The passage from this week sounds more like a scene from one of Shakespeare’s tragedies than something you would find in the Bible. David’s reign as king has become haunted by the judgment he brought upon his household in his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. Not only has it cost him the life of their first child as told in 2 Samuel 12, but here in chapter 13 we read of ongoing tragedy. His first son Amnon has become obsessed with his halfsister Tamar, and the scriptures tell us that he was so tormented that he made himself ill which lead to a horrifying assault. Raped and forsaken by Amnon, Tamar is reduced to a desolate woman living in shame with her brother Absalom. Sin, loss, grief, deception, and discord. It brings to mind the passage in Galatians 6:7 that says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Our sin is NEVER just about us and, once unleashed, we have no control over its ripple effects.
