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Amnon, Absolom and Tamar (Absolom’s sister).
Ammon’s violence to his sister. (1-21)
About 2 years after his personal sin, David had to handle the sin and aftermath in the family. From this time David was followed with one trouble after another. Here also we see the repetition of lust, incest/fornication, craftiness/scheming, murder, punishment and pardon.
V. 1: Amnon…loved her… This love is not a pure love, but lust.
V. 2: he became sick… A wrong and lustful love will make a person mentally and physically ill.
V. 3: Jonadab was a crafty man… a person who can plan, sketch and fabricate anything to achieve something. David did it with his political power but Jonadab made Amnon to do it with his brain power. Improper for Amnon to do.. Amnon had a strong reason not to go after her to fulfill the lust. But when the craftiness of the ‘evil one’ is added to that, he was not averse to do it.
Vs. 6-8: make couple of cakes… The story was carefully crafted that even David did not know the scheme. The flesh, the devil, and the people of the world are so crafty that we won’t know the trick so easily.
Vs. 12-13 no such thing should be done in Israel: Such an incest is not allowed in the Law that was given by God to Israel (Lev. 18:9). Doing such thing was disgraceful.
Vs. 15-17: hatred…was greater than the love…he had… This proves that the love in v. 1 was only lust. Also, any love must fall within the moral code written in the Bible. It is proved again that his liking towards her was wrong and lustful. …evil of sending me away… this is the second sin he has committed according to the law (Deut. 22:28&29).
Worse than the other…(V.16) According to the Law, a man must marry the girl in such situation (Ex. 22:16).
V. 19: put ashes on her head, and tore her robe, laid her hand on her head… This the expression of grief or humiliation.
V. 21: King David…was very angry… David was very angry but did not take any action. Is it because of his favoritism towards his first son, or compromised in this issue, or did not have moral courage due to Bathsheba incident?
Absalom murders his brother Ammon. (20, 22-29)
V. 20: do not take this thing to heart… When Absalom asked Tamar not to take this to heart, he took it to his heart. He could have brought this incident to a better end by taking lead in asking for justice.
V. 22: spoke…neither good nor bad… Absalom was waiting for the right time to take the law in his own hands in a wrong way. It took 2 years for Absalom to take revenge.
Vs. 23-27: king and his servants to go with your servant… Absalom played trickery and carefully saw that Amnon was there at the feast. Absalom got the order from king to get Amnon there.
Vs. 28-29: did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded… Absalom did not do it by himself but he made his servants the murderers.
David’s grief. (30-33)
V. 32: Jonadab… Jonadab was said to be Amnon’s friend in verse 2. Jonadab was as guilty of Ammon’s death. But he was not a friend at all. He never cared about the death of Amnon. It looks like he was following these people for two years. As a schemer, he would have known the trick of Absalom, but never tried to save Amnon.
Absalom flees to Geshur. (34-39) Absolom fled to his metrenal grandfather Talmai(V. 37)