Justice Denied Leads to Injustice Multiplied
Note: This was adapted from a session given at Del Ray Baptist Church in November 2020 on King David and his son, Absalom.
The tragedy of King David and Absalom has its roots in David’s moral failure in pursuing Bathsheba and murdering Uriah the Hittite in order to cover his sin. The Lord told David there would be consequences to his sin and there was.
Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.-2 Samuel 12:10–12
The Lord, as He always does, keeps his word. Enemies rise up out of David’s own house, but what’s even more tragic is that these enemies are raised because of David’s own actions and inactions.
It begins in 2 Samuel 13. Amnon, David’s oldest son, so his presumed heir at this point, decides that he wants to have sex with Tamar, his half-sister, by any means necessary. He is so lost in his depraved desires he makes himself ill. Yet, Amnon has a friend, a cousin actually, who hatches a plan for Amnon to pretend he’s sick and ask Tamar to feed him. King David sends Tamar to just that. And Amnon rapes her, and to compound his evil, he despises her after and throws her out of his house.
The punishment for this rape should have been death. (Deut 22:25) Yet David, though angry (2 Sam 13:21) does nothing. He fails to enforce God’s law. As a result, Absalom, Tamar’s full brother, hated Amnon from that day forward. Many pay the price for David’s failure, but perhaps none more than Tamar “2 Samuel 13:20 “So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house.” Her public life was effectively over from this time on.
Yet, the tragedy doesn’t end there. The poison of this unpunished evil spreads to Absalom’s heart, In the second half of 2 Samuel 13 we see Absalom’s plan for vengeance. He waits two years, then through a deceitful trap (ironically) he murders his older brother, David’s oldest son. Absalom then flees, but David desires to be reconciled with Absalom. (2 Sam 13:39)
2 Samuel 13:37–39 “But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day. So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. And the spirit of the king longed to go out to Absalom, because he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.”
Justice Denied Leads to Injustice Multiplied
Application 1
It’s easy to think of King David’s failure to punish Amnon and Absalom as a governmental failure, as a criminal justice failure. In our own day, it’s easy to leap to these broader structural issues. But David’s failure here isn’t first a political one, it’s as a Father. David fails to give Tamar justice, he fails to punish the evil of Amnon, and later he fails to punish Absalom’s evil. The consequences are unfathomable. Rebellion, war, abuse of women, (what does Absalom do when he reigns in Jerusalem? Has sex with his father’s concubines)
David failed to bring God’s justice to his children. And he failed as a king. This sin turned Absalom against him fully and completely.
For us, what roles do we have? If you’re a father, are you rightly rewarding the good and rightly punishing the evil in your home? If not, what consequences might that lead to? Most of us are not kings in Old Testament Israel, but we’ve been given roles and vocations by God. Husbands, fathers, sons, church members, employees, bosses, and so forth. God has established the boundaries of our dwelling places. Let us pursue the good in those spheres. If we participate in evil, it can, and often does multiply evil around us. Let us flee from that.
Yet, the story of David’s failures is not done. David allows Absalom to return in 2 Samuel 14. David’s failures are growing. David continues to fail in doing what the law requires. Despite this lack of punishment, Absalom is not healed. He never forgot what happened to Tamar. I assume this because Absalom had three sons and one daughter, What did he name his daughter? Tamar. (2 Sam 14:27) He never forgot his father’s injustice.
Absalom even asks for judgement in 2 Sam 14:32.
“Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.”
Absalom isn’t repenting here. He’s almost daring the King to try and execute justice. He started this whole exchange by setting fire to Joab’s fields! This isn’t someone trying to make amends, it’s someone forcing his way back into power.
David responds, not by bringing justice, but by restoring Absalom.
Repentance Requires Real Work
Application 2
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, somewhat famously described the concept of ‘cheap grace. He said this “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.”
Absalom gives us a picture not of someone who is willing to give all to receive grace, but of a man who is willing to do anything to force his way back into power. For us as believers, repentance means working towards a complete abandonment of our sin and trying to repair the damage done. Zacchaeus gives a picture of this in the New Testament. He admits his sin, denounces it, and tries to make restoration for it.
“And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” (Luke 19:8, ESV)
If the person we’ve sinned against is a tree (it’s a metaphor, bear with me) and our sin is trying to chop them down, repentance requires four things. First, stop chopping. Second, acknowledge the chopping and the harm it did. Third, try to repair the harm done (patching the tree). Fourth, break your axe (take steps to avoid the sin in the future).
The story continues. Absalom has a sense of irony. His plans twist the knife a bit by imitating his enemies’ failings. First, he murders his brother through a deceitful invitation, much like Amnon deceived Tamar, now he uses the supposed injustice of King David as a means to turn Israel against David.
“Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.” Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.” And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” 2 Samuel 15:3–6
Absalom steals the heart of the people (15:7) by promising them justice. Once his conspiracy has grown widely enough, he rebels.
King David knows its time to run, he knows Absalom won’t treat him with kindness, which begs the question, why didn’t he confront his son before? Either way, it’s time to go.
“And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 2 Samuel 15:13–14
When you’re running, run to the Lord
Application 3
Where does David turn? The Lord. Here we start to see some of David’s Godly character. In his desperation, he turns to the Lord. He cries out in prayer.
And it was told David, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” 2 Samuel 15:31 ESV
Everything human has turned against him, he’s lost it all, through his own foolishness and his own sin. Absalom enters Jerusalem and has sex with David’s concubines in the sight of all Jerusalem. David can do nothing about it. (chapter 16) and is a fulfillment of what God said would happen after David’s sin with Bathsheba.
Yet, the Lord answers David’s prayer. He turns Ahiphophel’s council to foolishness. (17:23) This begins the reversal of fortunes that ends with David returned to his throne and Absalom dead. Hushai convinces Absalom not to pursue David. David and his army use the delay to regroup, organize, and prepare to fight. They win and Absalom is killed. When David hears of this, he is broken hearted.
And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
King David Can’t Save You, but Jesus Can.
Application 4
David is mourning the loss of his son, who deserved his death. He wishes he could exchange his life for his sons, but he cannot. (2 Samuel 18:33 -19:1–7)David’s mourning of his son is offensive to his men, and Joab rebukes him, warning him that if he mourns this rebel and traitor, he will lose more support in Israel.
Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.” 2 Samuel 19:5–7, ESV
David loves his son. He’d give his life in exchange for his sons. But even King David can’t make this trade. He cannot pay for Absalom’s sin, he cannot take the consequences in his place. Indeed, his own sins were responsible for much of the damage done here.
But there is One who can pay the price for sinners.
I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. 2 Samuel 7:8–17, ESV
This promise is fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Jesus, this descendant of David, can pay for Absalom’s sins, he can pay for our sins, he can pay for the world’s sins. Why? Because he is the sinless, spotless lamb of God. His sacrifice can atone for rebellion beyond measure, because his righteousness is beyond measure.
It is this Jesus to whom we must cling and look to. And it’s our faith in Jesus that fuels our points of application today. As we pursue justice in our lives, we look to Jesus as the model and enabler of any good we do. As we repent, we remember that Christ makes repentance possible. As we run through this life, through trials and away from sin, we run to Jesus who is the only One able to bind our wounds and reconcile us to God. So let us remember that no one, not King David, not the powerful, not the wealthy, no one can save us from our sins except Jesus, the greater David.
