Dig Deeper – 06/29/2025

Podcast

2 Samuel 13:30-36

Intro: In May we completed our trek through the Sermon On the Mount

Since then, I have not felt a strong direction toward bringing another series
– Nancy Lopez, whom I love and trust,
• suggested that we go through the Minor Prophets
◦ I’m still mulling that over
• meanwhile, I’ve been sharing on Sundays my own random musing from the past week
– today I’ve chosen an odd place to drop into the Scriptures
• and it will require some explaining,
• but I promise, the point I want to make is important

One of the biblical metaphors for right living sowing and reaping

God told the prophet Hosea, regarding Israel,
If they “they sow the wind,
. . . they shall reap the whirlwind” (Hos. 8:7)
– this was David’s situation in 2 Samuel 13, after he had abused his royal authority
• that wasn’t unusual for rulers at that time and part of the world,
◦ but it wasn’t something God allow his king’s to do
• this chapter charts the beginning of God’s discipline of David
◦ his family and his reign over Israel begins to unravel

Amnon was David’s oldest son, and under normal circumstances would have been heir to the throne
– he thought he was in love with his half-sister Tamar
• how the story plays out, his passion was more lust that love
◦ a first indication of his lust, is that he wanted her instantly (cf. Jacob in Genesis 29:30)
◦ not having a way to approach her, Amnon experienced “frustration overload”
• but he had a friend, Jonadab who is described as being “very wise”
◦ he suggested a plan that allowed Amnon to be alone with Tamar
◦ and when alone with her, he raped her
“Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her” (2 Sam. 13:15–another indication that his feelings for her were lust rather than love)
– devastated, Tamar went to the home of her older brother Absalom
• he took her in and cared for her, however his advice sounds terrible
◦ although it was typical for that male-dominated (misogynist) social structure
“Now hold your peace, my sister,” he told her, “He is your brother; do not take this to heart” (v. 20)
◦ this advice sounds cruel, but their hands were tied
• what did Absalom mean, “do not take this to heart”?
“Don’t let this ruin you”? – “Don’t brood over it?” – “Don’t retaliate?”
“Don’t risk making things worse for yourself, because he’s the king’s oldest son and possibly heir to the throne”
• perhaps Absalom was thinking, “Don’t you worry about this, because I’ll deal with Amnon”
◦ because a verse later we read,
“But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar” (v. 20)

Absalom did nothing about his brother for two full years
– then he approached his father with an invitation
• in Old Testament times, people raised sheep primarily for their fleece
◦ when it came time to shear their flocks, they made it a festive celebration
◦ the picture of those occasions we find in scripture is of wine, feasting, and good cheer
• though David resisted, Absalom insisted his brothers come and party with him, until his father finally relented
◦ in the compressed time of the story, where two years pass in between the space of two verses,
◦ it is pretty easy to see what Absalom had in mind
– Absalom commanded his servants to keep their eyes on Amnon
“when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him” (v. 28)
• when the brothers witnessed Amnon’s murder, they took flight
• other servants of David were present and were the first to arrive in Jerusalem
So “news came to David, ‘Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons, and not
one of them is left’” (v. 30)
◦ David was devastated and immediately collapsed, grieving
◦ that’s when Jonadab spoke up (we’ll soon come to his speech to David)

Now let’s break this down

Something had happened, and it was big
– it would affect the king and the entire nation
• those of us about my age remember the national impact
◦ of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy
◦ or the more recent shared tragedy that rocked the nation September 11, 2001
• what happened in this story was of the same magnitude for Israel
– there was an assassination and it was reported to David
• but the report was influenced by, at least, two factors:
◦ those who brought the news first had not witnessed the seen entire event
◦ they hysterical report to the king was grossly exaggerated
• strong emotions color our most intense experiences
◦ and it colors the story we tell about our experience
(this is one reason why the testimony of a witness sometimes changes weeks or months after the even)

David was given two different stories about what happened

Now, Jonadab’s story:
“Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar. Now let not the king take it to heart as to suppose that all the king’s sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead” (vv. 32-33)
– isn’t it interesting that the eye-witness story was distorted and wrong,
• but Jonadab, who wasn’t even there, gave the correct version
• how is that possible?
◦ first, Jonadab had a deeper understanding of the backstory
◦ second, he was wise and therefore able to read the situation more accurately

I’ve been told by more than one person,
– that when listening to me teach from the Scriptures
• they follow me to a point but then begin asking,
“Chuck, where are you going with this?”
• I never try to confuse you on purpose
◦ it’s just that my mind works this way
– when I’m learning something new,
• especially if it seems abstract
• I need to establish a reliable foundation to make sense of the material I’m going over
◦ most people catch on more quickly than I do

In the Bible God reveals himself and what he has to say to us

Moses explained it to Israel this way:
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29)

So we embrace the Scriptures as true for all time and everywhere
– yet something we may not realize, is that as we read the Bible we are interpreting it
• David heard two stories about what occurred at Absalom’s feast
◦ one story was partially accurate, but wrong overall
◦ the other story provided greater clarity and accuracy
– when we hear someone say, “The Bible says . . .”
• we have to remember they’re giving us their interpretation
◦ and no one’s interpretation is absolutely perfect
• Jonadab illustrates that we can get a truer meaning of scripture,
◦ when we have a fuller idea of the entire backstory
◦ and we read and interpret it wisely
• Jonadab proved to be right when the soldier on watch lifted his eyes and looked, and behold – (v. 34)
◦ we can improve our interpretation of scripture if we, too,
Read, Look Closely, and Take In what is there before our eyes

I wish that were enough for us to be able to say, “End of story”

But I learned a crucial truth years ago from a brilliant and gifted man
Chuck Kraft, “God’s word is inspired; our interpretations are not.”
– as we learn and understand more of what the Bible is saying,
• our interpretations deepen, become refined and purer

The the Bible is not static
– it has a vitality that’s powerful and sharp as a sword
• as cultures change and new discoveries are made
◦ we must return to the Scriptures for new interpretations that apply to those changes
◦ too often I hear Christians give old answers to new questions
– the Bible is not trapped in one time or culture
• in the late 1990s, Simon Chan published Spiritual Theology
• an interesting facet of his book is that he included Asian perspectives when interpreting the Bible
(for example, Asian interpretation is includes experiential facets of exploring the text)
◦ the cultures of Asia are closer to biblical cultures (both are located in the Orient)
◦ Chan provides keys to interpretation our western minds may have missed

Conclusion: It seems like we’re living in an age of nonsense

That includes the way people mis-use the Bible
Don’t take the word of others when they say,
“What the Bible says . . .” or “What the Bible means . . .”

On the other hand, I don’t want you to be afraid of reading and misinterpreting the Bible
Our best understanding will always have imperfections
It will help if we keep a humble attitude
Always the student, never the expert
Always the disciple, never the master