April 12, 2016 Bible Study — When A Father Fails To Discipline His Sons

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Samuel 14-15.

    I find it interesting that Joab conspired to bring Absalom back from exile. Perhaps he did this because he saw that David was suffering because his son was in exile. Or, perhaps he did it because he thought it bad for the kingdom for David’s now eldest son to be in another kingdom. However, despite the fact that David had Joab bring Absalom back to Jerusalem, neither David nor Joab talked to Absalom for two years after his return. I do not know what role David’s cold shoulder played in Absalom’s decision to attempt to overthrow his father, but it can’t have helped the situation. Every time I read these stories it strikes me that David was not a very good father. Three of his sons (Ammon, Absalom, and Adonijah) came to a bad end because David did not discipline them.