2 Samuel, Chapter 12, Verse 26-28
26 Absalom then said, “If not you, then please
let my brother Amnon come with us.” The king asked him, “Why should he go with
you?” 27 But at Absalom’s urging, the king sent Amnon and with him all his other
sons. Absalom prepared a banquet fit for a king. 28 But Absalom had
instructed his attendants: “Now watch! When Amnon is merry with wine and I say
to you, ‘Kill Amnon,’ put him to death. Do not be afraid, for it is I who order you to do it. Be strong and act like
warriors.”
David’s family life
after the murder of Uriah reads like a mafia tale with David being the Don and
all his son’s vying for power.
Amnon was the heir-apparent to David's throne; Amnon
though is best remembered for the rape of his half-sister Tamar, daughter of
David with Maachah. Despite the biblical prohibition on sexual relations
between half-brothers and sisters, Amnon had an overwhelming desire for her. He
acted on advice from his cousin, Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, to lure Tamar
into his quarters by pretending to be sick and desiring her to cook a special
meal for him. While in his quartered s, and ignoring her protests, he raped
her, then had her expelled from his house. King David was angry about the
incident, but could not bring himself to punish his eldest son, while Absalom,
Amnon's half-brother and Tamar's full brother, nursed a bitter grudge against Amnon
for the rape of his sister. Two years later, to avenge Tamar, Absalom invited all
of David's sons to a feast, then had his servants kill Amnon after he had
become drunk with wine.[1]
David’s sin had found
him out. When he kill Uriah it was like killing his old self; the good self.
Now David was insecure and he was more about Thanksgetting than Thanksgiving
and he ignored the sins of his children not holding them accountable. They
became monsters. David’s youthful heart of gratitude and love for God was
sorely wounded. David never regained the law of the Sacrifice. Yet, from David’s
line comes Jesus Christ; His sacrifice saves us all and you can, “Stand erect
and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.” (Lk. 21:28)
because your redemption is at hand.” (Lk. 21:28)
Having and retaining a
grateful heart is the key to making right judgments and being a person of
character. Continuing our study of John McCain’s book, “Character is Destiny”[2]
John highlights the life
of the Native American war chief Tecumseh as our example of a man that never
lost his gratitude in life.
Tecumseh was a great Indian leader who
lost a war but taught even his enemies how to live. Everyone knew that the
great Tecumseh, fearless warrior and visionary, steadfast leader, did not
tolerate torture or murder, or suffer intentional harm to be done to innocents.
He was a man of honor. Even his enemies knew that, especially the man who had
fought him the longest, William Henry Harrison. However, as a youth Tecumseh
was unnerved in his first encounter with organized bloodletting, and fled the
battle. It was the only time in his life his courage failed him. In a later
raid near the end of the war, the Shawnees attacked the crew of a flatboat on
the Ohio River. All but one of the crew was killed in the encounter. The lone
survivor was dragged ashore and burned at the stake. The atrocity left a deep
mark on Tecumseh, who, though he was too young to intervene in the victim’s
behalf, denounced the murder after it occurred, and swore he would never again
remain silent in the face of such an injustice. He would live and die
determined to defend Indian land from the insatiable appetites of American
settlers. In the course of his crusade, he became the greatest Indian leader of
his time. Many would argue, including Americans who fought him, that he was the
greatest war chief of all time. Raised by his older brother Chiksika, he took
special care of his younger brother Tecumseh. He taught him to hunt and fish,
and to learn the fighting skills of a Shawnee brave. He raised him to revere
the memory of their courageous father, and the virtues he had exemplified as a
warrior who preferred death to dishonor.
There was something in his character that repelled despair, finding in life,
with all its many tragedies, a reason to be thankful for the very fact that he
could remain true to himself. He was the kind of person for whom life was a
gift that could not be diminished by suffering, and it gave him a unique
strength, a confidence that was superior to most people. Tall and sinewy, with
an erect bearing, a superior skill at arms, exuding a sense of command, and
possessing a gift for oratory that earned him admirers even among his enemies,
he was renowned as a capable provider and protecter of his clan, whose
leadership had an ever-broadening appeal to neighboring tribes. Tecumseh
delivered an address to his people as he prepared them for the coming struggle
that has become famous not only as a measure of his own character, but as a
code of honor that merits respect and emulation. So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble
no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they
respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your
life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your
people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great
divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a
friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and
grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and the
joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in
yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and
robs the spirit of vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those
whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes
they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a
different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
On the day of his final battle never
having despaired over the vicissitudes of life, he would not do so now. He
arose in the morning and gave thanks for the joy of living. At the Battle of
the Thames in Ontario on October 5, 1813, British General Procter and his
soldiers fled the field after the first volley was fired. Tecumseh dispensed
with his sword and British officer’s jacket, and charged, as always, into the
thick of the battle. When a musket ball shattered his right leg, he told his
braves to leave him. He kept fighting until a crowd of American soldiers
surrounded him. He sang his death song and died like a hero going home.
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