2 Samuel 13

2 Samuel 13

Chart from recommended resource Jensen's Survey of the OT - used by permission 2 Samuel Chart from Charles Swindoll TIMELINE OF THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, KINGS & CHRONICLES 1107 1011 971 931 853 722 586 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 1 Kings 2 Kings 31 1-4 5-10 11-20 21-24 1-11 12-22 1-17 18-25 1Chr 10 1 Chr 11-19 1 Chr 20-29 2 Chronicles 1-9 2 Chronicles 10-20 2 Chronicles 21-36 Legend: B.C. dates at top of timeline are approximate. Note that 931BC marks the division of the Kingdom into Southern Tribes (Judah and Benjamin) and Ten Northern Tribes. To avoid confusion be aware that after the division of the Kingdom in 931BC, the Southern Kingdom is most often designated in Scripture as "Judah" and the Northern Kingdom as "Israel." Finally, note that 1 Chronicles 1-9 is not identified on the timeline because these chapters are records of genealogy. Map of David's Kingdom-ESV Global Map of Cities in 2 Samuel Source: Life Application Study Bible (borrow) 2 Samuel 13:1 Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her. Absalom: 2Sa 3:2,3 1Ch 3:2 a beautiful sister: 2Sa 11:2 Ge 6:2 39:6,7 Pr 6:25 31:30 Tamar: 2Sa 14:27 1Ch 3:9 loved her: 2Sa 13:15 Ge 29:18,20 34:3 1Ki 11:1 2 Samuel 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Job 4:8 “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity And those who sow trouble harvest it. Hosea 8:7 For they sow the wind And they reap the whirlwind (HURRICANE). The standing grain has no heads; It yields no grain. Should it yield, strangers would swallow it up. Galatians 6:7-8+ Do not be deceived (present imperative with a negative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey - stop an action already going on or do not let it begin), God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Statute of Tamar (Partially broken = metaphor of her fate) THE "AFTER EFFECTS" OF DAVID'S FULLY FORGIVEN SINS This chapter describes the firstfruits of David's sins of adultery and murder. One writer aptly calls this "The Beginning of an Avalanche of Evil (2Sa 13:1-14:3)" (Gerhke) J D Greear outlines the next two chapters - Main Idea: King David, unfortunately, has much in his life to teach us about the painful consequences of sin. I. David’s Sin: The Headwater of Family Dysfunction II. From Family Dysfunction to Family Destruction (2Sa 13:1–14:24) III. From Family Destruction to National Unraveling (2Sa 14:25–33) Destruction follows destruction, violence begets violence, until the entire thread of God’s grace seems to disappear. God is still at work in this dark time, but the consequences of sin are running their due course. (from Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Samuel) Rich Cathers - We’re about to start into the section where the consequences begin to come. As we’ve mentioned before, David already has several wives, now at least eight (Michal, Ahinoam, Abigail, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah, and Bathsheba). Some of the problems we’re going to run into revolve around the fact that many of David’s children are only partially related to each other. They all have David as their father, but they will have different mothers. Sounds a little like today’s “blended family”. Chuck Swindoll comments - And David said to Nathan, “I have sinned.” Three words he should have said the morning after he slept with Bathsheba. I am convinced the consequences would have been much, much less if he had declared his sin, openly confessed it before God and the people and laid his life bare. But he didn’t. And now, a year later, Nathan says, “You’re the man, David!” And David admits, “I have sinned.” But wait. Wait a minute. Look at the prediction Nathan makes in spite of David’s confession. Under the guidance and inspiration of God, the prophet declares, “The sword shall never depart from your house.” Never? NEVER. “I thought he was forgiven,” you say. Hey, he was. Nathan says so: “The Lord has taken away your sin; you shall not die.” That’s forgiveness. But the consequences are still there. “The sword will not depart from the house.” Am I saying that everyone who sins will have the same consequences? No. God, in His sovereign manner, fits the consequence for the person. It’s His choice. It’s His move. It’s His plan. Why He chooses some to go this way and some that, I do not know. That’s not our concern here. All I know is, in David’s case, He led him down a path of misery so that he would never forget (nor would we in retrospect) the consequences of that series of acts. “The sword shall never depart from your house. . . . Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household.” 