his lustful desires. He was the one who made inquiries and summoned Bathshua to the palace. He was the one who devised an evil plot to have her husband poisoned with alcohol. He was the one who wrote the murder note to ensure that there was a cover-up. To some, Bathshua consented, because she missed her husband and wanted sex. I’m sure that many faithful, religious married, women would not arrive at such a conclusion. Bathshua’s grandpa was a godly man who looked after the ark of God for many months, and was later appointed as the temple’s gatekeeper, thereby assimilated into the Levite family. Hence, this fiction book presents the possibility that Bathshua was forcefully abused since King Dave had a lustful desire, which may have led to sexual assault, with the full knowledge that she was married. From the story told by Prophet Nathan and the judgement pronounced by King Dave, a death sentence was the punishment for the unfaithful wife and the man with whom she had illicit affairs, according to the law of Yahweh. Thus, both King Dave and Bathshua deserved to be punished. Instead, the judgement given by Nathan was solely on King Dave, which indicates that Bathshua was innocent of the act.
This book also endeavours to visualise how Solomon became king despite the fact that he had half-brothers who were next in line to the throne. In my opinion, Bathshua may have taken the opportunity to get King Dave to promise to make her son his successor to the throne in order to buy her silence for the murder of her husband. Bathshua was born in a small village a few miles outside a city called Salem. Her grandfather’s name was Obed-edom. King Dave left the Ark of Yahweh with him because he was afraid the power of the ark would kill many other Jewish priests. What a cruel thing to do to a foreigner and a poor farmer’s family. They were Philistines from birth and lived in Gath, where King Dave killed Goliath. Since then, they became King Dave’s fans. Her father’s name was Amiel, and he took Bathshua with him to join King Dave’s army when Dave was living rough in the caves and mountains. Her father became one of King Dave’s mighty warriors. After the death of King Saul, they moved back to live with grandpa while dad continued his service to King Dave. Grandpa had few sheep and goats to tend, but a large family to feed. There was much love and discipline in the family as grandpa tried to give them the best. They were a close family and had each other to lean on, which was the joy of belonging, and all that mattered to them as a family. Lastly, the moral implication underpinning this story is the fact that we reap whatever we sow mostly in this live. This is the law of nature imposed on humanity by His Creator. Nature also teaches that whatever is sown is reaped in kind and multiple: often in the family, and affects multiple innocent standbys.
THE HONEYMOON
Bathshua met a young man, handsome and brave, with whom she fell in love. By profession, he was a soldier serving King Dave in all his battles with the nation’s enemies. He fought many in the past, and was proud to show his scars, making mention of the battlefields in which he received them and how he had escaped dangers. Their love for each other was very deep.
Bathshua also had a best friend, Joan, who was secretly envious of her relationship with Uri, seeing her as the lucky one, because her parent allowed her to choose the man to marry. However, they tried not to keep secrets from each other, so she never escaped hearing of Bathshua’s love for Uri. One day, their discussion focussed on Bathshua and Uri.
“Why are you so happy today, Bathshua?” asked Joan.
“No reason!” Bathshua exclaimed.
“Do you have an addition to your family?”
“No!” Bathshua responded firmly.
“And the sheep?”
“And the sheep what?” asked Bathshua, looking at her index finger. Joan suddenly noticed she was stroking the back of her index finger.
“What is that on your finger?” she asked curiously
“Nothing,” said Bathshua, smiling.
“Has he proposed to you? Let me see!” She hurriedly jumped out of the wooden garden chair she was sitting in amazement to see Bathshua’s finger. Bathshua proudly showed her a coloured thread on her finger, which Uri had tied as his token of love.
“I know it’s not diamond, gold, or silver ring, Bathshua said in defiance; but it means a lot to us. It came from his best cloak. These days, military men are paid very little and they can’t afford expensive gifts. It doesn’t matter what he gives me I love him so much, and he loves me dearly,” sighed Bathshua, like a love gripped damsel.
“I’m so proud of you, Bathshua.” These words brought a bit of a breather from both.
Suddenly, Joan popped the big question. “Did you?”
“Did I what?”
“You know what I mean. Have you?”
“Are you asking if I accepted his proposal? Of course! Yes, I have. He will be coming to mum and dad this summer to get their permission and blessings.”
“That’s not what I mean, Bathshua; have you done it yet?”
“Done what, Joan? Now you are freaking me out; what else do you want to know?”
“Okay, I will let it out; have you slept with him yet?”
