II Samuel 12:15b-14:33
Today we begin to see the disastrous consequences of David’s sin with Bathsheba. The first immediate consequence is the death of the son that is the product of David’s adultery. The longer term consequences, which play out over years, are the troubles within his family: the rape of his daughter Tamar by his son Amnon; the murder of Amnon by son Absalom in revenge; and David’s subsequent estrangement from Absalom.
I am sure there are numerous lessons in (failed) leadership and (poor) parenting that we could learn from these scenarios. We could see that although David gets angry, he nevertheless fails to impose any kind of sentence on Amnon for the rape of Tamar (II Sam. 13:21), which only fuels Absalom’s hatred of Amnon, a hatred that festers for two years. We might note that when Absalom kills Amnon, David again fails to deal with the situation, neither seeking to bring Absalom to justice for the murder of Amnon, nor seeking reconciliation, but rather again letting the situation fester for three years while Absalom resides with his maternal grandfather. We could note that when Joab takes the initiative to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem, David still refuses to see him for another two years, further poisoning the relationship between David and Absalom.
There may indeed be plenty to learn in all those observations, but I don’t think that’s the point. Rather, it seems to me that we are supposed to understand that this entire mess is the result of David’s sin with Bathsheba and against Uriah. It is all God’s judgment: Thus says the LORD, “Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house…” (II Sam. 12:11) But note how God is using human actors, in their own sinfulness, to bring about His judgment. Amnon’s sinful actions against Tamar provoke Absalom, who sinfully takes matters into his own hands and murders Amnon. God is using these evil actions to accomplish His purposes of disciplining David and continuing to shape his character.
God is sovereign over everything. We must, of course, always stand against evil and never be partners with it. But we must also humbly accept the Lord’s discipline, even when that discipline comes by the hand of evildoers.