I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.
Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Samuel 12-13.
Today’s passage shows us how the consequences of our sins can be far reaching, even after we have confessed them and been forgiven. Generally, we look at the death of Bathsheba’s son and Absalom’s later rebellion as God’s punishment on David for his sins. However, even Amnon’s rape of Tamar was a consequence of David’s sin with Bathsheba. Or, more precisely, a consequence of King David’s attitudes about power and sexual gratification which led to his sin with Bathsheba. They may not have known that their father gave the orders which led to Uriah’s death, but David’s sons were surely aware of his affair with Bathsheba. They could do the math and would have realized that the young child for whom he grieved so deeply had to have been conceived while Uriah was alive and away at war. Amnon learned from his father’s example to take pleasure where and when he wished.
Amnon’s rape of Tamar led to Absalom’s eventual revolt against his father. Perhaps if King David had acted to hold Amnon in some way accountable for his actions things would have turned out differently. Certainly, Absalom was emboldened by the fact that all he suffered for murdering his brother Amnon was a temporary exile. However, the thing I want to focus on today is the role Jonadab, one of David’s nephews, played in this whole situation. First, Jonadab encouraged Amnon to rape Tamar. He could have encouraged Amnon to ask David to allow him to marry her, but instead he gave him advice on how Amnon could arrange to be alone with her. Then, after Absalom had killed Amnon, Jonadab was the first to bring news to King David that only Amnon had been killed. Was Jonadab merely a confidant of both brothers? Or, perhaps, he gave Amnon the advice he did in order to give Absalom an excuse to kill his brother, who stood between him and being King David’s heir? I am intrigued by the fact that David’s nephew, Jonadab was so intricately involved in court plotting. Combining this with David’s complex relationship with Joab and a few other references to King David’s family makes me think that Jesse, David’s father, was more of a mover and shaker in the tribe of Judah than we normally think of him as.