Absalom

You think your family has drama?!!! This is just another example of why God wants a man to cleave to one woman. David had way too many family dynamics to manage. The family lines were blurred in some respects, as evidenced by Absalom's inappropriate attraction to his half-sister, and too distinct in others. Allegiance was given to siblings born of the same mother and often there were jealousies between the groups.

Amnon knew he could not be with Tamar because of their familial connection. But selfish entitlement clouded his moral reasoning and the rest is history. Where things went disastrously wrong was in David's management of the situation. Verse 13:21 says that "when King David heard what had happened, he was very angry". The text does not say that he disciplined his son at all. In fact, the footnote in the Chronological Bible says that in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Greek translation, the statement "...But he did not punish Amnon because he loved him, for he was his firstborn" was added. Whether he was showing preferential treatment to Amnon or was simply negligent as both a parent and a king, David's tolerance of this incident planted a seed of bitterness in Absalom. We don't hear anything else about Tamar, except that she lived as a desolate woman in Absalom's house. By virtue of her loss of virginity, even though against her will, she would have been considered "damaged" and ineligible for a full bride price. According to the Law, (Ex. 22:16-17) her father would have been entitled to the full bride price and the offender would then be required to take her as a wife. But Amnon refused to marry her, and David was clearly not going to enforce the consequences of his actions. I think the fact that Absalom has a daughter named Tamar speaks to the fact that she probably remained unmarried and childless. He may have given her a namesake, as the closest she would ever get to having a child.

After Absalom had nursed his anger for two years, he enacted his revenge upon Amnon. A lengthy estrangement between David and his son ensued before Joab intervened. There were two stories about Joab that I liked today. In the opening verses, Joab had all but closed the deal on the battle in Rabbah, but summoned David to secure the victory, lest the glory go to himself. And in this case, Joab shows compassion for his master by bringing about the reconciliation between he and Absalom. With so much dysfunction between them however, the hatchet won't be buried for long...

Tomorrow's reading: 2 Sam. 15:1-17:14