What were Kings David's failures?
English: Nathan advises King David (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
• David’s eldest son, Amnon, raped his half-sister, Tamar (2 Sam 13). David failed to take action.
• Tamar’s brother, Absalom, killed Amnon in retribution and fled north to Geshur, the neighboring kingdom from which his mother had come. David again failed to take action.
• After Joab rebuked David through a wise woman, David recalled his son, but refused to meet with him until again prompted by Joab.
David’s failures and inability to take proper action within his family contributed to greater problems within the kingdom. His son, Absalom, rebelled (2 Sam 15–19). David survived the attempted coup, but Absalom did not. Other troubles followed, including a rebellion by a relative of Saul (2 Sam 20). In a final error, David ordered a census of the Israelite men available for military service. This brought on God’s judgment, and David saw thousands of his subjects die in a plague (2 Sam 24). David ended this disaster by buying property that became the site of the temple.