2 Samuel 13

CHAPTERS 13 AND 14THEME: Crimes of David’s sonsAmnon and AbsalomThere is that old bromide which says, “If you are going to dance, you are going to have to pay the fiddler.” If you are going to indulge in sin, you will have to suffer the consequences. The Lord gives it to us straight in Gal_6:7: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” You are not going to get by with sin. Gal_6:8 goes on to say, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” There is no question that David had sown to the flesh. Don’t think for one minute that now he can walk away from his sin, make a sweet little confession, and that is it. I have heard people say, “Well, the blood of Christ covers it.” It certainly does, and you don’t lose your salvation, brother. But I want to tell you that sin causes a festering sore that has to be lanced. This brings us to chapter 13. David has made his confession of sin. God has told him, “Your sin has caused My enemies to blaspheme Me. I won’t give you up, but you are not going to get by with it.” Thank God that He will not give us up, but the chickens do come home to roost.

2 Samuel 13:1

DAVID’S DAUGHTER RAPED BY HIS SONAlthough Absalom and Tamar had the same mother and father, Tamar was Amnon’s half sister. David was their father, but they had different mothers.

2 Samuel 13:2

Amnon was not eating. He was so madly in love with Tamar that he had lost his appetite. His friend could see that he was not eating, but he also recognized the problem since Tamar was Absalom’s sister and Amnon was afraid of Absalom.

2 Samuel 13:5

There is no use to read the next few verses which contain the sordid details of what happened next. Amnon raped Tamar. Then we are told that he hated her.

2 Samuel 13:15

This awful thing had taken place in the house of David. When Amnon was through with her, he flung her out.

2 Samuel 13:19

Tamar was thrown out of the house, and now she is in sackcloth and ashes.

2 Samuel 13:20

David is angry about what happened but does nothing about it. David was like many other men in Scripture: he was an indulgent father who raised a bunch of kids who were bad. That has happened again and again. It started with old Eli, God’s high priest. His sons were not only immoral, they were godless and had a religious racket going. Then we come to Samuel.

Since he was raised in the same atmosphere as Eli’s sons, you would think Samuel would be more of a disciplinarian and that he would have maintained some authority and control over his sons. But his sons turned out to be corrupt and dishonest. Next we come to David. He knew Samuel, and he knew Samuel’s sons. You would think he would have been more strict with his children, but he was not. He too was an indulgent father.

He was angry about what Amnon did to his sister Tamar. But, after all, what kind of an example has David set for his boys? The chickens are beginning to come home to roost. Perhaps you think I am a square because I say some old-fashioned things, but I am convinced that the main problem today in Christian homes is the lack of example and discipline on the part of the parents. My friend, if you are a Christian and you have a naughty little boy in your home, don’t spend your time lecturing him. You are not going to get anywhere that way. Give him an example and disciplineand start soon, because the day will come when he will walk out. Another strike against David is the fact that he had multiple wives and many children. As a king with many heavy responsibilities, how much time do you think he spent in rearing his children? The problem with many of us who have been in Christian work is that we probably have neglected our families for the sake of the work. We have excused our neglect on the basis that we were doing Christian work. I must confess that if I could go back and do one thing over again, it would be to spend more time with my daughter when she was growing up. Do you know why? I was too busy when she was small. Now I am not so busy and I can spend time with my grandchildren. Christian parents need to realize that they need to spend time training their children. Don’t get the impression that you are raising a little angel. There are many parents who treat a child as if he were a cross between an orchid and a piece of Dresden china. They believe that if they apply the board of education to the seat of knowledge they will break him in pieces or he will come apart. Pro_23:13 says, “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.” David did nothing about the problem created by Amnon. So what happened?

2 Samuel 13:22

This is David’s home, friends. This is David’s life at home. He did not get by with sin. God says that we will not get by with sin either. Absalom is marking time. He is waiting for the day when he can get even with Amnon. And that day will come.

2 Samuel 13:28

AMNON IS MURDERED BY ABSALOMI am not going into detail at this point, but the day came when Absalom killed Amnon. Absalom waited for two years before making his move. He invited the king’s sons to a feast in connection with sheep-shearing time. Since Absalom had shown no signs of wanting revenge, David let Amnon go and attend the party. When the day came that Amnon’s “heart was merry with wine,” Absalom had him killed. The first message David received was that all his sons were dead. Then Jonadab told him that only Amnon was slain.

2 Samuel 13:33

Since Absalom actually plotted Amnon’s murder, he has to flee.

2 Samuel 13:36

Absalom’s mother was a daughter of the king of Geshur, and this is one reason why Absalom fled to him. As I have pointed out before, David made a mistake in marrying this foreign woman. Remember that he had married this woman during his lapse of faith when he withdrew from the land. She bore the king two very attractive children. One was Absalom and the other was Tamar. Apparently David did not discipline this wild boy, who was the son of a pagan and a Bedouin. In a way, Absalom seems to be justified in what he did, since David did not take matters into his own hands when Amnon sinned.

2 Samuel 13:38

After Absalom took Amnon’s life, he fled. David wanted to bring him back, but he did not. David mourned for him and that is all he did. He mourned for him and wished for his return. Absalom, I believe, was more like David than any of his other sons. I think it was David’s intention that Absalom succeed him as the next king of Israel. That ambition also lurked in the mind of Absalom, as we shall see.