“What do you take me for? A prostitute or one of those loose girls? No Joan! I would have told you if I had. My Uri is a gentleman and a soldier with a pure mind. You have a dirty mind girl. Just be glad for me. That stuff can wait until we get married.”
“I’m really glad for you, Bathshua. Truly, I am. Have you set a date for the wedding?”
“Yes, next summer after the war with our enemies. I have bad news for you, Joan. We shall be moving to Salem after the wedding. I hope this won’t disrupt our friendship.”
“Not in a million years! In fact, it will be an opportunity for me to see Salem and visit the palace. Who knows? I might meet King Dave and get noticed.” She jovially pretended to curtsy her emptied wooden chair in honour of the King, showing off her imaginary beautiful dress, and making silly faces. Of course, she was also beautiful without the silly faces.
“Come off your dream, Joan! Only special people get to see and meet the king, not country girls like us,” said Bathshua seeing that Joan was embarrassing her. “People in the village will laugh at you if you carry on like that”.
“You never know, Girlfriend! His royal majesty may find me prettier than you thought and instantly propose to me”. Assured of herself, she picked up her scarf, which was on her chair and tied it around her neck like a Shepherd girl. “Don’t I look pretty and irresistible now? I heard that King Dave was once a Shepherd boy before he became king of Salem”.
“Keep on dreaming, Joan. There are lots of beautiful girls in Salem. Do you think the king will have time for village girls like us?”
“He must! We are beautiful, young virgins compared to those city girls. Besides, we have things in common”.
“What Joan? Tell me”.
“We are Shepherd girls. He was a Shepherd boy not long ago. Prince Moses married a Shepherd girl. What’s her name?”
“Zipporah!”
“Yes, that one, Bathshua So every virgin has the opportunity to marry a prince”. She continued ‛the cat walking´ and silly faces. “King Dave shall be bewitched by my beauty with just one glance at my long, shiny black hair”.
“I have my prince Uri, and nothing in the world compares to him exclaimed Bathshua. Not even diamonds or precious stones measure up to him. I pray you meet your true prince someday who will truly love you. Now, will you stop making me dizzy and ruining my mat walking up and down, the room like a snake? And if you continue to twist that neck any further you may end up breaking something”.
However, Joan would not concede defeat as she continued her catwalk until she was woozy.
Thus, they concluded their interesting discussion for that day. By the next summer, Bathshua was married to Uri and they moved to Salem. The palace was right on top of their one-bedroom flat in the valley. That was all they could afford. However, who cares where they lived? Any other place would never be the same. A home with Uri was all Bathshua wanted.
One evening, Uri came home from work long faced and miserable. He said nothing at the dinner table. Bathshua knew immediately that something had happened at work that disturbed him greatly, so she tried to get him to talk.
“What’s wrong, love? Why are you so unhappy today?”
“Nothing, Bathshua; I’m fine, and everything is fine”.
“Tell me what’s troubling you darling. Don’t you think we girls know these things?”
“What things? He said, jovially trying to force a smile”.
“When our husbands come home from work sad and burdened, we notice, and try to offer a sympathetic shoulder. Besides, I’ve planned an interesting evening for us, and I do not want things to ruin it”.
“If I told you now, it will only ruin our evening; leave it for now, Bathshua; we shall discuss it later”.
“You can tell me now, love”, Bathshua insisted and concerned, as she had never seen her husband so depressed. “The evening is ruined for me if I do not know what’s bothering you. We must be strong for each other and support each other as much as we can. Has it to do with work? Is the General cross with you? Did someone upset you? Please tell me, my love”.
“How long have we been married, darling?”
“This is our first month Uri. Don’t you remember?”
“Of course, I do remember. The thing is that I have being trying to get more days off from work, but my commanding officer won’t let me have any. The military law book states that a newly married couple must be exempted from war for at least a year, but my commanding officer is reluctant to honour this law because of the present war with Syria. We're suffering heavy casualties, and more men that are military are needed to fight. His appalling statement was, ’Son, your country needs you now more than ever. We must send more troops to the frontline in order to secure victory. After this war, you can take your year off according to the law’. I was so disappointed and frustrated now you'll have to wait a few months before we can celebrate our honeymoon”.
“That’s fine with me, Uri darling”, Bathshua smiled bravely. “We shall be together for a year after the war–a whole year, Uri. That’s good news. It’s not something to be sad about. The war will soon be over, and all our young men will come back home in jubilation. At least our enemies will be defeated, and we can enjoy our honeymoon in peacetime. Cheer up, love, don’t let that ruin our evening. Every day is a honeymoon for me since we got married”.
