again received into God's favor, neither he nor his government ever wholly recovered from the moral shock

of his fall. It is not merely that his further history was attended by an almost continuous succession of

troubles, but that these troubles, while allowed of God in judgment, were all connected with a felt and

perceptible weakness on his part, which was the consequence of his sin. If the figure may be allowed,

henceforth David's hand shook, and his voice trembled; and both what he did and what he said, alike in his

own household and in the land, bore evidence of it.

As we reckon, it must have been about the twentieth year of his reign,3 when the sin of his son Amnon

proved the beginning of a long series of domestic and public troubles.

In this instance also it was carnal lust which kindled the devouring flame. The gloss of the LXX. is likely to

be correct, that David left unpunished the incest of Amnon with Tamar, although committed under

peculiarly aggravating circumstances, on account of his partiality for him as being his first-born son. This

indulgence on the part of his father may also account for the daring recklessness which marked Amnon's

crime. The sentence of the Divine law upon such sin was, indeed, unmistakable (Leviticus 20:20:17). But a

doting father, smitten with moral weakness, might find in the remembrance of his own past sin an excuse for

delay, if not a barrier to action; for it is difficult to wield a heavy sword with a maimed arm.

Two years had passed since this infamous deed. But there was one who had never forgiven it. Absalom had

not forgotten the day when his brave and noble sister, after having vainly offered such resistance as she

could, driven with her shame from the door of her heartless brother, had brought back the tale of her

disgrace, - her maiden-princess's "sleeved upper garment" 4 rent, in token of mourning, her face defiled with

ashes, her hand upon her head, as if staggering under its burden,5 and bitterly lamenting her fate. So fair had

she gone forth on what seemed her errand of mercy; so foully had she been driven back!

These two years had the presence in his home of a loved sister, now "desolate" for ever, kept alive the

remembrance of an irreparable wrong. The king had been "very wroth" - no more than that; but Absalom

would be avenged, and his revenge should not only be signal, but overtake Amnon when least suspecting

it, and in the midst of his pleasures. Thus Amnon's sin and punishment would, so to speak, be in equipoise.

Such a scheme could not, however, be immediately carried out. It required time, that so all suspicion might

be allayed. But then, as Absalom's plan of revenge was peculiarly Oriental, these long delays to make sure

of a victim are also characteristic of the lands of still, deep passion. At the same time, the readiness with

which Jonadab, Amnon's cousin (13:3) and clever adviser in wickedness, could suggest, before it was

correctly known, what had taken place (vers. 32, 33), shows that, despite his silence, Absalom had not been

able effectually to conceal his feelings. Perhaps the king himself was not quite without suspicion, however

well Absalom had played his part. And now follows the terrible history. It is the time of sheep-shearing on

Absalom's property, not very far from Jerusalem - a merry, festive season in the East. Absalom pressingly

invites to it the king and his court, well knowing that such an invitation would be declined. But if the king

himself will not come, at least let the heir-presumptive be t here; and, if the king somewhat sharply takes up

this suspicious singling out of Amnon, Absalom does not ask him only, but all the king's sons.

The consent has been given, and the rest of the story is easily guessed. Absalom's well-concerted plan; the

feast, the merriment, the sudden murder; the hasty flight of the affrighted princes; the exaggerated evil

tidings which precede them to Jerusalem; the shock to the king and his courtiers; then the partial relief on

the safe arrival of the fugitives, followed by the horror produced as they tell the details of the crime - all this

is sketched briefly, but so vividly that we can almost imagine ourselves witnesses of the scene. It was well

for Absalom that he had fled to his maternal grandfather at Geshur. For all his life long the king could not

forget the death of his firstborn, although here also time brought its healing to the wound. Absalom had

been three years in Geshur - and "King David was restrained from going out after Absalom,  6 because he was

comforted concerning Amnon."