076. LIII. The Crimes Of David’s Sons
§ LIII. THE CRIMES OF DAVID’S SONS
1. Amnon’s base passion for Tamar. Now afterwards it came to pass that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so distressed that he became sick because of his sister Tamar—for she was a virgin—and it seemed to Amnon impossible to do anything to her. But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man. And he said to him, Why are you, a king’s son, so ill every morning? Will you not tell me? And Ammon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister. And Jonadab said to him, Lie down on your bed, and pretend to be sick. Then when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat from her hand.’ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, Let my sister Tamar come and make a few heart-shaped cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.
2. His treacherous assault. So David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him. So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house while he lay in bed. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes as he looked on, and baked the cakes. And she took the pan and poured them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Let all go out from me. And they all went out from him. And Amnon said to Tamar, Bring the food into the inner room, that I may take from your hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the inner room to Amnon her brother. And when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, Come, lie with me, my sister. And she answered him, No, my brother, do not force me, for it is not so done in Israel; do not commit this impious act of folly. And as for me, whither could I carry my shame? and as for you, you would become one of the impious fools in Israel. Now therefore, I beg you, speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you. But he would not hearken to her, but being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
3. His refusal to make amends for his crime. Then Amnon hated her with great hatred, for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, Arise, be gone! But she said to him, No, my brother; far greater is the second wrong in sending me away than the first that you did to me. And he would not listen to her, but called his servant who was standing in front of the house and said, Put this woman out from my presence, and bolt the door after her. And she wore a long-sleeved tunic, for thus the royal maidens were formerly wont to be clad. Then his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her long-sleeved tunic which she wore; and she put her hand on her head, and went her way, crying aloud as she went.
4. David’s inaction. And Absalom her own brother said to her, Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now, my sister, be silent, for he is your brother; do not take this thing to heart. So Tamar dwelt desolate in her brother Absalom’s house. But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry, but he did not discipline Amnon his son, for he loved him, because he was his eldest. And Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.
5. Absalom’s revenge. Now it happened after two years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal Hazor near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. And Absalom came to the king and said, See your servant has sheepshearers; let the king, 1 pray, and his servants go with your servant. But the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you. And he pressed him; however, he would not go, but bade him farewell. Then Absalom said. If not, then let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said, Why should he go with you? But when Absalom pressed him, he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. Then Absalom commanded his servants, saying, See to it: when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Smite Amnon,’ then kill him. Fear not; have not I commanded you? Be brave and show yourselves valiant men! And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose and each mounted his mule and fled.
6. David’s reception of the news. And while they were on the way, the news came to David: Absalom has slain all the king’s sons so that there is not one of them left. Then the king arose and tore his clothes and lay on the earth; and all his servants who were standing by him tore their clothes and stood with torn clothes. And Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon only is dead, since by the statement of Absalom this was decided from the day of the violation of his sister Tamar. Now therefore let not my lord the king take this thing to heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead; for Amnon only is dead. And when the watchman lifted up his eyes and looked, there were many people coming down the descent on the Bethhoron road. And the watchman came and told the king, saying, I have seen people coming down from the Bethhoron road by the side of the hill. And Jonadab said to the king, There the king’s sons are coming, as your servant said, so it has come to pass. As soon as he had finished speaking, the king’s sons came and lifted up their voices and wept; and the king also and all his servants wept loudly.
7. Absalom’s flight. And David mourned continually for his son. But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Amihud, king of Geshur, and remained there three years. And the spirit of King David longed to go out to Absalom, for he was comforted for the death of Amnon.
8. Joab’s intrigue. Now when Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was favorable towards Absalom, Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but become like a woman who has been many days mourning for one dead, and go to the king and speak thus with him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
9. Fictitious petition of the Tekoite woman. And the Tekoite woman came to the king, and prostrated herself upon the ground and did obeisance, crying, Help, O king, help! And the king said to her, What is wrong with you? And she said, Verily, I am a widow and my husband is dead. And your maid-servant had two sons, and these two quarrelled in the field when there was no one to part them, and one smote the other and killed him. And now the whole clan has risen up against your maid servant and they say, ‘Deliver up the slayer of his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he has killed, and we will destroy the heir.’ Thus they will quench my remaining coal, so as to leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.
10. David’s decision. Then the king said to the woman, Go to your house and I will give orders regarding you. And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, My lord, O king, the guilt be on me and on my father’s house; and the king and his throne be innocent. And the king said, Whoever saith anything to you bring him to me and he shall not touch you again. Then she said, I pray, let the king swear by Jehovah thy God, not to let the avenger of blood destroy and not to let them exterminate my son. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.
11. Application of the principle to the royal judge. Then the woman said, Let your maid-servant, I pray you, speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Speak. And the woman said, Why then do you devise such a thing against the people of God? For in rendering this decision the king is as one that is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one. For we die and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; and God will not take away the life of him who devises means not to keep in banishment one who is banished. Now the reason why I have come to speak this word to my lord the king is because the people made me afraid, and your maid-servant said, ‘I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.’ For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man who seeks to destroy me and my son from the heritage of Jehovah. Then your maid-servant said, ‘Let the word of my lord the king be a comfort, for like the Messenger of God is my lord the king to hear good and evil.’ And Jehovah thy God be with you.
