The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Samuel 3:2-5,
"Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream the son of David's wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron."
The above listing of sons born to David include another list: a list of women David had children with: Ahinoam, Abigail, Maakah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah. A few verses later we read about Michal and later we read about Bathsheba. Michal had no children, 2 Samuel 6:23, but David's tryst with Bathsheba resulted in her conceiving a boy, which resulted in David conceiving the murder of her husband, Uriah. (This boy died as a baby in God's judgment of David for his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah.) Bathsheba was also the mother of Solomon, David's successor to the throne.
Lots of women in David's life. In Deuteronomy the Lord tells Israel that if they demand a king to be over them after they enter the promised land, to appoint someone of the Lord's choosing. Here are the requirements the Lord provided for a king over Israel, "He (the king) must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, 'You are not to go back that way again.' He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold." Deuteronomy 17:15-17.
"Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream the son of David's wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron."
The above listing of sons born to David include another list: a list of women David had children with: Ahinoam, Abigail, Maakah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah. A few verses later we read about Michal and later we read about Bathsheba. Michal had no children, 2 Samuel 6:23, but David's tryst with Bathsheba resulted in her conceiving a boy, which resulted in David conceiving the murder of her husband, Uriah. (This boy died as a baby in God's judgment of David for his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah.) Bathsheba was also the mother of Solomon, David's successor to the throne.
Lots of women in David's life. In Deuteronomy the Lord tells Israel that if they demand a king to be over them after they enter the promised land, to appoint someone of the Lord's choosing. Here are the requirements the Lord provided for a king over Israel, "He (the king) must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, 'You are not to go back that way again.' He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold." Deuteronomy 17:15-17.
Not a lot of wives. However, in this patriarchal period, polygamy was the practice and David practiced it well (as well as adultery). As many as the women are we read of in David's life, he didn't hold a candle to his son Solomon who had a thousand wives and concubines. Nonetheless, not to recognize all of the women in David's life is to not know David very well.
I note the Lord's prohibition for kings about wives is based on a somewhat subjective guideline: "He must not take many wives." How many is many? Certainly for us today, "many" is anything more than just one, regardless of whether a man is a king or not. Polygamy is against the law today, but in David's day it was not just legal, but it was the practice for those who could afford wives.
Here is an interesting question: when was polygamy banned in the Scriptures and monogamy recognized (or even commanded) as the ideal or only way in marriage? Where is it we find the condemnation of polygamy in the Scriptures? And, here is another interesting question: if we are going to say that monogamy is God's ideal for us, why will there be no marriage in heaven? (See Matthew 22:30.)
Please do not misunderstand me. I firmly believe monogamy is the only way to go when considering marriage. Not only is polygamy against the law, but, considering all of my shortcomings, I'm fortunate to survive having just one wife at a time.
In any event, all of this portrays just a small bit of the context in which God pursues his agenda and accomplishes all he desires. He does so in the midst of less than perfect circumstances in the world. He works his will in this world despite the sinful rebellion of our hearts and all the trouble our decisions create.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment