2 Samuel 13:36: “So it was, as soon as he had finished speaking, that the king’s sons indeed came, and they lifted up their voice and wept. Also the king and all his servants wept very bitterly.”

June 22nd, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This is a long, sad chapter in the story of King David and his children. We don’t know exactly how many wives and concubines David had, but 1 Chronicles 3 tells us he had at least 19 sons by 8 different women. His firstborn son, Amnon, the crown prince, raped his half-sister Tamar. When Tamar’s brother and Amnon’s half-brother, Absalom, discovered what had happened to his sister, he was so angry he set a trap for Amnon and murdered him. Absalom then fled because he was afraid of what David might do. David, with his remaining sons, experienced great sorrow when he learned of Amnon’s death and Absalom’s flight.

All through these sorry events, we never read of David doing anything to discipline his kids as a father. We read that he was angry, sure; but David refused to confront and correct his children. As we consider David’s own past sins, we begin to understand his hesitation at confronting his children’s failures. After all, what Amnon did in raping Tamar was only slightly different from what David had done in taking Bathsheba. And what Absalom did in killing Amnon was only slightly different from what David had done in murdering Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. David felt like his hands were tied, that he couldn’t rebuke his own children when he himself had failed so miserably in the same sins.

It seems David never took the callings of husband and father as seriously as the roles demand. David had created a pattern in his own life of taking whatever attractive woman he saw. And as God had already warned, there was simply no way any man could properly husband more than one wife, let alone properly parent all their children. That is why God said in the opening chapters of Genesis that a man should leave father and mother and cling to his wife (singular). Just as our love of God is revealed by our love for our fellow man (John 13:35), our intimacy with God is revealed by our devotion and dedication to our family. A father’s heart turned toward God is seen by his life being turned toward his home. If our homes are not different because of our relationship with Jesus Christ, then something is missing from our faith.

“LORD, help us to love and serve our families as we choose to love and serve You.”

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1 Samuel 13 KJV

¹ Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,  ² Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. ³ And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.  ⁴ And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal. ⁵ And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Beth-aven. ⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. ⁷And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he wasyet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. ⁸ And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. ⁹ And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. ¹¹ And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; ¹² Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.  ¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. ¹⁴ But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept thatwhich the LORD commanded thee. ¹⁵ And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.  ¹⁶ And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.   ¹⁷ And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual: ¹⁸ And another company turned the way to Beth-horon: and another company turned to the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. ¹⁹ Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: ²⁰ But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. ²¹Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.   ²² So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found. ²³ And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.