2 Samuel 13:30 - Meaning and Application

Here we see, first, the shock David felt because of a false report brought to Jerusalem that Absalom had killed all the king’s sons (2 Samuel 13:30). News like this often makes a bad situation seem even worse, especially at first. So when we hear troubling reports that are not yet confirmed, we should not give way to fear too quickly. We should hope for the best until the facts are clear.

Still, this false report troubled David as much as if it had been true, at least for the moment. He tore his clothes and lay on the ground, even though it was only a rumor spreading quickly through the city (2 Samuel 13:31). It was a mercy that David had grace from God, because he had strong emotions and needed that grace often.

Second, the mistake was corrected in two ways. Jonadab, David’s nephew and a crafty adviser, told him that only Amnon was dead, not all the king’s sons (2 Samuel 13:32-33). He also knew, or should have known, that Absalom had planned this since the day Amnon forced Tamar, Absalom’s sister. If Jonadab knew this, it was wicked of him not to warn David sooner, so peace might have been tried or so Amnon would not have been left exposed to danger. If we do not do all we can to stop harm, we share in it.

Jonadab is a sad example of the kind of friend who gives bad counsel and then does nothing to prevent the ruin that follows. He would not help stop Amnon’s sin, and he would not help stop Amnon’s downfall. God, who weighs the heart, sees whether we really knew about a danger or truly tried to prevent it (Proverbs 24:11-12).

The second correction came when all the king’s sons returned safely except Amnon. The watchman spotted them and their attendants, and they soon arrived, alive but with the sad news that Absalom had murdered their brother (2 Samuel 13:34-35). David’s earlier grief over a false report made him better able to bear the truth when it came. He could now at least thank God that not all his sons were dead. Yet Amnon’s death, and the way he was killed by his own brother, was enough to fill the palace and the nation with real mourning. Sorrow is most fitting when sin is part of the matter.

Third, Absalom fled from justice at once (2 Samuel 13:34). Now he feared the king’s sons as much as they had feared him. They had fled from his hatred, and he fled from their punishment. No part of Israel could protect a deliberate murderer. The cities of refuge did not shelter someone who killed on purpose.

Even though David had not punished Amnon for his sin against Tamar, Absalom could not safely expect pardon for murder. The law was clear, and David was known for his sense of justice and his fear of bloodguilt. So Absalom ran to his mother’s family and found safety with Talmai, his grandfather, king of Geshur (2 Samuel 13:37). He stayed there for three years, while David did not bring him back and Talmai did not send him away unless David asked.

Fourth, David felt uneasy about Absalom’s absence. He mourned Amnon for a long time, and since Amnon could not be brought back, time lessened that grief, and he was comforted about him (2 Samuel 13:37). But that comfort also seemed to weaken his hatred of Absalom’s sin too much. Instead of still thinking of Absalom as a murderer, David longed to go out to him, to restore him, and bring him back (2 Samuel 13:39). At first he could not bring himself to punish him; now he could almost bring himself to receive him again. This was David’s weakness. God saw something in his heart that made a difference, or else we would have thought he, like Eli, honored his sons more than God.