What was David’s sin with Bathsheba?

Over the past few years, a little debate has kept cropping up about whether it is right to suggest that David committed adultery with Bathsheba or whether in fact we need to say that he raped her. I wrote a guest post for Steve Kneale here when the debate first came up but it has raised its head again and I wanted to respond a bit further here.

What’s at stake in the discussion?

There are a couple of things that are affected by our conclusions here but also by our methodology. Specifically, I would highlight two that matter. The first is our understanding of grace, forgiveness and restoration. If David was guilty of rape then what does it mean for us today to observe that he was able to continue as king. Does that diminish how seriously God takes abuse? Does it mean that church leaders who have been…