King David and Batsheva

Last night, at a women's shiur in memory of Rachella Druk, someone got me thinking. We were looking at the beginning of Melachim alef, Kings I, as David lie, old and dying on his bed. His staff tried to warm him up with a "young virgin" to no avail. Then in walked Batsheva, the woman he risked both this world and the next for. Actually they both risked everything for each other. For years I've been saying that a close reading of the text shows that she seduced him, following a long line of strong, very strong willful women in the same line. (Leah with Yaakov, then Tamar with Yehuda--their son, then Ruth with Boaz, grandparents of David.) The biggest difference between David and Batsheva's relationship and all of the others is that there's a relationship, and it continues after the seduction. We read dialogue of their conversations. Even with all the children Leah and Yehuda had together, we never hear/read of their ever conversing, and the others are just one night stands. While Batsheva and David have a long-term relationship. And here, when not even a flicker from David when Avishag is "ministering" to him, suddenly he perks up when Batsheva enters. He listens to her, then to Natan, and then he acts like a king for the last time, if I'm not mistaken. He takes care of the business of properly appointing his successor, Solomon, Shlomo, the son he had with Batsheva. She reminded him of his promise, oath, to her and he acted on it.

She must have been quite a lady.

ps I'm not mentioning the name of the person who gave the shiur, because she didn't say what I've written, she just got my mind going, and I don't want people to go to her outraged.