For The HONOR of the KING

CHAPTER 3

The war with the children of Ammon had been less than glorious however. King David had not come out to fight this time, and Joab, David's commander, had been killing any warlike man that he could find so as not to allow an uprising from behind. The Ammonites had eventually taken shelter in their walled city of Rabbah and were only sending out small bands at a time. Uriah had done very little fighting but had been assigned mainly to guard duty, for Joab knew that Uriah had a wife and no children and so he had given him relatively safer positions, though Uriah had not asked for them.

One night it had been particularly dry and hot and the moon had been full. Uriah arose and went out of his tent to pace in the moonlight for several hours. Suddenly a sadness settled over his soul and he didn't know why. He wished to be home and to be with his wife, but he would not desert his post and dishonor his king just to satisfy his craving for the company of his wife. The sadness confused him. He had never felt such a weight of sorrow before. Uriah quietly knelt behind a large rock and spent the rest of the night in earnest prayer to the God of Israel for his fellow soldiers, for Joab, for his king and for his wife, and finally he prayed that he would be counted worthy to surrender his life and his own desires for their sakes, whether that meant that he should continue to live and serve, or die on the field of battle. Uriah didn't know that he was not alone in the darkness. Joab hadn't been able to sleep either and passing by on the other side of the rock, he heard Uriah's prayers.

The days stretched into weeks and conditions were not very pleasant for Joab and the men. Every once in a while a group of Ammonites would storm in on their camels releasing a hail of arrows before the weary Israelites realized that they had exited the city. Guards were passing out from the heat alone. Uriah began to order his men to collect extra water when they went to the stream to fill their water skins and to be sure to drink plenty of water because of the dry conditions.

Then one day word came from the king to Joab commanding him to send Uriah back at once. Joab stood in his tent and smiled as he watched Uriah ride back with about 8 other men. If any man deserved to be allowed to return to his wife and home it was Uriah. Joab hated to loose him though. Uriah was a good man and strengthened the hearts of the men. Joab frowned, he followed orders, but he wasn't much for inspiring loyalty or passion. The one thing he had was resolve, he could lead his men into Hell and that itself was enough for David. Uriah on the other hand could raise men's spirits and encourage them like no other that Joab had in his company. Uriah was very much like David had been in those days when the mighty men had been fugitives from Saul. Always encouraging always supporting everyone else, while he cried in the night.

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Upon his arrival back at Jerusalem, Uriah had quickly dismounted and after leading his tired and thirsty horse to a water trough and telling his men to rest and get something to eat, he hastened and ran to the kings palace. What could be so pressing that the king should call him back from the battle, he had wondered? Uriah had to pass his house as he neared the palace. Oh, how he had wanted to go and see his wife. Just one kiss. No! He was a soldier, he had told himself. He must fulfill whatever duty the king required of him. David surely knew best, he was after all the Messiah, (anointed of God).

Uriah was quickly ushered into the kings presence. Once inside he was surprised to notice a traveler standing off to the left in the shadows. He noted in a quick glance that the traveler was dressed as a bedouin, in an off-white head covering and cloak. Something was also different about the king. Uriah wondered why the king was wearing his crown and sitting on his throne. Except for ceremonies, David had always kept Saul's silver crown on a stool next to the throne, and as to the throne itself David thought it beautiful, but he hadn't liked the hard seat and often sat on a short cushioned footstool at the base of the steps. David motioned to Uriah to sit on his footstool and he demanded of him how Joab and the men of Israel were fairing, and how the war prospered. As Uriah gave his detailed report he thought to himself how he was hardly qualified for such reporting as he didn't know very much about Joab's plans or how the other captains were fairing. Beyond that the king seamed hardly interested in much of anything that he was saying. The king was studying him.

Finally, David arose and placing his hand on Uriah's shoulder he had told him that he was very pleased with him and knew that he had suffered a lot on behalf of his king, and that he felt guilty for allowing Uriah to go to war and leave his wife and his home. "Go down to your house Uriah, and wash your feet." He finally said.

Uriah walked out of the palace somewhat confused. He hadn't complained in the least. He hadn't once mentioned any suffering that he had himself endured. Uriah couldn't think of anything that he had suffered out of the ordinary. It was his duty to set aside his own wants for the sake of others, but Uriah knew that David had a soft heart and often did what he could to bless others. Something however felt wrong about the whole thing though. The men who had come back with him were worse off than he was and they were still waiting for him not having rested and gotten anything to eat as he had told them to do. They were loyal and wouldn't rest until they knew that their captain was going to rest as well.

Uriah quickly sent a servant to bring his men to the palace and they went in and rested in the servant's quarters outside the palace door. The servant shared bread and wine with them and Uriah washed his men's feet before he washed his own. Uriah hadn't noticed how filthy his own feet were. They must have stunk terrible in the kings presence. Uriah wondered if that might have been the reason why the king had been so distracted, and felt guilty for disgusting the king so. As evening came on Uriah wanted to go down to his house but he set his face like a flint and arose and went out to the door to the palace and began to pace.

Their Uriah found Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. Benaiah and Uriah had been good friends ever since David had brought Mephibosheth to eat at his table. They were like brothers even as David and Jonathan had been.

Uriah embraced Benaiah, their joy in seeing one another could not be expressed in words. Together they walked and talked. Now Uriah was very concerned in his conscience that if he were to go down to his house that he would be wrong before God to take pleasure in his wife while Joab and the others were on the field of battle and he spoke these things to Benaiah, but he mentioned not that David had commanded him to go down to his house.

Benaiah therefore said to Uriah that he saw it not as a sin for Uriah to go down to his house and to take pleasure in his wife, but Benaiah also strengthened Uriah saying. "Truly you are an honorable man before the LORD Uriah, and if you believe that this is what you must do, then I will not go down to my house this night either. I am with you to strengthen your heart."

And so the two sat down beside the door of the king's house with all the servants and slept there.