"The battle would not take place in the mountains, valleys, or plains of Israel. It would take place in the wilderness of the human heart."-Francine RiversIn the fourth installment in the A Lineage of Grace series, Unspoken, tells the heartwrenching story of Bathsheba and David, which you can read in the Bible in 2nd Samuel 11.The story really begins much earlier with Saul. Saul was anointed by Samuel to be King of the Israelites, but over the course of time Saul started to turn away from God, making Samuel anoint David to be the next King of the Israelites. David became Saul’s harpist and armor-bearer, and during this time Saul became very fond of David. Throughout time, David was revered by the people for his bravery in battle and soon Saul became jealous, driving him to plot David’s death. In fear of his life, David ran into the wilderness to hide from Saul, waiting to become the next King of the Israelites.Within his army, David had many men counsel him like military advisers; two of these particular men were Eliam and Ahithophel, these were Bathsheba's father and grandfather. These strategist meetings are where Bathsheba and David's paths cross.When Bathsheba was just a girl she had fallen in love with David, although he was much older and ignorant of her feelings. He had many wives, one of which was Saul's own daughter, to create alliances. As Bathsheba grew older she had hopes that she would be able to marry David, but her parents didn't agree. Her father arranged for her to marry, Uriah, the Hittite, who was in David's army of "30 mighty men". David attended Uriah and Bathsheba's wedding, where for the first time, he saw Bathsheba as a beautiful woman.Saul was eventually defeated and David became King of the Israelites, they no longer roamed the wilderness, but moved to the city with David. While David's army was at battle, David remained in the palace, where he accidentally saw Bathsheba bathing on her terrace. David was not deterred, he wanted her, even though her husband, his friend Uriah, was fighting a battle for David. Sin and passion gave way to loyalty. The aftermath of their terrible decision is played out in the book. David devised unspeakable things to save both he and Bathsheba's reputations and lives. God punished both of them for their sinful acts, but once they repented and changed the way they lived, God blessed them.I'm going to be frank, this was a tough review to write. Adultery is rampant in our culture, but after reading the book and the Bible scripture a couple times I realized the story isn't about adultery, it's about forgiveness. Even though we sin, big or small, God always forgives us if we ask for it.At the end of each, A Lineage of Grace, novella review, I will provide a genealogy of Jesus' line from these women. I found the lineage very interesting. If you want to be surprised or don't want to see any clues, don't read the bottom lineage, because it does reveal some vital points to the story.**** 4 stars224 PagesPublished 2001ISBN-13: 978-0842335980[amazon asin=0842335986&template=iframe image]Gilt & Buckram...the framework that holds adventure.The Genealogy of Jesus the ChristAbraham was the father of Isaac.Isaac was the father of Jacob.Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (mother, Tamar).Perez was the father of Hezron.Hezron was the father of Ram.Ram was the father of Amminadab.Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.Nahshon was the father of Salmon.Salmon was the father of Boaz (his mother was Rahab).Boaz was the father of Obed (his mother was Ruth).Obed was the father of Jesse.Jesse was the father of King David.David was the father of Solomon (his mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).
*spoiler Alert*....But if you are reading this it may be because you want to understand these biblical women and know if this book is for you so I am not going to hide my review. I had a harder time getting into to the book because it isn't easy to relate to an extremely young girl having an arranged marriage and also being in love with someone else all the while knowing it will end in an affair. I did love the book after I got into it. I still don't know for sure if Bathsheba loved David when she was a little girl in the biblical context or if that was part of the fictional writing. I didn't see it in the bible but I need to keep searching it to really understand her. I do believe Bathsheba and David came to love each other. I thought God did eventually forgive their sins when they repented and came to know him. Their sins had terrible consequences though. Many innocent's blood was shed trying to cover up one horrible sin. I cried hard when they lost their first son. God did bless them again though. I think most people might think of Bathsheba as an adulteress with out seeing the whole perspective of why she was remembered in the bible, I think she was remembered for our understanding of God's love for us. God blessed her greatly when he chose her son Solomon to be the king. Also he blessed her by having the Messiah come from her bloodline. Something to be pondered was David truly forgiven? Some well respected people recently told me he was not. I have more bible study to do on this subject.
What do You think about Unspoken: Bathsheba (2001)?
4.5.Francine Rivers' version of the story of Bathsheba certainly brought some things into a new light for me. I applaud her idea about Bathsheba having a secret longing for David before she met Uriah. I really liked that aspect.Why only 4.5 then, you ask? Well, I wasn't a big fan of the story of Bathsheba and David in the first place, and there were some things in the book that I wasn't big on, like the ending and maybe two other scenes, possibly only one scene besides the ending. Not that I'm saying it's any worse than the biblical account. Rivers sticks very close to the original story.Otherwise, I'd say I enjoyed Unspoken: Bathsheba as much as I enjoyed Unshaken: Ruth.
—( ●—● ) Evelynn
I was surprised that Rivers included Bathsheba in her lineage of grace series. After all who was Bathsheba but the women who led David into adultery. However I learned so much more about her from this book and also so much more about God’s grace and mercy. That no matter what are sin God can still use you. After all everyone sins and there will be consequences for your sins (Bathsheba and David’s sins led to repercussions for 1,000 of people) but despite all that God blessed her because of her willingness to confess, ask forgiveness and continue to lead a life for God. Another great book in the series. One note about the whole series: I would recommend reading a little of the book and then stopping to reflect and complete one section of the “seek and find” chapters rather than doing them all once you have read the entire book. You will get more out of the reading that way.
—rjp316
The story of David and Bathsheba is a marvelous love story, and one well known to those who have read the Old Testament of the Bible. Rivers handles the story simply, starting with Bathsheba's love for David when she is just a child. As the story grows, so does Bathsheba. And since life is not perfect, and we all make mistakes, so do the characters in this book. But the trick is to live with your mistakes, to grow and learn from them, and in presenting that to the reader, Rivers has done a fine job. Normally, I like my biblical stories a little less flowery, a little less "love story" (unless you're talking Songs of Solomon -- now those are some fine poems of love), but I read this on brownwhitetan's recommendation and found it gently told. Will be releasing this soon.
—bookczuk
