It is questionable whether we can say that David,

the father of Amnon and Tamar, was not responsible at all.

The very cunning Jonadab easily approached Amnon,

who was sick with love for his half-sister Tamar and troubled every day.

He said, “Lie down and pretend to be ill.

When your father comes to see you, ask him

to have your sister Tamar come and prepare food in front of you

so that she can feed you with her own hands, and you will feel better.”

This scheme involved their father David, ultimately bringing Tamar,

who Amnon could not easily approach, to Amnon's house.

Following Jonadab's advice, Tamar brought flour, kneaded it,

and made cakes in Amnon's sight.

She then took the cakes into Amnon's bedroom

and fed them to him directly while he pretended to be ill.

Finally, when Tamar approached Amnon to feed her,

Amnon grabbed Tamar and forced her to say,

“My sister, come and sleep with me.”

Then Tamar refused, but Amnon did not listen to her

and because she was stronger than Tamar, he attacked her and raped her

(2 Samuel 13:5-14).

When I meditate on these words,

I think that father David was very unaware of his son Amnon.

For example, David appears to have been unaware that his son Amnon
was deeply in love with and yearning for his half-sister Tamar.

Also, David did not know that Amnon was lying in bed and pretending to be sick.

If David had known about it, when Amnon said to him,

“Send your younger sister Tamar to cook food for me in front of me and feed me,”

David said, “David sent Tamar to go to Amnon’s house and cook food for her.”

He should not have been instructed to give (vv. 6-7).

The reason is that it was like giving a fish to a cat.

How could David, who loved and longed for Tamar so much

that he could instruct Amnon, who was even sick,

to go to Tamar's house and cook food for him?

As a result, Amnon raped Tamar (v. 14).

Can we say that father David was not responsible at all?

I think Tamar's going to Amnon's house was

like a cow going to the slaughter, or a deer running into a snare

(Proverbs 7:22).

Of course, the execution of all these cunning plans

came from the head of the very cunning Jonadab,

but I wonder whether it can be said that David,

the father of Amnon and Tamar, was also not responsible at all.