Subject: Sam 2 Ch 15 v. 16 David n his concubines |
Bible Note: Dear Azure, 1. I don't know. I suspect that he had no reason to worry about their safety. It was an unusual situation. His thinking might even have been divinely influenced (see answer #3). 2. No, you're thinking of divorce in our cultural terms. According to my local Aish Hatorah rabbi, the wives of monarchs were never permitted to remarry -- even after the king's death -- but were to live in isolation. Something to do with preserving the royal line. John Gill says much the same thing in his commentary. Furthermore, we do not know how easily they surrendered themselves to Absalom. 3. As to the necessity of leaving them behind, we can only say two things for certain: (1) David deemed it necessary in order for them to "keep the house." (2) God deemed it necessary in order to fulfill His providential will (2 Samuel 12:11). I cannot answer your questions to your full satisfaction, Azure -- perhaps no one can. There are many people throughout Biblical history who have gotten the short end of the stick in ways that don't seem justified to us. Nevertheless, through their divinely appointed participation, they have brought glory to the Lord. (Think, for example, of the children of Job.) Our way of thinking is not God's way of thinking. But we know that everything our sovereign God does is perfectly just, righteous, and good. In Him, Doc |