The disease of sin (2 Samuel 13:1-22)
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Todayâs reading is 2 Samuel 13:1-22
â...Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Donât do this wicked thing.â
2 Samuel 13:12
Reflect â¤ď¸
In the passage today, we see what can happen when sin is left unchecked, and like a disease, takes over someoneâs life. With Amnon, we see lust blind him to sin, taking over his emotions. He then chooses to commit an awful act of sexual violence against Tamar, resulting in her life being wrecked and the situation for Amnon only worsening.
Amnon considers himself hopelessly in love with Tamar, his half-sister. In reality, what he feels is not love at all, but lust. He doesnât see it this way; he refers to her as his brotherâs sister (v4), perhaps downplaying the closeness of their familial relationship and twisting the truth to make way for his desires.
Amnonâs cousin, Jonadab (referred to here as a âfriendâ and a âshrewdâ man), sees the signs in Amnonâs body resulting from his sinful desires (v4). Tragically, his shrewdness isn't used for good, and instead of offering wise counsel or the urgent pastoral help he needed, Jonadab comes up with a plan which will only speed up Amnon's descent further into sin.
Amnon pretends to be suffering from a serious physical illness, again twisting the truthâwhile outwardly he appears sick, perhaps we could say that he is internally, spiritually sick. His father, King David, believes the apparent illness and sadly does not see it for what it really is, but instead plays into Amnon's hands and gives him exactly what he asked forâTamar at his bedside (vv6â7).
But Amnon continues with his wicked plot, deliberately putting himself in an isolating situation with Tamar, the object of his lust. This is exactly what he should have been avoiding at all costs. He makes his sinful request to Tamar (v11), who does amazingly well at talking him down and refusing his request: âDonât force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Donât do this wicked thing⌠you would be like one of the wicked fools in Israelâ (vv12â13). Tragically, Amnon ignores Tamarâs words of wisdom and goes on to overpower and rape Tamar. He abandoned wise counsel in favour of fulfilling his sinful, selfish desires, to destructive ends.
After Amnonâs assault on Tamar, we notice the first result is another corrupted, chaotic emotion rising up in Amnonâthis time, hatred (v15). This shows that the love he claimed to feel in the first place was not really love at all; it was lust. It shows the frailty and fickleness of human emotion when it is ruled by sinful desire. Once Amnon has taken what he wanted, any appearance of love or care for Tamar is gone.
When it comes to our desires and emotions, we must remember God created us with desires and emotions, we must seek Godâs strengthening hand and align them with his example of love, for Godâs standard is unchanging.
Amnon turns to rejection and sends Tamar away, despite her devastating words: âSending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to meâ (v16). Tamar, who could easily have withdrawn, amazingly is the one seeking fellowship and support. Amnon gets his way again, and we very sadly see the devastating impact on Tamar (vv18â19). Her name means "palm tree" and signifies peace and fruitfulnessâhow sad that the course of unchecked sin cut off hopes for her. Amnon means "faithful" and "devoted"âclearly a name that he chose not to fulfil.
Throughout this shocking narrative, we can see no one in the story has sought the Lord. Perhaps if Jonadab had, he could have given Amnon the stern but necessary words he needed to hear to change course. Perhaps if King David had, he would have seen through Amnonâs ploy and challenged him. And, of course, perhaps if Amnon had sought the Lord from the start, he could have confessed his sinful desires to the Lord and obtained something of the strength King David was so often blessed with.
Pray đ
When we read narratives such as this, let us be reminded that there is a better King: one who exercises perfect love, brings justice, and breaks the cycle of sin and its consequences that plagued the house of Davidâour Lord Jesus Christ.
Father God, you have made us emotional beings, with bodies and brains that tell us many things, and make us feel many different ways â sometimes with strength that feels unwieldy. Help us to remember that you know all this. You know how we are made. You have walked this path. Your Son Jesus - whose name means saviour, deliver, and that is exactly what you are - lived on this earth and fully experienced the bodily lives we are now in.
By your Spirit, give us your strength when we need it most. When we feel blinded by raw emotion, give us your peace, and remind us of your love. Help us to live under the authority of your Holy Spirit at work in us, not the chaos and hurt of our fickle emotions. Thank you that you have broken the power of sin, and we live in that victory.