Women with a Story to Tell: The 'Merry' Wives of David: Maacah.

 We return to the conclusion of the story of Maacah, the only royal princess among David’s wives. She was in grief over the rape of her daughter Tamar by one of David’s other children, a son by a different wife. Amnon had tricked David to send Tamar to him. He faked being sick, but then overpowered Tamar. It was a deceitful and violent rape.

However, King David, the leading judge over the land, did nothing to comfort Tamar and Maacah nor did he punish Amnon. The text says that David “would not punish his son Amnon because he loved him.” An interesting definition of love, is it not? And what about his love for his wife Maacah and his daughter Tamar? Oh, I forgot; they are just women.

 Why did David avoid punishing Amnon? Perhaps because just recently David had done something similar. We have not come to it yet because it involves yet another wife, Bathsheba. We do not know if that was a case of rape or consensual sex by two people married to other spouses. Either way, it was wrong. Perhaps David does not correct Amnon because he has no moral standing to do so.

 David may not be outraged by the rape of his daughter, but Tamar's brother Absalom certainly is. If David will not do justice, Absalom will seek revenge for his sister. Someone has to stand up for her and remove the shame that their mother feels.

 Absalom arranges a feast at sheep-shearing time, and one evening when Amnon was drunk, Absolom’s servants killed him. David's other sons were also in attendance, but David himself was not there. David’s sons quickly returned to Jerusalem with the news, but Absalom fled for refuge with his grandfather, King Talmai of Geshur.

 Absalom stayed in exile for three years while his father David mourned the death of Amnon; but then David began to yearn for Absolom’s return. One of David’s mighty men, Joab, conceived a plan to get the king to outlaw the pursuit of blood vengeance in general. This might be a good thing because vengeance can go on forever, but the king did not see that the law would be turned against him concerning his son Absalom. Absalom was right to seek refuge because he was vulnerable to a revenge killing.

 Joab was dispatched to bring Absalom back from exile, and eventually David forgave him. However, once again, David failed to properly discipline his son or show him real love. 

 After this, Absalom gathered supporters for himself and became more popular than David. Then he undermined David’s authority by promising everyone who had a case against the administration that he could do better. When he felt the time was right, Absalom the son of Maacah acted on his conspiracy and supplanted his father David as king. David was forced to flee Jerusalem.

 Interestingly, “David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, with his head covered and walking barefoot” (II Samuel 15: 30). Absalom sent troops and eventually, they met David’s supporters in battle, although David’s generals prohibited him from coming to the field. Absalom’s followers were defeated. Absalom himself fled on his mule, but his voluminous hair got caught in a tree branch. He was speared while he hung there helpless.

 David was grieved for now he had lost another son. However, Scripture says nothing about Maacah, his royal wife who has suffered the disgrace of her daughter Tamar and now is suffering the death of her son Absalom. Absalom was acting out his resentment of David’s failure to grant justice to his sister and thus comfort his mother. What about Maacah? Is she suffering more now? How does she feel? Apparently, those are not questions that the Bible storyteller is concerned to answer.

 Instead, the spotlight turns next to Bathsheba’s son Solomon. Maacah fades into history. Another woman at the mercy of the men, first her father, then her husband. Another woman sidelined in a patriarchal society.

Getting tired of hearing that, are you? Or are you getting concerned that biblical women were treated this way? Worse yet, some people think that women today should stand back and take the abuse that men hand out. Jesus did not treat women that way, nor did the early church.