The prophet Nathan is heralded for having spoken "truth to power" when he confronted King David for having slept with the wife of his soldier Uriah, the Hittite, and sent him to battle to be killed by the enemy. That this little-known prophet risked all by boldly confronting the mighty King makes this a profound story indeed. And yet, nowhere in the Bible do we find Nathan's "story" - how he summoned the strength to confront the King; how he felt about the King's conduct; and how King David reacted to him (apart from the few words describing the incident in the as described in Chapter 12 of "The Second Book of Samuel"). "David and Bathsheba" is primarily a personal, fictional view of what "may" have occurred in the exchange between Nathan and David. While the biblical narration of this incident is short and concise, the author attempts to delve deeper into the Prophet Nathan's story as to how he was summoned by God to confront the king, how he felt about the king's conduct, and how King David reacted to Nathan's confrontation via the parable he used.
The book's structure raises for both Jews and Christians the question of why God would have chosen as the forebear of Jesus someone who sinned so grievously against God's law. Since this is admittedly a fictional account containing the musings of one person, the book invites readers to imagine for themselves what occurred when Nathan the prophet rebuked King David.