12. His appreciation of Joab’s purpose. Then the king answered and said to the woman, Do not conceal from me, I pray, anything that I may ask you. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak. And the king said, Was the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman answered and said, As sure as you live, my lord the king, I cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken, for your servant Joab bade me put all these words in the mouth of your maid-servant; in order to change the face of affairs has your servant done this thing. But my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of the Messenger of God, so that he knows all things that are in the earth.
13. Absalom’s return. And the king said to Joab, See now, I have granted this request; go, therefore, bring the young man Absalom back. Then Joab fell to the ground on his face and did obeisance and blessed the king. And Joab said, To-day your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant. So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. And the king said, Let him live apart in his own house, but my face he shall not see. So Absalom lived apart to his own house, but he did not see the king’s face.
14. His personal beauty. Now no man in Israel was so praiseworthy for his beauty as Absalom: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. And when he shaved his head—at the end of every year he cut it, because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut it—he would weigh his hair, about six pounds according to the royal standard of weight. And to Absalom there were born three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar—she was a beautiful woman.
15. Restoration to royal favor. And Absalom dwelt two years in Jerusalem, without seeing the king’s face. Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king; but he would not come to him. Then he sent again a second time, but he would not come. Therefore he said to his servants, See Joab’s field is near mine, where he has barley; go and set it on fire. Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom at his house and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire? And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here that I may send you to the king, to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It were better for me to be there still.”’ Now therefore let me see the king’s face, and if there be guilt in me, let him kill me. And when Joab went to the king and told him, he called Absalom. And he came to the king and bowed himself with his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom.
I. Amnon’s Brutal Crime. The consequences of David’s crime appear in the character and deeds of his own children. Amnon, his oldest son, was one of the pitiable products of the oriental harem. He was ruled by the same ungovernable passions that overmastered his kingly father. An unprincipled friend was at hand to advise him how he could gratify his mad passion. Even David himself was made an agent in the ghastly tragedy. The hideous wrong to the victim of Amnon’s lust is brought out with a frankness and realism that everywhere characterizes the teaching of those early champions of righteousness, the Hebrew prophets. Amnon’s brutality, even after the lapse of centuries, arouses the hot indignation of the reader. One’s sympathy goes out to the desolate Tamar, and David’s paternal weakness in neglecting his duty as a father stands clearly revealed. Many of the world’s worst criminals are thus trained in a home where pure love is wanting, or else where the fond parents are too weak or selfish to teach by impartial justice, discipline and plain instruction those vital lessons which must be learned, if the children are to successfully resist the inevitable temptations of life.
II. Absalom’s Revenge. As is so often the case in the tangled lives of men, the crime against social morality was quickly followed by murder. David’s weakness in not punishing his oldest son left Tamar’s brother, Absalom, with a real grievance. In the ancient East the responsibility of avenging a great crime was assumed by the nearest of kin. The fact that Amnon stood in the way of Absalom’s ambition doubtless also strengthened his murderous purpose. In the method which Absalom employed, he but imitated his father’s treachery in dealing with Uriah, and proved himself an apt pupil in the school of David and Joab. He also evidently counted upon his father’s weakness in punishing the crimes of his sons.
III. The Wise Woman of Tekoa. Evidently Absalom’s act received Joab’s secret approval. At first the young prince won the support of that hardy warrior, even though he was unable at a later time to shake Joab’s loyalty to David. In connection with Absalom’s recall, a representative of that class in Israel, known as “the wise,” first emerged on the horizon of Hebrew history. It is interesting to note that it was a woman whom Joab summoned from the town of Tekoa, a little south-east of Bethlehem, on the borders of the wilderness looking toward the Dead Sea. At a later time from this same town came the sage prophet, Amos. The wise woman’s pathetic story appealed, like that of Nathan, to the sympathy of David, so that he again stood committed to a principle which he was asked to apply to his own case. The king at once recognized the strong hand of Joab, and yielded to the combined influence of his own heart and that of his trusted commander. Absalom’s pardon, however, was only partial, until he appealed, in a way well calculated to attain its end, for Joab’s further intercession. Then he was restored and found himself free to develop his heartless conspiracy.
IV. The Shadow of David’s Crimes. In reading these stories one is reminded of certain of the old Greek tragedies; and yet there is no doubt that the historian is recounting actual facts. The stories are a supreme illustration of the scientific as well as biblical truth that in life and history the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children of succeeding generations. The close and fundamental relation between moral causes and effects can be traced at each stage. The faults of David reproduce themselves in even more glaring forms in the lives of his sons. The memory of his guilt and disgrace led the king to withdraw more and more from public life into the seclusion of the harem, and therefore to neglect his duty as judge and administrator. This gave Absalom a free field for the carrying out of his intrigues. The open secret that David intended to pass over his oldest son, Absalom, and to put Bathsheba’s son, Solomon, on the throne, perhaps also goaded the prince on to his desperate venture. In its ultimate consequences the sin of Israel’s beloved king involved his nation in bloody civil war. “The wages of sin are death,” but unfortunately the innocent share the wages.