Songs for Tamar

Chapter Five

(In Chapter 5 Jesse and Absalom fight alongside King David in war with Syria. In tenderness, Absalom takes the widow Farah back home. In his grief Jesse nearly reveals his oath to the king.

In Chapter 6, Amnon feigns illness. He requests Tamar's nursing skills through King David. With caution Jesse's takes her there but has to wait in the courtyard. Instead Amnon brutally rapes her. When his armed servant shoves her-- bleeding, unable to stand without help-- into the courtyard, Jesse is so furious that he kills him and kicks in the door. Somehow Tamar's finds the strength to stop the man she loves from going inside. Men wait there to kill him. After Jesse carries Tamar home, midwives work fast to save her life.)

Chapter 5

The way to Syria was through Geshur, where David halted his army to refresh themselves at the invitation of its king. The king of Geshur was David's father-in-law and eager to offer food and supplies for the sake of David's tender care of his daughter Machaah when she was ill. He never for a moment doubted David's kindness for his daughter although he had several wives.

That night the King of Geshur invited King David, Absalom, and Jesse as well as his mighty men to accompany him to a palace banquet. He served his best wine, and the fairest maidens were dressed in colorful festive dresses worn when they gathered to sell their herds of sheep. The king gave some of his own concubines permission to share the food and strong drink with David's men. While these women by official status at court were available for the king's pleasure, they did not sleep in his chambers. Rather, in his good heart it was his way to provide support for lovely young widows, who had no relatives to care for them. By day they served at various tasks within and around the palace. By night they provided hospitality,to  King David's men.  That allowed many of them now and then to seek strong young husbands among his soldiers. Other widows enjoyed the satisfaction of waking now and then in their bedchambers with young men still at their sides. Yet no widow was compelled to accept the advances of any of David's spirited young men.

The king rose up and blessed David and his young men, who soon departed for their bedchambers with the young women who pleased them. But David paid special honor to those men who preferred to keep their vessels pure before battle. Jesse remained with the king while Absalom departed with a woman, who had just lost her husband in battle the year before. She found Absalom so handsome that she had longed to share a strong man's passion once more.

King David summoned Jesse to his side. "Jesse Ben Ezra, are you keeping away from women tonight for the sake of my daughter's honor? Please play one of your love songs such as come to my palace balcony on the night air in Jerusalem."

Jesse suspected the king had heard of the rash oath Absalom had made him take but was being polite by saying nothing of it. Because Absalom was sole authority in his own house, no law in Israel permitted Jesse to protest such an oath to the king even when it kept him away from Tamar.

Spoken in the name of the Lord, the oath was sacred to Jesse. How Jesse's heart ached for Tamar that night. Was he to die soon without again knowing her touch, her passionate kiss, or hearing her gentle heart pounding after hearing his songs of love to her? Jesse felt more like covering himself with sackcloth that night and bewailing his unfortunate oath that his best friend had forced on him. Even now as his mind searched for a song to relieve his grief, he still loved Absalom as his best friend. For his sake and Tamar's, he would never forsake him in service or in battle.

Yes, Jesse would sing a love song, but it would be for himself and for Tamar, who was bound to him with fetters stronger than any marriage or any alliance among kings. With reluctance he pulled his harp from his shoulders and announced his song.

"Tamar,my sister, my love, we walk in the night air.

 Together we step high over the Kidron Valley.