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King David thought he could sin with impunity, maybe
even he bought into an early version of the divine right of kings
which asserts that a monarch is not subject to earthly authority and
that only God could judge David for his actions against Bathsheba
and Uriah. Nevertheless, the curse uttered by Nathan began to play
out in his life. Amnon was David's oldest son and the crown prince.
Just like his father, he had a strong sex drive and he lusted after
his half-sister Tamar and raped her. Adding insult to injury, he
wanted nothing to do with her afterwards. Absalom took revenge a
couple years later by killing Amnon and then fled to avoid his
father's anger. Eventually King David allowed his wayward son to
return and Absalom expressed his thanks by dethroning his father and
then having sexual relations with his concubines. Then another man
named Sheba stirred up the ten northern tribes of Israel in revolt.
God prospered David, and the nation of Israel reached its highest
level of success prior to the rape of Bathsheba and the murder of
Uriah, then the blessings stopped, and the nation had to pay for the
sins of its king as Nathan's prophecy was fulfilled. |
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