“You are too kind to me, Bathshua. My sadness was from the thought that I have to leave you so soon after our marriage and go to war”.
“Leave me, darling? You will never leave me. You may be far away, but my heart will never stop longing for you. But don’t leave me a widow please. Oh God! Please don’t leave me a widow”, she began sobbing suddenly with the thought of Uri dying. “Promise me, darling, that you will be careful and come back to me. Promise me! Promise me!”
“I promise; just stop crying, my love. It breaks my heart to see you crying this way, as if I’m dead. I promise to come back. While I’m away, you must endeavour to start planning our war-free year. Though there are casualties on both sides, I heard that we are pressing hard on our enemies and pushing them back. It will be over very soon”.
Wiping off her tears, she said, “As long as it’s not over for us. My heart goes to the parents of those brave young service men who have lost their children; maybe some of them are married and their wives are now widows. Who will look after them and their children?”
“Stop thinking that way, love. It’s not good for you. Let’s think straight for now and leave our fate in Yahweh’s hands”.
“Then Yahweh must fight for us and preserve your life for my sake” she responded confidently.
Suddenly, there was nothing to say anymore, and the room was as silent as a graveyard. Bathshua began to wonder about what the future might have in store for them. By the time she regained her thoughts, it was morning, and Uri had left. He didn’t think it was fitting to say goodbye since it might break Bathshua’s heart. Bathshua’s silence became even longer as days went by. Night after night, she cried herself to sleep. Some nights, she tried to encourage herself with the thought that Uri was a brave soldier and had been to so many battles in the past. There was also the thought of the one-year honeymoon when he comes back. Not long after he was gone, Bathshua began to receive interesting news about the war and the safety of Uri. He was doing well and was still alive. Bathshua had no one to share the news with, but she held it so dearly to heart. Her joy knew no bounds as she began to express a joyful mood. Her maids noticed the transformation in her and were encouraged that their mistress was recovering. She sang the psalms in honour of Yahweh, who was protecting Uri and granting the soldiers victory. Her love and faith grew stronger every day with the hope of seeing Uri alive.
“Hannah, Hannah” she called out to her personal maid. “Get my bath ready; add lots of perfume to the water. My joy is beyond words”.
“Yes Ma!” Hannah responded gladly. “But Ma, isn’t it a sunny day? Can’t we wait until the evening when it is a bit dark? One of the neighbours might see you”.
“Nonsense, Hannah! There is no neighbour around this time of the day. The young men are listed for war, and the old men are all happily married and too busy to notice a village girl like me. Besides, Hannah, what will they see that they have not seen before? You have seen me naked many times, haven’t you? I’m no different from any other woman”.
“But Ma, there might still be some young men or dirty, old men around looking for mistresses. Don’t you think?”
“Hannah, what’s it to think about. What's the point in lusting after something you cannot afford? They may be buying, but I’m not selling. I am a happily married young lady. My Uri will soon be home. The news that our boys are winning makes me feel good. I just felt like overindulging myself today in a perfumed bath and pampering myself in the sun. I suppose I deserved something beautiful after all these days of waiting. Don’t you think so, Hannah?”
“Of course, Ma! You thoroughly deserve it. I will put the tub in the shed in the back garden, fill it up with water, and drop perfumed bath oil into it”.
Off she went to carry out all that she said. The shed had no cover, but it was an ideal place to soak up the sun’s rays in a cooling bath. Bathshua enjoyed herself so much in the bath that she entered into a dreamland and lost track of time. She started by thinking about her plan for the honeymoon Uri promised after the war, and she then took a catnap. However, Hannah was concerned about the welfare of her mistress since it was getting dark. She refrained from interfering with her mistress’s sleep nevertheless. Eventually, she called out to her mistress, alerting her of the time of day. Bathshua got out of the bath, dried herself with the towel, and went inside.
IDLE HANDS
It only took a moment of stupidity to stifle Bathshua’s joy and her hope shattered forever. The next day, after Bathshua’s perfumed bath, she was seated in front of her house, watching her maids gathering flowers, when the king’s servant stopped in front of the garden in a royal coach. Suddenly, a man dressed in royal servant’s attire came out of the coach holding a sealed scroll in his hand. Bathshua could not understand why the king’s servant coach stopped in front of her house. One of the maids ran quickly to welcome him, while Bathshua stood astonished, waiting for her royal visitor. Her mind began to race faster with the thought that the king may have granted her and Uri their honeymoon break. She made a little courtesy gesture as she invited him in.
