2 Samuel 13:30-39

The aftermath of Amnon’s murder 13:30-39

The writer may have devoted so much text to straightening out the rumor that Absalom had killed all the king’s sons in order to stress God’s mercy in not cutting off all of them. At first report, David probably thought God had judged him severely, but it became clear that God had been merciful. Jonadab may have been a member of David’s cabinet (2 Samuel 13:3). Evidently he and Absalom had hatched the conspiracy against Amnon to remove the heir apparent to the throne. [Note: Hill, p. 390.] Jonadab knew precisely what had happened.

Absalom fled to his maternal grandfather (2 Samuel 3:3) who lived in the kingdom of Geshur that lay northeast of the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee). In this he followed the example of his ancestor Jacob who fled to Aramean kinsmen in the Northeast (Genesis 28:10). [Note: Carlson, p. 164.] There he stayed for three years (until ca. 982 B.C.). This sets the scene for the next crisis in David’s family.

So far at least six consequences of David’s sins against Bathsheba and Uriah have surfaced (cf. 2 Samuel 12:10-11). First, the child that Bathsheba bore died. Second, Amnon raped Tamar. Third, Absalom broke off communication with his brother, Amnon. Fourth, Absalom murdered Amnon. Fifth, Absalom left the country and his family. Sixth, David had become an even more passive father. This family had become dysfunctional.

"Grace means that God, in forgiving you, does not kill you. Grace means that God, in forgiving you, gives you the strength to endure the consequences. Grace frees us so that we can obey our Lord. It does not mean sin’s consequences are automatically removed. If I sin and in the process of sinning break my arm, when I find forgiveness from sin, I still have to deal with a broken arm." [Note: Swindoll, p. 211.]

"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 [Galatians 6:7]. We are not to be deceived, for God will not be mocked. What we sow we will reap, and there are no exceptions." [Note: John W. Lawrence, Life’s Choices, p. 39.]

More Christians have probably memorized 1 John 1:9 than Romans 6:12-13. 1 John 1:9 deals with how to handle sin after we have committed it; it is corrective theology. Romans 6:12-13 deals with how to handle sin before we commit it; it is preventive theology. We need to pay more attention to Romans 6:12-13. One of the purposes of 2 Samuel 13 is to help the reader prevent this type of sin, rather than to help us to recover from it, having fallen. It is a strong warning against letting our passions lead us, because of the consequences that will follow.