Just Wisdom
A reflection on the readings for Proper 15B - 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58 Over the course of the last two Sunday’s the story of David in 2 nd Samuel continued – a story of war and more war, of violence and many family problems. David’s daughter, Tamar is raped by her half- brother, Ammon, thus preventing her from being marriageable because according to ancient custom women were property of men. According to this custom Tamar’s value as a commodity diminished. There are still some cultures in the world today who view rape and incest in the same manner as this ancient culture – it is a defilement of property. As a piece of property that has no value Tamar’s feelings are never taken into consideration by David. The rape causes problems for David as he tries to decide how, or IF, to punish his son. Sadly, David does nothing. The story of Tamar is central in religious discussions about violence against women, with several books written...