On February 14, 2013, we studied 2 Samuel 14.  With the help of the wise woman of Tekoa, King David has to face a tough decision about his sons. Who is this woman, and is she really wise? What are the stakes for King David at this point?
“The Tekoan woman helps him reach a decision concerning the great struggle that was going on within him: the struggle between his personal feelings and his moral obligations. The parable provides David with a ladder with which to climb down from ‘the moral tree’ which he had climbed following Avshalom’s flight. This justification, however, has no grounding in concrete reality. As he had done in earlier stories, David once again makes an erroneous decision, one for which he will yet be forced to pay a heavy price.  https://www.etzion.org.il/en/88-chapter-14-i-woman-tekoa 

On February 6, 2013, we studied 2 Sam Ch 12:3-12 – the tragedy of Tamar. It’s an emotional roller coaster, and an amazing look at the corruption of power.  We compared with the story of Dinah (Gen 34).
“In this new monarchy, the weak can still be victimized by the powerful, girls are vulnerable to violence, and violence against them still spreads unchecked until it culminates in civil war.  The monarchy does not solve the problem that is its only reason for being: it cannot govern society so that outrage will not occur.”  – Tikva Frymer-Kensky Reading the Women of the Bible