The Bible on Location by Julie Baretz

Author:Julie Baretz [Baretz, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: TRV015020 Travel / Middle East / Israel
ISBN: 9780827611900
Publisher: The Jewish Publication Society
Published: 2015-03-31T04:00:00+00:00

The Dark Side of the Royal Family

King David’s household can be described as dysfunctional at best and in the darkest light as deeply abusive. In fact, the story of Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom reveals intimate details about the royal relations that frighteningly correspond to the classic profile of an abusive family. These families are not always poor white trash; often large, they appear normal, even exemplary on the outside, while usually remaining socially isolated from the community at large. Natural emotions are denied and distorted, and there is no healthy intimacy between the family members. They are governed by strict rules dictating that all needs be met within the family and a deep fear of family breakdown. Victims of abuse are blamed and humiliated. All the family members adhere to a code of silence.

It’s hard not to wonder why the biblical authors and editors chose to air the house of David’s dirty laundry so publicly. To what end are the most sordid secrets of the royal family divulged? Not to teach us a lesson—Tamar’s story is one of the strongest biblical examples of justice not being served, and it certainly doesn’t conclude with a happy ending.

In fact, while the story begins with Tamar at the center, as it unfolds she recedes into the background and the spotlight moves to Absalom, the real protagonist. The biblical writer announces as much by mentioning Absalom in the first verse (2 Sam. 13:1). Although he doesn’t appear on the scene until much later, he ultimately safeguards his sister and takes revenge. One reason for this focus may be an attempt by the narrator to help us sympathize with the troubled youth Absalom, who will go on to lead an armed rebellion against his father, David (see chapter 15).

However, we have to know the story of Tamar in order to understand why Amnon, the crown prince, was murdered by his brother Absalom, and why Absalom fled to the protection of his grandparents in Geshur, eventually returned to Jerusalem, rebelled against David, and was killed. These stories are part of the wider scope of the David story known as the succession narrative, which tells the story of David’s rise to power, his years as king, the untimely demise of his older sons, and the rise of Solomon to the throne in the wake of his father’s death (2 Sam. 9–20 and 1 Kings 1–2). Amnon and Absalom are important links in this chain of events; what happens between them and to them is the fulfillment of Nathan’s prophecy to David that “the sword shall never depart from your house” (2 Sam. 12:10), the punishment for David’s sins against Uriah and Bathsheba. Moreover, in the succession narrative we learn that kings, no matter how blessed or powerful, do not determine the world order and that all is controlled by the hand of God. It is the laws laid down by the Creator that determine the rule of the house of David, the pattern of monarchic rule, and the concept of the divinely appointed role of the king, the nation, and the city of Jerusalem.

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