The story of King David and his sins shows his true weakness: lust. In 2 Samuel verses 11, King David is safely residing in Jerusalem, despite the fact his men are on the battlefield fighting the Ammonites. Traditionally, the King goes to battle with the troops, but this spring King David chose to stay behind. "It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose form his couch and was walking upon the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful." David was intrigued by her beauty and asked about her identity. When he learned that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of his most loyal servants, he should have dismissed the notion of an affair right away. But the temptation was too strong and he had to be with her. After the unpleasant incident, she gave the news that she was pregnant with his child. David, not wanting anyone to find out about his sin, sent for Uriah to return home at once. Although he tries many tactics to get Uriah to sleep with his wife, the loyal subject will not "dishonor" his king in a time of war. David sees no other alternative than to have Uriah killed in battle. The central theme that drives David to sin, and then to commit another sin, is the overwhelming force of temptation. In the seventeenth century, Dutch artist Rembrandt attempted to recreate this image of lust and temptation in his painting, Bathsheba Reading King David's Letter. .
In 1654, Rembrandt painted a life-size woman bathing in the nude. He set the standard of nude paintings, for during his time many thought it was unacceptable to paint a woman fully nude. He was one of the first artists to paint a life-sized portrait and use such dramatic light to show off the woman's physical features. The brightly lit up body stands out against her surroundings. In the corner of the painting, an older woman sits at her right foot, cleansing her.