“Girls, in quickly; we have a royal guest” Bathshua ordered her maids into the house. She welcomed the royal guest into her home in a polite manner.
“Welcome, my lord. Would you like something to drink? It’s a nice day”.
“No, pretty lady”, said the royal guest. “No, thank you. My message is urgent and brief. I must return quickly to the palace. My master awaits my immediate return”.
“Sir, how can we help you?” Bathshua inquired nervously.
“This is your lucky day, my lady. The king asked me to deliver this scroll in person to you. I haven’t seen him in such a happy mood for a long time. He wrote the scroll himself and wanted it delivered immediately. It must be very important”. He handed the scroll over to Bathshua and turned to leave.
“What is it about, my lord?” Bathshua tensely asked. “Did he tell you what’s inside?”
“No, my lady. I dared not ask him such question. I might lose my head for it. But I’m sure it must be good news, considering his happy mood. Thanks for your hospitality”. He bowed and went out of the room. Bathshua could no longer bear the suspense. She unsealed the scroll quickly, but was too shaky to read it. She passed it on to Hannah, who was equally excited to find out what the king had written. As she was about to read it aloud, Bathshua snatched it out of her hands and read it. “You are invited to the royal palace for a special dinner with the king.” She fell backwards, dropping to the floor like a fly, and fainted. Hannah leaped forward to brace her fall.
“Wake up! Wake up, Ma!” Hannah called out to her mistress and shaking her to regain consciousness. “Girls, get a glass of water quickly” she commanded the other maids. While one of the girls went to fetch water, Hannah helped Bathshua to the nearest seat. “Drink this, Ma; it will make you feel better” she said to Bathshua holding out a bowl of water. Bathshua drank the water quickly still breathless.
“Better, girls?” Bathshua responded curiously. “No! This is a nightmare. Have you read the scroll? It is far from better. It is the worst thing I have ever experienced. The king has invited me to a special dinner at the royal palace! How could that be better for a village girl like me?”
Hannah took the scroll from her mistress’s hands and read it.
“Ma, there isn’t anything bad in this letter” she said. “Neither is it a shameful thing to be invited to the palace for a special dinner with the king. There must be a reason for it” She scratched her head, waiting for an inspiration. Suddenly she spoke excitedly. “I know! It must be to honour master Uri for his braveness and services! I’m sure many other ladies whose husbands have fought bravely would have received similar invitations”. All the maids agreed with her.
“Girls, can’t you smell trouble in this scroll? Hello! It was written by the king himself and sealed with his personal royal seal. No one else is invited; of that I am sure”.
“No, Ma! We are sure that other ladies are invited. There are many heroic soldiers’ wives in the city; certainly some will be there with you. Now, let’s think of what to wear. This is an honourable occasion for you, Ma. There is nothing to worry about. You shall be alright and look beautiful”.
“Oh dear, what shall I wear?” It suddenly dawn on Bathshua that the invitation is for the evening. “When again is the dinner? It is tonight. I have not done my hair. Oh no, I shall look very ugly”. She got up immediately and ran to her bedroom. “Come on, girls. We must not keep my king waiting,” she yelled at the maids.
Bathshua’s maids got her changed from her normal dress into all her classy dresses, trying to find a suitable one. Of course, they could not overdo it, yet they had to find one suitable for the occasion. Hannah was resolute that all the other women mistress would not overshadowed her mistress. She got Bathshua to take a second bath, this time in milky water. Bathshua’s hair was quickly styled to enhance her beauty. Nevertheless, Bathshua was not comfortable with the invitation as the words of her friend, Joan, began to ring in her ears.
“Hannah” she gently called; “do you know that the king has the power to take whatever he wants from the land?”
“Certainly not humans, Ma; can he?” Hannah responded curiously.
“Yes, Hannah, anyone he wants. Joan, my friend, told me he has the power to claim anything for himself. This is my concern. What if he lays his eyes on me and decides to make me one of his many women?”
“He would not dare do that, Ma! You are happily married to one of his trusted officers. Don’t you go thinking about all those fairy tales circulated in the village. The king is a righteous man and would do nothing evil. We heard that he married the wife of Nabal, whom God killed, after his death, not before”.
“What if that was to happen to me, Hannah? I shall be taken away from my childhood lover forever! Please, Yahweh, do not let Satan destroy my marriage by taking me away from my Uri. I would kill myself if that should happen. I cannot live a day without the thought of Uri by my side”.