Asides in the narrative

“David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife” Matthew 1:6

The genealogy of Jesus, found in the first chapter of Matthew’s gospel, contains some interesting points to ponder. There are many wonderful Bible stories associated with the names on the list. When I come to this line, however, I think about who is named and who is left out of the record.

There are several women named in the genealogy of Jesus, but here a prominent woman is not named, rather her former husband is. Uriah has his place in history.

What we know of Uriah is found in the second book of Samuel, chapter 11, in the Bible. Uriah the Hittite is a soldier in the Israelite army of King David, under the command of Joab, waging war against the Ammonites. Uriah is invited home from the campaign by King David and invited to spend a night at home with his wife, Bathsheba.

Unbeknownst to Uriah, this invitation is a conspiracy to cover up a sexual liaison between King David and Bathsheba and her subsequent pregnancy.

“The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife?”

“The character of Uriah is demonstrated in these words. He mentions first the ark- the ark of the covenant. He is thinking of God’s honour. He mentions Israel and Judah- he is thinking of the honour of his nation. Finally, he is thinking of his commander Joab and his fellow soldiers, remembering the tough conditions that they are living under. He is joined with them in spirit, if not physically, and cannot enjoy the comforts of home whilst they are waging a war.

Unfortunately for Uriah, his strength of character was to lead to his death. King David, being unable to cover up his affair with Bathsheba, then contrived to have Uriah placed without support in the front line of battle. Uriah’s death enabled David to take Bathsheba as his wife, but there were serious consequences to the king’s actions.

There are many cases where a godly man or woman has been ill-used due to their strength of character. They are the ones who won’t cut corners or lie to customers or cheat on their spouses or laugh at the dirty jokes. They can be passed up for promotion or omitted from the guest list or ridiculed or imprisoned or murdered, as Uriah was. They can be seen by others as just a pawn in their schemes, or an annoying prickle in their conscience, a hindrance to be disposed of. They are not the main players in the world’s eyes, but God has His eyes on them.

God sees. He vindicates. He honours those who honour Him.