Multiplying wrongs in the family business
This week I continue to explore the relationships between King David’s children. After King David’s son, Amnon, rapes his half-sister, Tamar, we are offered a glimpse into Amnon’s feelings:Then Amnon...
Faith & Family Business
Rebuilding after the damage is done
December 18, 2022
I’m finishing the year by reflecting on Psalms (songs) that match up to some of the events we’ve covered in David’s life. Psalm 51 is about King David’s affair with Bathsheba. He recognizes he’s...
The dark side of succession (Part 1)
October 30, 2022
King David misses his son, Absalom, who fled after murdering his brother, Amnon. (Amnon had raped their sister, Tamar.) King David’s key general and right hand man, Joab, encourages David to bring...
Moving on in the family business
October 2, 2022
Recall the rapidly deteriorating relationships among King David’s children: Absalom killed his brother Amnon because Amnon had raped their sister, Tamar. Absalom realizes his actions will likely have...
Revenge hurts everyone in the family business
September 25, 2022
King David’s son, Amnon, committed multiple wrongs by raping Tamar and then banishing her from his house. She takes up residence with another brother, Absalom, who wants to kill Amnon, and after two...
When parents make problems worse
September 11, 2022
Last week I shifted the focus of my reflections to David’s family, looking at the destruction of the sibling relationship when David’s son, Amnon, raped his half-sister Tamar. But King David also...
Breaking sibling relationships
September 5, 2022
After Solomon’s blessed birth to David and Bathsheba, life in David’s family takes another dark turn — just as God, through Nathan, said it would. The text says one of David’s other sons, Amnon, was...
What happens after a dark chapter in the family business?
August 29, 2022
After King David admits he sinned in his actions with Bathsheba and her husband Uriah, God tells David he will lose the son born from the affair. Indeed, David’s son becomes sick and dies. But God is...
Admitting Our Sin (Remembering Frederick Buechner, 1926-2022)
August 21, 2022
Recall from my prior posts that God, through Nathan, told King David how disappointed he was with David’s behavior toward others, and that David would face consequences for his actions. Here is how...
Called Out! (Part 3)
August 14, 2022
This is the last reflection in my three-part series on how God, through Nathan, confronts King David about his behavior. In the first part, God reminds David of all the blessings he’s received. In...