2 Samuel 13:23-39

2 Samuel 13:23-39

After Amnon’s sin against Tamar, Absalom harbored hatred in his heart for two years. After what Amnon had done, Absalom could not stand him, but by sitting on it for two years and not seeking any resolution, that hatred had grown. Furthermore, Absalom had plenty of time to plot out his revenge. So when the time came to put his plan into motion, Absalom requested that his father David and all David’s sons take a trip with Absalom. It would be during that trip that Absalom would plan on having Amnon killed. David declined Absalom’s offer, but he did allow the rest of his sons to go. After they were away from David’s presence, Absalom had his servants kill Amnon, sending fear into the rest of the men. They all fled, and when word got back to David over the tragic death of Amnon, many believed that all of David’s sons were dead.


There was one man that did not believe the report about the deaths for he knew about Absalom’s hatred toward Amnon. Before jumping to the rash conclusion that they were all dead, which would only lead to depression and stress, he encouraged David to not lose hope. He did not believe the reports and suspected that only Amnon was dead. Now although he did not know that he was actually right, his positive attitude was a help to his hurting friend. That is not to say that every time we find ourselves in a tough situation we should look for the positives and remain oblivious to the real pain we or someone close to us might be experiencing. However, we can never focus on the negatives. If we do, we will only bring ourselves down and that is not healthy physically or spiritually.

In this situation, the young man had actually been correct. His suspicions about the presumed deaths of David’s sons were true. For it was not long after their conversation that David’s sons rode back into the city, all of them except Absalom. David was relieved to find that his sons were alive, and although he was still grieving the loss of Amnon, that bit of good news helped. Now one thing you may want to question at this point is why he had ever grieved the loss of Amnon after what Amnon had done to Tamar. Although Amnon had been in the wrong, he was still David’s son, and like any loving father, David grieved his death. A father’s love looks past their children’s mistakes, and although they do not condone their actions, they love them regardless. David’s expression of love for Amnon is a reflection of God’s love for us. We might question why David would still choose to love Amnon after his mistakes, but David had already been in Amnon’s situation. After his tragic fall into sin, he had been given the opportunity to return to God. Although God was not pleased with what David had done, nor did He accept David’s sin, He did offer David forgiveness and a second chance. Like David, we are all given that second chance from our Heavenly Father. He will not approve of our sin, but if we are His children, then we can always repent of our sins and ask for His forgiveness.

So we learn a lot about David in this situation. We see him growing in God once again. Having moved on from his mistakes, he is now offering that same type of love to his children. First, he expresses that love to Amnon, and then he does the same with Absalom. 2 Samuel 13 closes with David beginning to find peace in Amnon’s death, and in the same moment, he is also beginning to grieve the loss of Absalom. Although Absalom was not physically dead, his actions and the fact that he had fled the kingdom sent more grief David’s way. But like Amnon, it proves the change that had happened in David’s life and shows the unconditional love that he had for his children. His desire was for Absalom to return, but he knew that it would be up to Absalom to make that decision, a choice David could not make for him. In the same way, our decision to come to Christ is a choice that we must make, and like David, God is always waiting for us to turn to Him.

Matt