I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     Today’s passage begins by telling the story of how David’s eldest son, Amnon. raped his half-sister, Tamar, who was the full sister of Absalom. Amnon desperately desired his half-sister, to the point that he became ill. His cousin, Jonadab, the son of David’s brother, came up with a plan that would get Amnon alone with Tamar. Amnon put Jonadab’s plan into practice. When Amnon grabbed Tamar and began his assault on her, she requested he let her go and then ask his father to give her to him as his wife. He rejected her plea and raped her, after which he had his servants throw her out of his quarters. Tamar tore her robe and put ashes on her head. Absalom approached his sister and asked if Amnon had been with her. Then he told her to be quiet for now and not take it to heart. Absalom then took her into his household. Notice that Absalom did not ask her why she was upset, he asked her if her brother, and his, had been with her (by which he meant had Amnon had sex with her). He then advised her to be quiet and not make a fuss. I will come back to this later.
     David, when he heard the news, was furious, but we are not told that he did anything. I have traditionally read that this is an indication of poor parenting, but based on something I read today about this passage, I am not so sure anymore. I will come back to this later. However, even if David’s response to the rape was not bad parenting, the fact that it happened in the first place seems to me to be indicative of poor parenting. Perhaps the reason that David did so little in response to Amnon’s rape of Tamar was because Tamar kept quiet and went into seclusion. Amnon was, after all, David’s eldest son and heir. As such he was likely rather popular and probably had a significant power base by this time. Without Tamar’s presence to bring witness to Amnon’s crime, perhaps David’s hands were tied.
     Which brings us to Absalom. Absalom was David’s third son and the grandson of the king of Geshur. One of the resources I found when I looked for information on Jonadab suggested that Jonadab was part of a conspiracy to clear the path for Absalom to become king. The author suggested that Absalom knew of Jonadab’s suggestion to Amnon on how to get alone with Tamar and approved of it. That he had his sister set up to be raped to give him an excuse to kill his half-brother, who happened to stand between Absalom and the throne. Absalom waited two years before acting. Two years later at sheep shearing time, Absalom invited all of David’s sons, his brothers, to join him for a sheep shearing celebration distant from the capital. He also invited David and his retainers. David demurred on the basis that if he came with his retainers it would put too much of a strain on Absalom’s resources. Absalom then asked David to send Amnon. David wondered why Amnon, but Absalom kept pressing. I am sure that Absalom used an argument that was something along the line of, “Well, if you the king can’t come, at least send your heir to show that I am important to you.” In the end, David allowed/encouraged his sons, including Amnon, to go to Absalom’s sheep-shearing festival.
     Absalom ordered his servants to wait until Amnon was drunk and then on Absalom’s orders to kill him. Absalom promised that they could claim that they were only acting on his orders to evade punishment for their action. When Absalom’s plan went into action, the rest of his brothers fled. Word came back to the capital that Absalom had killed all of the king’s sons, causing David and his attendants to tear their cloths in distress. Jonadab assured David that Absalom had slain only Amnon, something Jonadab said that he had been planning since Amnon raped Tamar. The author I read who suggested that Jonadab had conspired with Absalom to get rid of Amnon points out that the only way Jonadab could have known that Absalom had only killed Amnon was if he knew what the plan was before Amnon and David’s other sons went to Absalom’s sheep-shearing, since he made this statement before any messengers besides rumor had reached the capital. Meanwhile Absalom fled to the land of his mother’s father where he remained for three years. During that time David became reconciled to Amnon’s death and desired to be reunited with Absalom. The idea that Absalom set up Tamar to be raped to give him an excuse to kill Amnon suggests that this episode happened as a fulfillment of the prophecy that David’s own family would rebel against him. I would argue that this is an example of David’s sons, both Amnon and Absalom, following the example set for them by David in his involvement with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah.

     Today’s passage is composed of a prayer by Jesus. First Jesus prays that God will glorify Him so that He can further glorify God. Jesus then prays that God protect His disciples by the power of God’s name. They needed this protection because they are still in the world but are not of the world. As a result the world would hate them, just as the world hated Jesus. Jesus did not pray that they be taken out of the world, only that they be protected from the world. Jesus was sending them out into the world just as God had sent Him into the world. Jesus then stated that He was praying not just for those who had been His disciples while He was on this world, but also for those who believed in Him because of the message brought by His disciples. Jesus prayed that all of those who believed in Him would have complete unity, that they would all be one. When those who believe in Jesus are one, then the world will believe that God sent Jesus and loved those who believed in His name. Division in the Church is the greatest sin that we, the followers of Jesus, can commit. However, that does not mean that we should fail to confront those who do not follow the commands which Jesus gave in order to preserve an illusion of unity. If we are not all following Jesus’ teachings, pretending that we are does not actually preserve our unity.

     The psalmist expresses that he is experiencing despair as he waits for God’s deliverance, but he refuses to give up hope. He is confident that if he maintains his faith and his commitment to God’s commands, God will deliver him. I share the psalmist’s confidence. There have been times when I was at the end of my rope and crying out to God for deliverance from a struggle I was dealing with. When I was entering into despair because of circumstance that I could not control. When the time was right, God delivered me from that circumstance and brought joy into my life. I have learned that God’s unfailing love will preserve me so that I may obey His commands and praise His name.
     The psalmist continues in today’s second stanza by reminding us that it is by His laws that God delivers us and brings us out of despair into joy. That it is remembering and obeying God’s commandments which preserves our lives and teaches us joy.

     Fear of the Lord leads us to avoid evil. As we fear to show disrespect to God we avoid evil because to not do so is to be disrespectful of God. When we live our lives in such a way so as to please God, even those who desire us harm will find themselves unable to find cause to attack us.