In this powerful continuation of our series on David, Pastor Jenell Coker examines 2 Samuel 11–12 and the story of David and Bathsheba with honesty and care. She challenges the familiar interpretations that have too often softened David’s abuse of power, portrayed Bathsheba as responsible, or called violence an “affair.”

Through the text, church history, and our present moment, this teaching asks what it means to tell the truth about our heroes, our institutions, and ourselves. How do we protect the vulnerable rather than reputations? How do we stop blaming survivors? And what does it look like to reclaim Christianity as a movement of love and liberation, grounded in the belief that every person bears the image of God?

Content note: This sermon includes discussion of sexual assault, abuse, murder, victim-blaming, and church harm.

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• (00:00:00) - Introduction and Series Recap
• (00:01:37) - Content Warning
• (00:02:57) - Retelling the David and Bathsheba Story
• (00:08:11) - Nathan's Confrontation and Psalm 51
• (00:08:42) - Opening Prayer
• (00:10:05) - Jenny's Story: A Modern Parallel
• (00:12:27) - Examining the Painting and Popular Depictions
• (00:13:58) - How Theology Blamed Bathsheba
• (00:16:09) - Study Bible Commentary Through the Decades
• (00:22:56) - Personal Reflection and Anger at the Text
• (00:24:28) - The Bible's Honesty vs. Our Softening of It
• (00:25:50) - Church Power, Abuse, and Protecting Reputations
• (00:27:54) - Reclaiming Christianity's Purpose Statement
• (00:30:00) - Bathsheba as the Lamb
• (00:30:39) - Closing Reflection and Prayer
• (00:32:31) - Closing Remarks