Uriah the Hittite
Uriah shows up in one of the stories of King David in the bible, specifically 2 Samuel 11. King David has an affair with the man's wife and then sets up Uriah to die in battle. I'm sure in most cultures during that time kings would not think a thing about it and most wouldn't worry about devising a plan to have him him killed, but David was 'a man after God's own heart' as the scriptures tell us. David wanted all of this to happen in secret. He didn't want anyone else to know that he was an adulterer and that Bathsheba was to bear his son.
So David slept with his wife while Uriah was on the battle field, fighting for the king that was sleeping with his wife. Uriah was a good man. He possessed an honor that kept him from wrong and the appearance of wrong in his life. There seem to be fewer and fewer men of Uriah's character.
When David saw that Bathsheba was going to bear him a son he sent for Uriah, called him from the battlefield to come home and spend a few days with his wife, hoping he'd sleep with her. He wanted Uriah to think that the baby was his. But, all Uriah could think about was his duty as a soldier. He could not possibly relax at home with his wife while his friends and countrymen were fighting and dying on the battlefield. He would not set foot in his house. That would be dishonorable and Uriah was an honorable man. He slept outside on the ground with the servants, crushing David's devious plans. David even tried to get him drunk in order to get him to sleep with his wife, but even in a drunken state he kept his honor. What a great man he was and a fine example to us who want to live an honorable life.
Now, I love King David and love to read about his life. He was a good man, who desired to do right, but he made some really big mistakes. That's what's so cool about the bible. It's just so even handed when it deals with the lives of those involved. If it was a fairy tale or something just made up it probably would not have been so brutally honest in it's presentation. David was wrong in what he did and he was very repentant later, but he continued to pay for this very great sin the rest of his life.
Uriah, in a very real sense was a minor actor in this play. He is only mentioned a few times but in every instance he retained his good name and reputation. If you could be mentioned only once in the bible would you not want to be this kind of man? Uriah was a faithful man; he was a soldier who endured hardship without complaint; he was a faithful friend who would not accept gifts that his friends could not; he was a humble man who didn't mind sleeping with the servants. This is a man that can be held up as an example of Godliness and faithfulness, selflessness and manliness.
So David slept with his wife while Uriah was on the battle field, fighting for the king that was sleeping with his wife. Uriah was a good man. He possessed an honor that kept him from wrong and the appearance of wrong in his life. There seem to be fewer and fewer men of Uriah's character.
When David saw that Bathsheba was going to bear him a son he sent for Uriah, called him from the battlefield to come home and spend a few days with his wife, hoping he'd sleep with her. He wanted Uriah to think that the baby was his. But, all Uriah could think about was his duty as a soldier. He could not possibly relax at home with his wife while his friends and countrymen were fighting and dying on the battlefield. He would not set foot in his house. That would be dishonorable and Uriah was an honorable man. He slept outside on the ground with the servants, crushing David's devious plans. David even tried to get him drunk in order to get him to sleep with his wife, but even in a drunken state he kept his honor. What a great man he was and a fine example to us who want to live an honorable life.
Now, I love King David and love to read about his life. He was a good man, who desired to do right, but he made some really big mistakes. That's what's so cool about the bible. It's just so even handed when it deals with the lives of those involved. If it was a fairy tale or something just made up it probably would not have been so brutally honest in it's presentation. David was wrong in what he did and he was very repentant later, but he continued to pay for this very great sin the rest of his life.
Uriah, in a very real sense was a minor actor in this play. He is only mentioned a few times but in every instance he retained his good name and reputation. If you could be mentioned only once in the bible would you not want to be this kind of man? Uriah was a faithful man; he was a soldier who endured hardship without complaint; he was a faithful friend who would not accept gifts that his friends could not; he was a humble man who didn't mind sleeping with the servants. This is a man that can be held up as an example of Godliness and faithfulness, selflessness and manliness.
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