David had many facets, many skills and talents, and many noble and admirable character traits displayed and commended in scripture. He also had many wives--and concubines. Of the wives, about most of them scripture records only the woman's name, country of origin, and the one son each one bore to David. These were probably women of royalty of other countries married for the purpose of political alliances. Of three of David's wives, scripture has a bit more to say. Although all David's attributes were in force in all his life, these three wives could be said to be married to him during one of three main eras of his life.
Michal, the young princess and daughter of King Saul, married the love of her youth in David's shepherd/musician era. She defied her father and risked her life for David. What happened to her after he fled under duress from King Saul's jealousy and wrath?Abigail, the young widow, destitute of a place in life after the death of her quarrelsome husband, married David in his warrior/fugitive era. With him, she went from camp to camp with his soldiers. What happened to her after he became king and took on other wives? Bathsheba, a profoundly beautiful woman probably also as multi-faceted as David, became his only long-term wife in his king/politician era. Her elevation to queen came at the expense of her trauma as she was forced into pregnancy and widowhood by David's sins of lust and the arranged murder of her husband, one of David's elite inner circle of faithful soldiers. What became of her in David's old-age decline as betrayals shook his world?
Scripture has some answers to these questions, answers to be found in cross-referencing after what is found in reading through the relevant passages. Then imagination, submitted to scripture, can take flight, once one is won to empathy for these winsome women, Michal, Abigail, and Bathsheba.
