“And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, “Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead.” 2 Samuel 14:2 (NKJV)
Well, King David did nothing about Amnon raping Tamar. After 2 years, Absalom took matters into his own hands and killed Amnon. Absalom then fled the land for fear that he would be killed for murdering his brother.
For three years Absalom was a refugee hiding away from his family and judgment. Joab sensed that King David missed Absalom and wanted him back, but there wasn’t an easy way to bring back someone who had murdered someone else. So Joab sought help from a wise woman from Tekoa. The Bible doesn’t give her name.
The woman tells a story, very similar to the real story of Absalom and Amnon about her two sons and how they fought and one died. Those in the family wanted to kill the surviving son. However, the woman did not want to lose her only son and the last possibility of an heir to carry on the family’s name for her deceased husband.
King David rallied to support the woman and told her to bring her son home and he would protect them. The wise woman then pointed out to King David the similarities with Amnon and Absalom and requested that Absalom be brought back home.
God uses parables throughout the old and new testament to help individuals see more clearly motives and actions they wouldn’t see otherwise because they’re too close to the situation. In this case he used an unnamed woman from Tekoa.
God may use you or me to help someone else see more clearly God’s plan for their lives or to see where they have strayed from God’s pathway. He may use someone else to help me see more clearly God’s plan for myself.
Listen to Sounds of Hope as they sing “Use Me.”
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 2/10/25, 5:00 pm