THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
David fled from his son due to the corruption of purity; he distanced himself because he violated the sanctity of marriage; he escaped because he turned away from the commandments of God, which declare, ‘Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery’ (Exodus 20:13, 14). He introduced a foreign lamb into his household, taking the life of its shepherd, while a lamb from his own domain began to confront its shepherd; he brought strife into a distant home, and discord arose against him from within his own. This is not mere speculation but the declaration of God; where the Lord explains, no one can oppose.
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Indeed, his son rebelled against David for the killing of Uriah and the taking of his spouse, as communicated by God through the prophet Nathan, who said to David, I have anointed you as king over Israel, and I have rescued you from Saul: I have granted you the palace of your lord, and I have given you the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; and if this was not sufficient, I would bestow even more. Why then have you disregarded the word of the Lord, committing evil in His sight? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be yours. Thus, the sword shall not depart from your household forever’ (2 Samuel 12:7-10). You have harmed another’s household with the sword, and I will raise a sword against you in your own home: ‘Behold, I will bring evil upon you from within your own house,’ not from an outside source, but ‘from your own house.’ This reveals where sin originates, where punishment arises. Therefore, he fled from his son, becoming a fugitive and an outcast in relation to God’s command. ‘The Psalm of David,’ when he fled from Absalom, his son (Psalms 3:1). It is more instructive to unveil the root of conflict than to recount the battle itself so that we might witness the downfall of the righteous and be warned to avoid a similar fate. Many still experience turmoil in their own homes: one faces conflict from a wife, another is besieged by a son, another endures strife from a brother, yet another from a servant – each is harried, troubled, engaged in conflict, suffering the pangs of war; yet none consider, reasoning within, that if they had not sown sins, thorns and thistles would not have taken root in their houses – if they had not ignited sinful sparks, their homes would not have blazed with fire. That misfortunes within families stem from sin, and that God appoints familial relationships to enact rightful punishment on the sinner, is made evident by sacred Scriptures, which are utterly reliable. Does your wife wage war against you, confronting you like a fierce beast, sharpening her tongue like a sword? It is indeed lamentable that the one meant to be a helper has become an adversary; however, reflect upon yourself, whether in your youth you have conspired against any woman, for now the grievance of a woman is avenged by another woman, and your own wife heals another’s wound. Though the one acting may be oblivious, God, the healer, is aware. He administers this bitterness through her as a tool, much like iron is wielded; the iron itself does not comprehend its role, yet the physician who employs it for healing does. So too here, despite the husband and wife being unaware of the source of their affliction, God as the ultimate healer understands what is necessary. The fact that an ungodly wife is a scourge for transgressions is affirmed by sacred Scripture; it states an evil wife shall be given to a wicked husband (cf. Sirach, chapters 25 and 26). She is bestowed upon him as a bitter remedy to eradicate sinful inclinations. Additionally, the struggles arising from children serve as punishments for sins, as illustrated by David, who faced persecution from his son Absalom following a sinful relationship, as previously noted. Furthermore, enmity among brothers arises from sin, evidenced in the account from the book of Judges where some from the tribe of Benjamin committed fornication with a traveler’s concubine, who could not endure the grievous offense and died; the eleven tribes then waged war against one tribe. Yet, because these eleven tribes turned away from God to pursue idolatry, they faced defeat at the hands of one single tribe repeatedly, ultimately only achieving one victory over it, for in their sins, brothers fought against brothers (Judges 19 and 20). When one tribe sinned with a woman, and all eleven tribes turned to idols, both incurred God's wrath, as it is written, ‘Thou destroyest every one that departeth from Thee’ (Psalm 77:27). Thus, the brethren were at war with one another because of their sins. When your siblings oppose you, refrain from casting blame upon them; rather, look within yourself and do an earnest examination of the sins that have turned them into your adversaries. However, not all are attacked by their brothers due to their sins; Joseph endured hostility from his brothers, but not for transgressions; Job faced strife from his wife, but not for sin. The majority suffer domestic hostilities as a consequence of their sins. It is also possible for friends to turn into enemies due to sin, where former love turns to hatred, sanctioned by God’s will, known only to Him. As recorded in Psalm 104:25, ‘He hath stirred up hatred in their heart against his people,’ and God would not have allowed such animosity had their love not first been corrupted.