Reading the Bible through with me? Then grab your journal and pen and read 2 Samuel. 13-15. The narrative of these chapters reveals a crumbling kingdom, falling apart after David’s sin with Bathsheba. It begins in chapter 13 with the vicious and premeditated rape of David’s daughter, Tamar. The rapist was her half-brother, Amnon, David’s first-born son and natural heir to the throne. Tamar was the sister of Absalom. David’s handling of this incident, or his mishandling, reveals how passive he was as a parent.
Since his father failed to discipline Amnon for his crime, Absalom allowed Tamar to live with him. For two years, he waited for his opportunity to punish Amnon. Absalom planned a party for all his siblings. Scripture records that David had 20 sons and some daughters. Many of them were born after the events in these chapters. It is likely that this family gathering included Amnon, Kileab, and Adonijah along with their families. David was invited but chose not to attend. There was lots of food and wine. Absalom’s plan was to get Amnon drunk and then signal his men to kill him. It was a brutal, vengeful act. Absalom fled the scene and spent three years living with his maternal grandfather in Geshur.
David’s minister of defense, Joab, realized that David longed to see his boy, Abasalom. He also knew that his king would not make the first move toward reconciliation. So, Joab enlisted a woman from Tekoa who had the gift of wisdom and asked her to approach the king. You can read the strategy in 14:1-23. A special verse jumped out at me. 2 Samuel 14:14. I am partial to the New Living Translation. The grace of God issues forth from this verse like a geyser - “All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.”
It is akin to a messianic prophecy. Ultimately and finally, the only way provided now is through faith in and submission to the Lord Jesus. He is the way God the Father has chosen to bring us back to Him even when our bodies die. The Lord Jesus, God the Son, said in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to Father except through Me.”
Have you submitted your life to the Lord Jesus? If not or if you are not sure, contact me and we can talk about it.
