2 Samuel 13:34-39 – Where Was God?
If we only had the human characters in this chapter to look at, I think we’d despair. All we could do would be weep. Weep with Tamar. But also weep over the lack of righteousness seen in all the other characters. But one very important question we haven’t asked yet is: Where is God in all this? Because he’s not mentioned in the chapter at all. So what is God doing in all this? He’s fulfilling his word. Nathan had told David in 12:10: ‘The sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife’. David had been told: ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold I will raise up evil against you out of your own house’. So what’s happening in this chapter? As unpleasant as these events are, God is fulfilling his word of judgment against David’s house. God may not be mentioned in this chapter, but he’s not absent. Perhaps the biggest thing you need reminded about is that even if God seems utterly silent, he is still at work, bringing his word to pass. What is God doing in this chapter? Exactly what he said he would. It’s not pleasant. But it shows us the seriousness of sin. Perhaps we read the account of David and Bathsheba and think he got off pretty lightly. But look here at what David has unleashed on his family. David sinned sexually and committed murder. Here he has two sons: one sins sexually and the other commits murder. Surely this chapter should cause us to hate sin and flee from it!
Surely this chapter also leaves us longing for a better son of David. The LORD had promised David in chapter 7: ‘I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom’. But this chapter makes clear that it won’t be Amnon, and it certainly won’t be Absalom either. We’re left longing for a better son of David. Now fast forward 1,000 years. A blind beggar sits by the roadside. Suddenly he begins to cry out: ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me’. And he did. The true and better Son of David had come at last. A Son of David who would be merciful to the oppressed. A Son of David who wouldn’t ignore sin – like David did. Nor would he be a revengeful score-settler like Absalom. But rather he would bear the sin of his people. And he would execute true justice. So the big question is: ‘Do you know the true Son of David?’
Question
- How is God keeping His word in this chapter?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the preaching and hearing of God’s Word tomorrow.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.