Today's Scripture Reading (June 19, 2025): 2 Samuel 2
I have been intrigued by the
mystery of the Princes in the Tower ever since I discovered the story in my
teens. What exactly happened to these two boys? The oldest of the princes
should probably be referred to as a King. Edward was twelve at the time of his
Father's death. Dear old Dad was Edward IV of England. Because of the new King's
young age, his Father had declared that his brother, the new King's uncle,
would serve as protector until a time when Edward V could reign on his own. But
Edward's reign was cut short. After only two and a half months, Parliament
moved to name Richard, the King's protector, as the King of England. Richard
reigned as Richard III.
Richard seemed to understand
that he needed to protect what was now his throne, and so he had the young
former King, as well as his younger brother, Richard, Duke of York, aged nine,
confined to the Tower of London. What happened next to the two boys is the
mystery that history has left for us. The two royal brothers were never seen
again. Presumably, at some point, they were killed. Some of the theories
included that they were left in the Tower of London with no provisions and
eventually starved to death. Richard III, the villain of the story, although it
is not certain that he was involved in the boys' death, died in battle fighting
against the House of Tudor, descendants of King Edward III and alternate
claimants to the throne. Henry defeated Richard and became Henry VII, launching
the House of Tudor.
An interesting question that
has arisen from the civil war we know as "The War of the Roses" is,
who was the usurper on the throne? Some argue that it was Richard III; after
all, he was the one who seems to have deposed his nephew, Edward V. Others
point to the fact that Edward V was never actually King because his coronation
never took place, partially because Uncle Richard kept delaying that moment.
Hence, Richard III was the lawful King of England because Parliament declared
that Richard was King. If you were a fan of the Tudors, you believe that no one
from the Plantagenet dynasty and the House of York, which included Edward IV
and V, as well as Richard III, was the rightful King of England.
We have a similar argument
when examining David. Was he a usurper? Some would point to this verse and the
concept that the people of Judah crowned him as King over the Tribe of Judah,
believing that this passage proves he wasn't a usurper of the throne. However,
Judah wasn't Israel. Richard III was also proclaimed by the Parliament to be King,
despite his nephews languishing in their imprisonment in the Tower. However, unlike
Richard III, David had also been anointed by Samuel as the next King.
Perhaps the best we can
conclude is that from God's point of view, David was the ordained King of
Israel. However, from a human perspective, David was a usurper because he was
not of the line of Saul or even of Saul's tribe, the Tribe of Benjamin.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
2 Samuel 3
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