Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel. – 2 Samuel 3:2

Today's Scripture Reading (June 20, 2025): 2 Samuel 3

On two occasions, I have memorized and delivered as a worship message the text from Jesus's "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5-7). It was a thought-provoking experience. The first time I did it, I instructed my audience to place their Bibles and notes under their chairs and listen to the words as if they were hearing them for the first time. I admit that, as I committed to memorizing the text, I built a connection between myself and the words of Jesus. The "Sermon on the Mount" has become one of those guiding passages for me through which I frequently struggle. If there is an essential passage that I think every Christian should know, it begins with this sermon of Jesus. However, essential or foundational does not mean easy. "The Sermon on the Mount" continues to be one of those texts that is very hard to put into practice. Daring to live a God-centered life begins with reading what God expects from us. However, if we are going to make a difference, we need to put into practice the words we have read.

Have you ever wondered if people who should have read the Bible have read it? I have, and for me, that question begins with the Kings of Israel. The idea that the kings must read the Law was part of God's instructions for all future kings. It is part of the instructions God gave to Moses centuries before a King was placed over the people of Israel. In his last set of speeches before the people of Israel, Moses told them;

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite … When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this Law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this Law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the Law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel (Deuteronomy 17:14-15, 18-20, emphasis mine).

The King was to write the Law down and read it every day of his life so that he would know what it contained. One of the instructions pertaining to Kings found in the Law was this; "He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold" (Deuteronomy 17:17).

The King was to write down the Law. I wonder if David or Solomon fulfilled this part of the spiritual expectations as they began their reigns over Israel or if they overlooked this aspect of their activities. If they had, it should have changed their behavior. David settles down in Hebron, from where he will rule for seven years. During those seven years, he will have six children, born from six different wives. Some wonder why the Bible never condemns this polygamy. But the truth is that the Bible has already condemned the behavior in Deuteronomy. So now, the story of David illustrates the consequences of disobeying God.

The story of the effect of David's polygamy is written in the impact it has on his children. And it all starts with Amnon, who rapes his sister and then is killed by a brother. But the story won't end there. It will proceed through sons like Absalom, who will kill Amnon, and Adonijah, who will attempt to seize the throne from his father, as well as other trials of the children of David. Perhaps if David had written down the Law, and maybe if we had bothered to write down the "Sermon on the Mount," David's and our lives would be different and better.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 4