A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

When his cousin Jonadab probed Amnon to find out what was wrong with him, Amnon
confessed his secret love for Tamar. Jonadab proposed to Amnon that he should fake a sickness
to convince David to let Tamar care for him.
The plan worked, and soon Tamar was baking bread for her brother. Amnon arranged
things so he had Tamar alone in his bedroom and then seized his unsuspecting sister and attempted
to seduce her. She resisted his advances and pleaded with him not to abuse her. “However, he
would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her” (2 Sam.
13:14).
After raping his sister, his deep love for her turned into an even deeper hatred. He sent
her out of his presence. She appealed to him to resolve the situation he had created which would
have probably involved going to his father, confessing his act, and taking Tamar to be his wife.
But Amnon refused to listen to his sister. When he could not convince her to leave, he called for
a servant to remove her physically. Being sent from Amnon’s room after being abused, she tore
the garment she was wearing, a garment worn by the virgins of the king’s household, placed
ashes on her head, and began crying. When her brother Absalom realized what had happened, he
brought his sister into his own home. “And Absalom spoke to his brother Amnon neither good
nor bad. For he had forced his sister Tamar” (v. 22).
It was two full years later that Absalom took revenge on Amnon for what he had done to
his sister Tamar. Absalom invited the princes of the kingdom to a banquet celebrating the
shearing of the sheep. The true purpose of Absalom in gathering his brothers together was to
insure the presence of Amnon whom he sought to kill. Absalom instructed his servants to kill
Amnon when Amnon’s “heart [was] merry” (v. 28). “So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon
as Absalom had commanded” (v. 29).
The initial response of the sons of David was to run in fear. They apparently believed
Amnon was the first to fall victim of a mass slaughter planned by Absalom. Indeed, the initial report
of the event that reached David stated all the men had been killed by Absalom. Later, one of
his nephews correctly reported that only Amnon had been killed by Absalom.
Amnon was widely mourned within the royal family and among their servants. Absalom
must have realized his actions would at best alienate him from his brothers. As he saw his
brothers running in terror from Baal Hazor toward Jerusalem, he fled to Geshur. For three years
he remained in exile from his family and friends in Jerusalem. “And King David longed to go to
Absalom. For he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead” (v. 39).
As much as he longed for his son Absalom, it was more than five years from the murder
of Amnon before David welcomed his son into his presence. Absalom was allowed to return to
Jerusalem after his three-year exile only after a wise woman who had been coached by Joab
convinced David he was wrong in not bringing Absalom back to Jerusalem. Even then, David
refused to meet with Absalom for two years despite efforts on the part of Absalom to gain
admittance. Only after Absalom arranged for the ripe field of Joab to be burned did he attract
enough attention in the palace to gain admittance to the presence of David. “And when he had
called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the
king. And the king kissed Absalom” (v. 33).
ABSALOM: THE HEIR WHO COULDN’T WAIT
(2 Sam. 15:1-19:40; Ps. 3)
Absalom’s handsomeness attracted the notice of the people even when David refused to
see him. “Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good