2 Samuel 13 - Amnon's Crime and Absalom's Revenge |Bible Podcast, David Alley,Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to 2 Samuel Chapter 13, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.

In 2 Samuel Chapter 13 the consequences of David’s sin continue, and the second of his four sons will die. Amnon, first in line to the throne, falls in love with his half sister Tamar, but abuses his position and rapes her. She tries to talk him out of it and gives him a lot of wise advice before he takes her, trying to avert disaster. She says she would be willing to marry him if he would only wait.

Actually, according to the law brothers and sisters were not allowed to marry, so that would never have eventuated, but it was a smart thing to say from her perspective. It was a wise attempt that failed, because Amnon had no self control, and didn’t truly care for her. According to Deuteronomy 22:28-29 in a similar situation to this, the man should pay 50 shekels to the father of the girl he violated and take her to be his wife.

For David 50 shekels would not have been a great sum of money. However even worse, these were siblings, and not allowed to be married. According to Leviticus 20:17 a man who slept with his sister was to be put to death. So for Amnon the levitical consequence was death. It is in fact what he ends up getting later in this chapter, although not in a proper judicial manner. The initial feeling Amnon had, of falling in love may have been outside his control.

But all his other choices and actions were controllable. Like many people they choose wrong, even knowing they are choosing wrongly. Tamar’s full brother, Absalom, third in line to the throne, murders Amnon in revenge, and flees to Geshur to live with his grandfather. What Absalom does is technically what the law required, but is actually murder because he takes the law into his own hands. In all of this, David knows that God is with him.