II Samuel 11:4

Then David sent messengers to get her.  She came to him, and he slept with her.

I may be wrong, but I don't believe David was the only one at fault here.  Sure, he was the king, but I think had Bathsheba said no, that would have been the end of it.  It says here, "She came to him", not "He took her".  And when God punishes the sin, both David and Bathsheba suffer (II Samuel 12:13).  I believe Bathsheba was equally guilty in their transgression.

Why did Bathsheba do it?  Probably because she was lonely.  She was an army wife, one whose husband was so loyal to those with whom he served that he put them ahead of his own wife (II Samuel 11:11). 

Perhaps you know Bathsheba's loneliness.  Maybe you're married to a military man who is gone for long stretches of time.  Maybe your husband doesn't travel, but he works long hours at the office.  Perhaps he spends weekends on the golf course or in a fishing boat.  Or maybe it's ministry.  He may be serving in a position that requires him to be on call twenty-four hours a day.  Whatever the reason, too often you go to bed alone. 

If this is your story, I caution you to remember he is still your husband.  While it may be helpful to seek out friendships to help fill the void, do not seek other men to help counter the loneliness.  What starts as an innocent friendship can all too quickly lead to trouble.  Remember what the writer of Hebrews said, "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure." (13:4a)  Honor your God by honoring your vows.

Exodus 20:14

You shall not commit adultery.

Why is this so important to God?  Ephesians 5 says marriage is a symbol of Christ and the Church.  In being faithful to our husbands, we are modeling faithfulness to God.

Genesis 39:7-10

And after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!"

Fidelity is absolutely crucial in a marriage, and it's very easy to see what Potiphar's wife did wrong here.  But it's also important to note what Joseph did right -

And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even to be with her.

Joseph kept as far as he possibly could from sexual temptation.  He avoided every appearance of evil.

Recently a new vendor started coming to my workplace.  He was a nice guy with a really nice smile. One day I remarked to a co-worker that this guy has a great smile.  That was all I meant by that statement - nothing more whatsoever.  But my co-worker, a non-Christian, quickly said, "You're married!"  And I realized two things:

1)  What may be absolutely innocent to us might not appear that way to the rest of the world.  Others do not know your thoughts or feelings.  Others do not know what does or does not go on behind closed doors.  Like Joseph, we need to avoid every appearance of evil (I Thessalonians 5:22).  That innocent ride home from a male co-worker might not look so innocent to others.  And it's certainly fodder for office gossip.  Do everything you can to not set off wagging tongues.

2)  In noticing this man's smile, I was opening a door.  Sure, I had no intentions of anything, no desire for any sort of relationship.  That was the furthest thing from my mind.  But we are not to give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).  It starts with noticing somebody's smile or his eyes or his biceps.  Maybe it's just getting together for lunch with an old friend from high school.  Maybe it's meeting alone with a male pastor for a counseling session.  Whatever it may be, take a lesson from Joseph and flee (v. 12).