2 Samuel 12:10-11 Twice, mention is made of David’s own house.....David has been forgiven, but his problems are not over. Trouble will come upon David’s household. Remember my words in the opening paragraph of this chapter? There are two kinds of problems a family can endure: trouble from without and trouble from within. For David, the trouble comes from within, and I don’t think words can express the awful pain this man lived with as he saw the misery that unfolded as a result of his own sin (Borrow David: A Man of Passion & Destiny - page 212) Swindoll quotes from John W. Lawrence The Seven Laws of the Harvest (borrow see page 38), in which he traces the truth of harvesting what we have sown. When David sowed to the flesh, he reaped what the flesh produced. Moreover, he reaped the consequences of his actions even though he had confessed his sin and been forgiven for it. Underline it, star it, mark it deeply upon your conscious mind: Confession and forgiveness in no way stop the harvest. He had sown; he was to reap. Forgiven he was, but the consequences continued. This is exactly the emphasis Paul is giving the Galatians even in this age of grace. We are not to be deceived, for God will not be mocked. What we sow we will reap, and there are no exceptions. Do you see what faulty theology has led us to believe? We have set ourselves up with a sin mind-set. We have told ourselves that grace means those consequences are all instantly removed, so we let ourselves be sucked under by the power of the flesh, rather than believing what Paul teaches, that we don’t have to sin day after day after day. We sin because we want to. We have the power in the person of the Holy Spirit to say no to it at every turn in our life. If we choose to say yes against the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we may be certain we will live in the backwash of the consequences. Unfortunately, so will innocent people who are closely related to us. It is those domestic consequences that create what has come to be known as dysfunctional families. (Borrow Swindoll's David: A Man of Passion & Destiny - page 214) Now it was after this (expression of time) - Discipline yourself to personally interact with the living and active Word by learning to "interrogate" it with who, what, when, where, why, and how type questions. You will never stump the Holy Spirit and you will be amazed at the deeper insights He will give you by just practicing this simple discipline every time you read the Word. So what's the question here? Obviously it is "After what?" Notice how this will force you to examine the context (re-read the preceding Word, never a waste of your time!) The "time" is After chapters 11 and 12, sins of David committed, confessed, cleansed, but with consequences. Sin's consequences would continue for the rest of David's days on earth. Don't read that statement too fast -- pause and ponder that immutable truth, that it might give you (and me) a Spirit empowered hesitancy (cf Ro 8:13+), the next time you (I) are tempted to commit a "little" sin! Holy Spirit, recall this truth to our heart (our "control center") in that moment when the fiery missile flies into our mind (Eph 6:16+, Jas 1:14+). so that we can take it captive (2Co 10:5NIV+), kill it (Col 3:5NLT+, Ro 8:13+) and replace it with God's Word (Php 4:8+), doing so for our Father's glory and in the Name (authority) of Jesus His Son. Amen. There are no "little sins" and no "secret" sins for they all will come into the light (Nu 32:23+) and they all will reverberate and affect all those with whom we have contact. In these next chapters the "reverberation" begins first in those closest to David, his dear children. O God, keep us from falling into this deceptive, destructive web of sin that it would not come back like a "boomerang" on us and our children. In Jesus' Name. Amen. That Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar - Absalom is the Hebrew word Abishalom which is from ab, father, and shalom, peace, thus "father of peace," which is ironic, for he was anything but peaceful and would in fact soon be at war with his father David ("beloved")! Tamar means "palm-tree" "date palm." OT women were often named after trees! The date palm's silhouette looked like a woman's form (cf. Song 7:7). Notice the text does not say David had a beautiful daughter, but Absalom had a beautiful sister. Absalom immediately steps on stage, for the third born son of David, whose mother was Maacah from Geshur, would become the key character in the next 4 chapters of David's life. And Amnon the son of David loved (aheb/ahab; Lxx - agapao) her - Amnon had a "love" for Tamar (who had same mother Maacah as Absalom) but it was not a healthy filial love but more akin to lust. Amnon "love" came from his fallen flesh and what God meant for good, Amnon's sinful flesh would twist for evil. Isn't it sadly ironic that Amnon's name meant "faithful," for he would soon prove to be unfaithful in his relationship with Tamar!