"Joab sent David a full account of the battle. He instructed the messenger: 'When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, the king's anger may flare up, and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn't a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Morever, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.'" (2 Samuel 11:18-21) In Judges 9 Abimelek recklessly got too close to the wall of a city under siege and was killed when a woman dropped an upper millstone on him. It's bad battle strategy to get within reach of falling objects and shooting arrows, but it was necessary for Joab to send Uriah (and several other men so his sending of Uriah didn't look suspicious) right up against the wall of Rabbah so Uriah's death could be guaranteed. Joab knows David will pretend to be upset about the casualties so no one will suspect he's pleased about the death of Uriah.
Joab and David are speaking in code during this exchange. Joab is letting David know the job has been accomplished; David is letting Joab know he's happy with his work and that he accepts the loss of several other men as part of the price of causing Uriah to die in battle. "The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. The messenger said to David, 'The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.' David told the messenger, 'Say this to Joab: Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab." (2 Samuel 11:22-25)
"When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord." (2 Samuel 11:26-27) It is believed by most scholars that Bathsheba observes only the shortest allowable period of mourning, perhaps just seven days. She can't afford to mourn for long. The pregnancy is progressing and if she and David hope to pass the child off as being conceived within wedlock between them, time is of the essence.
Does she know David arranged for Uriah to be killed? There's no evidence that David notified her of his plans; we haven't been told of any communication between her and David since the message informing him of her pregnancy. She may suspect Uriah was set up to be killed or she may simply believe he's a natural casualty of war. After all, men die every day in battle, and her husband was known to be a brave man who wouldn't balk at being ordered to charge at the walls of a fortified city. We don't know if she had any affection for Uriah. Marriages tended to be arranged in those days but that doesn't mean she doesn't care that he's dead. She may be truly sorry that a courageous and honorable man lies slain on the battlefield, but whatever grief may or may not be in her heart, she can't take much time for outward mourning. As soon as David sends for her, she goes immediately to marry him and live in the palace. In the course of time, she bears a son.
David thinks his problems are all solved now. Some of his household servants know of the night Bathsheba spent with David while her husband was still alive. They must suspect that the child was conceived on that adulterous night but it would not be in their best interests to allow the king to see the suspicion in their eyes. The other women of the royal harem probably aren't fooled either when Bathsheba tries to pass off a full-term baby as baby born more than a month early. The midwives who attend the birth certainly aren't fooled either. But the general public may still be in the dark as to David's sin. After all, he lived in a time when a newborn prince wouldn't be presented on live TV for all the world to see. No one outside the women's quarters of the palace, other than David, has to lay eyes on the child when he's first born. There's no reason for the citizens of Israel to doubt the king's word if he says his son has been born four to six weeks early. They may actually think even more highly of David now than they did before, saying among themselves, "How good it was of David to marry the poor childless widow of Uriah! What a wonderful way for David to honor the memory of that brave war hero! Not only did David take in this woman out of respect for one of the great warriors of Israel, but the Lord blessed him with fruitfulness for his kindness toward the memory of Uriah. The Lord must be pleased with David since He enabled him to conceive a child with his new wife during their honeymoon week."
But the Lord is not pleased. "The Lord sent Nathan to David." (2 Samuel 12: 1a) The Lord sends a message of displeasure to David by someone whose friendship David treasures, by someone whose opinion David values. I believe the Lord has been trying to speak to David directly, through the Holy Spirit, but David has hardened his heart against the Holy Spirit's pleadings to acknowledge his sin and repent of it. The Lord must use another method to get David's attention and He does it by sending someone to him whose disapproval will be hurtful to David. In tomorrow's text He does it by sending this man to present an allegory to him that will arouse his anger against a person (a fictional person, but this is unknown to David) who has done something David finds utterly despicable. He will announce that the man in question is worthy of death, at which time Nathan will utter the words for which he is famous: "You are the man!"
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