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INTRODUCTION
The story of David and Bathsheba is familiar in a variety of traditions. Accounts of King David's life are contained in both the Old Testament and the Torah. These accounts describe a leader with a humble past, a dramatic and rapid rise to power, strong organizational skills, a charismatic personality, an ecclectic approach to problem solving, a strategic vision for his people, and a man of high moral character. In his day, he was a man who had it all. He had power, influence, wealth, physical comforts, loyal servants, a strong army, and a growing prosperous country. He was a king. Yet despite both the quality of his life and his moral character, King David was a leader who got caught up in a downward spiral of unethical decisions that had grave consequences for both his personal life and the organization that he was called upon to lead and protect. David's failings as a leader were dramatic even by today's standards and included an affair, the corruption of other leaders, deception, drunkenness, murder, the loss of innocent lives, and a 'we beat the system" attitude when he thought he had managed to cover-up his crimes. The good, bright, successful, popular, visionary king, David, was nearly destroyed because he could not control his desire to have something that he knew it was wrong for him to have--Bathsheba.
Was David a leader lacking in principle? All accounts indicate that David was a man of strong principle and discernment. Did David abandon principle in the face of tough competitive pressure? At the time of David's indiscretion, he had just finished a series of triumphant campaigns and was riding the crest of success and popularity. Was David's a poor choice in the face of subtle, competing goods? David clearly knew the gravity of the violation he was engaging in and clearly knew the penalty if exposed. How did David, a good, talented, and successful leader get entangled in this downward spiral of events? Could his fall have been prevented? Would our current ethics training have helped David?
David's story appears in our newspapers with increasing frequency. We read of good, respected, successful leaders, men and women of intelligence, talent, and vision who suddenly self-destruct as they reach the...