The number of instances of the abuse, marginalization, and objectification (treatment as property) of women is both horrific and alarming. It should give us pause when we read these texts. Bathsheba was not an equal participant in the infidelity, but the object of the King’s desire. Esther’s story is not one of romance, but of human trafficking and abuse.

The question we often miss is, “Did (does) the Lord really intend for it to be this way?” It becomes clear when we read the beginning of the story, the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and the prophecies of the future that it clearly is not.