Daily Insights - Please Comment Daily Reading: 2 Samuel 13-15
Comments/Questions:
The reading today is quite long, and very dramatic narrative. I'll do my best to keep the notes brief. There are a lot of references to characters: I'll try to remind you “who's who.” The relationships are a bit confusing...the thing to realize is the breakdown of David's family. Almost everyone who is plotting against each other is related.
2 Samuel 13
The following episode should disgust us. Keep in mind: it begins a chain of events in the following chapters that climaxes with David fleeing Jerusalem from his own son: Absalom. It is not even Absalom who starts it all, but his step-brother Amnon. Something has gone wrong in David's monarchy. It seems the episode with David and Bathsheba started a destructive downward spiral.
13.1 Amnon is the half-brother of Tamar. Amnon is David's oldest son by his wife Ahinoam (A woman from Jezreel, who was captured by David while he was at war with Saul). This would have made him heir to the throne. But like father like son, he falls in love with someone that is against the rules (Leviticus 18.11 forbids sexual relationships between half-brothers and half-sisters). Notice how Amnon's sin really goes back to the poor example David had set as a father.
13.2 The connection between Tamar being a virign and it being impossible for him to do anything to her might not make sense to us as readers. But it was a common practice that virigins in the king's court would have been confined to women's quarters and carefully guarded.
13.3 Jonadab who comes up with the plot for Amnon to get at his step sister, is Amnon's cousin.
13.12 Unlike Bathsheba, Tamar is given a voice in this story. She acts with courage and decency. While Amnon falls victim to his feelings, Tamar (both now in in verse 16) reflects her knowledge of Torah. Tamar not only makes a case for her own well being, but tries to show Amnon that this is not in his own best interest. But Amnon cannot be reasoned with.
13.14 Here is were Amnon commits his most serious sin: a rape of an unbetrothed virigin. A tragedy in itself, the result of this event is an offense to Absalom's family for which Absalom wants revenge. Absalom, Tamar's full brother is 2nd in line to the throne of David at this point. The plot thickens as we come to realize that these two are vying for the same throne.
13.15 We see now that Amnon's feeling toward Tamar was not actually love, but rather selfish lust. It seems he only wanted what he could not have. The same sort of thing happens today in our high schools (though I think it is fair to say this sort of behavior is not confined to them)
13.18-19 Instead of keeping the incident quiet, Tamar goes public with her mistreatment by tearing off her robe and putting ashes on her head.
13.21 Notice that although David is angry, he does not respond to this incident in any other way. Once again, David fails as a father when he refuses to discipline his sons. (If David had followed Torah (God's teaching) none of this would have happened.)
13.23-29 While Amnon had mimicked his father's sexual drive, now Absalom follows his father's willingness to kill in order to serve his own self interest (David kill's Uriah's wife).
13.28 Another parallel to the David and Bathsheba story. Like David, Absalom does not kill directly but orders others to take care of his dirty work.
13.30-35 This strange episode seems to serve as a reminder that Jonadab was an accomplice in the murder. He had expected something like this to happen after the rape of Tamar. At first it seems he is only trying to give his cousin “love advice,” but even if his intentions were innocent the result was sinister.
2 Samuel 14
Once again, David has failed as a father. Instead of confronting his son, he has avoided the subject. In this section, the hypothetical judgment by the woman from Tekoa is used similarly to Nathan's parable to David. David (in essence) judges his own actions as played out by other characters, and thereby David comes to see what he is not able to see by himself. While Absalom is “restored” to the city of Jerusalem, he is still not allowed to come into the king's presence. David does not follow reconciliation out to its natural end. By coming up short he sabotages he potential for reconciliation and opens the door for Absalom to revolt against his father.
14.1 Joab is David's nephew and commander of his army. It seems that David has been preoccupied with the death of one son and the loss of another. Joab on one level likely wants to help his friend, but on another wants to restore David's mind to matters of the kingdom.
14.13 The woman asks permission to speak frankly to David (it seems he is being dense).
14.14 The saying: “Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered” is the widow's reference to Amnon. Essentally: “David, one of your sons is dead, you cannot have him back. But one of your sons is still alive, and you can do something about that son.” She appeals to God's forgiving nature in order to persuade David to bring Absalom out of banishment.
14.25-26 Absalom's handsome appearance points directly to his popularity amongst the Israelites (which he will use in an attempt to supplant his father). The mention of his hair is background information which will become important in explaining his unnatural death in chapter 17. (the description of his hair is certainly an exaggeration: “I once caught a fish this big.” 5 pounds of hair is more than humanly possible).
14.33 Finally David calls Absalom into his presence and greets him warmly (with a kiss). While a kiss can represent forgiveness, it seems the kiss came at least two years too late. “At no point does David take the initiative to restore Absalom to relationship. When the kiss finally comes, it is because Absalom forces the moment. David has not seen Absalom for five years. (New Interpreter's Bible Commentary” NOTICE how impersonal the language is in verse 33. The text is deliberate: it is “the king” who kisses Absalom, not “his father” or even “David.” David is acting as king, not as father. This may explain why Absalom decides to take the throne away from his father David.
2 Samuel 15
15.1-6 As Absalom tries to steal the throne of David he “steals the hearts” of the peoeple in 2 ways. First he discredits the ability for David to act as Judge: one of David's primary roles as king. Secondly, he works to bolster his own credibility by flattering his “fans” by kissing their hands.
15.7-12 Absalom's arrival at Hebron is a symbolic one. Hebron is the same place that David was first anointed king.
15.23-17 David once again runs away from confrontation with his son.
15.18-22 Ittai and the Gittites are foreign mercenaries of David (hired soldiers). The contrast here is the loyalty of mercenaries, while his own son is in rebellion against him. (Word Bible Commentary). Like Ruth, ittai is a foreigner who chooses loyalitty to an Israelite and to Israel's God over alternatives that would have made more “tactical” sense.
15.24 Zadok was the first high priest in Jerusalem. He serves as such during both David and Solomon's rule.
15.25 David in an act of faith, tells Zadok to keep the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem. He knows that he cannot force God's presence by taking the ark with him. This kind of trust is characteristic of David back in the days when he was fleeing from Saul.
15.30 David covers his head and walks barefoot as a sign of mourning and even repentance. Symbolically, they head over the Mount of Olives into the wilderness.
Weekly Summary
