Editor’s Note: AMI Quiet Times from May 11-17 are written by pastor David Kwon of Journey Community Church.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
2 Samuel 13:1-20
Now Absalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her. [2] And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. [3] But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. [4] And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” [5] Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” [6] So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”
[7] Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him.” [8] So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. [9] And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. [10] Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. [11] But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” [12] She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this outrageous thing. [13] As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” [14] But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
[15] Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” [16] But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her. [17] He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” [18] Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves, for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. [19] And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she wore. And she laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went. [20] And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house.
If you turn on the news on any given night, you will often hear about a crime that seems unimaginable. I recently watched a story of a nurse who burned down a hospital, which resulted in 5 newborn infants dying all because she received a bad review at her job. Shock, anger, and confusion are just a few of the many emotions that come to mind when we read these stories.
This is one of the most heartbreaking and shocking stories in the OT. Just like an unthinkable crime, this passage brings various emotions because of the depravity in display. In 2 Samuel, we see uncontrollable lust, rape and murder, and at the heart of it all we see the destructiveness of sin.
Amnon, in love with his half-sister Tamar who refuses to sleep with him, deceives and rapes her; in addition to such a crime, it was an act of incest, which was explicitly forbidden in the covenant law (Lev. 18:9; Deut 27:22). Tamar pleads with Amnon and tells him to consider the consequences of his actions, but we see those pleas are ignored (v.12-14). After his physical passions are satisfied, Amnon feels “intense hatred” toward Tamar. Feelings of guilt and shame heighten Amnon’s emotions, so that he now “hated her more than he had loved her” (v. 15).
What can we learn from this passage? First, we need to ask the Lord for self-control in our fight over sin – We see a classic case study of what happens when sin is not controlled and takes over our lives. Amnon is overtaken by his lust for Tamar and the consequences are severe. We need to remember that as believers, God gives us the spirit of self-control to fight sin in our lives. In addition, we must find the right people to help us fight temptation. It is important that we find the right people to keep us accountable – a mature believer/friend; a small group; a leader, etc. Finally, there are always consequences to our actions, that is, the sins we commit. We hurt others and ourselves when we fall into sin. Therefore, pursue God’s holiness as if your life depends on it, because it does. Say no to sin when it is pliable, but don’t wait until it has fully grown and about to give “birth to death” (James 1:15).
Prayer:
Lord, may my heart grieve over the sins in my life because it breaks Your heart. Help me to depend on Your Spirit that empowers and enables me to have victory over sin in my life.
Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 12
Lunch Break Study
1 Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Luke 22:40: And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Questions to Consider
- What do we learn about temptation and sin according to 1 Corinthians 10:13?
- What do we learn about God and His character?
- What are some practical applications we can live by in order to fight sin in our lives?
Notes
- Whatever temptation you face, regardless of how seemingly insignificant or how great it is, know that your struggles are common to all. You are not the first person to experience the temptation, and you most certainly won’t be the last.
- God is always faithful, and He will not let you to be tempted to the point that you must give in.
- There are others out there who can relate to whatever temptation you suffer at any given moment, which is why a strong community is vital in overcoming temptation.
Evening Reflection
What are the temptations that you are facing today? Fighting sin is a battle and can often be discouraging. Spend some time praying for strength and victory in our pursuit of overcoming temptation and sin.
Upon banishing the first couple from the garden for their willful act God, “made garments of skin . . . and clothed them” (Gn. 3:21). Methuselah set an all time record for longevity, and once he finally passed away at the age of 969 (6:27), the rain began to pour and it wouldn’t stop for 40 days. The Lord, in response to the post-Noah generation’s attempt to construct a tower high enough to reach to the heavens, “confused their language so that they will not understand each other” (11:7).
I once got a speeding ticket in Arizona for driving 60 MPH back in 1985 when the legal limit was 55 MPH—it’s probably 70 or 75 MPH now. The speed limit is the rule of the road, much like how some countries have rules to drive on the right side of the road while others require the left side—they are completely arbitrary. What isn’t arbitrary is the law of speed, which stipulates that the faster I go, the more time and distance it takes to stop. Ignoring that law may result in a serious accident that can kill or injure people. This is to say, while it is no longer a crime to drive above 55 MPH in Arizona, that doesn’t abrogate the law of speed, which, once broken, can produce death.
I cannot remember the last time I saw a bumper stick that says, “I love Jesus.” Maybe that’s a good thing since most Christians don’t drive all that differently than those who prefer other stickers, such as “My other car is a Porsche.” While some lousy Christian drivers have done some small harm, it pales in comparison to when famous Christian leaders fall from grace, and the whole world knows about it. And that is one reason David’s sin was so detrimental: “Because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt” (2 Samuel 2:14).
Going to school or work is stressful enough. Adding to that the pressure to live out the Christian faith in public may seem too much; as a result, many of us remain as incognito Christians. Some may even skip praying in public before a meal to stay anonymous; yet, once in the safe confines of a church, we dance and holler for Jesus! Don’t live like that! Be a witness for Christ! However, before trying to “stick out” for Jesus, prepare your heart and mind spiritually and intellectually; otherwise, we may end up dishonoring God by hypocrisy and through an inarticulate defense of our faith.
Prophet Nathan, having been told by God to confront David, knew better than to openly rebuke the king lest he lose his head. Even the valiant Prophet Samuel was concerned that King Saul might kill him (1 Sam. 16:2), if the king knew that he was searching for the next king. So, Nathan came up with a clever story of a rich man forcibly taking the only lamb belonging to a poor man, and then feeding that to his guest. Burning with anger, David’s reaction—“The man who did this deserves to die”—was worthy of an Emmy, except this time he wasn’t acting. He was being genuine only because nine months of seeming tranquility had numbed the guilt and made him feel as though he really was the caring king who looked after a poor widow. Perhaps David was patting himself on the back for being such a swell guy.
But the holy God is neither blind nor stupid. Nathan’s tactful approach, no doubt prompted by God, made David his own accuser: “You are the man!” said the prophet, adding, “Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?” (v.7).
When my children were little, they enjoyed watching Veggie Tales, a Christian cartoon show whose characters were entirely made up of vegetables. In one episode, a fib told by “Junior” grows to be an enormous monster, growing with each lie to cover up previous lies. David would’ve given Junior a run for his money for that role.
When I was teaching in Mexico, I would go over the exam material beforehand so that my students would do well. That probably reflects the heart of most teachers, and it certainly captures the heart of God.
We see that God certainly does that for David here. David wishes that Uriah goes home and has a conjugal relationship with his wife Bathsheba, for only then her pregnancy could be explained away, and David will no longer be under suspicion. However, Uriah is too honorable to do that; instead, he sleeps at the entrance to the palace. Stunned by his loyalty, David should have scrapped his scheme, but he doesn’t. Plan B is to make Uriah so drunk that he will go home afterwards; again he doesn’t. Having given two chances by God to stop the charade and confess his sins to Uriah, David opts for Plan C—which is murder. His life will never be the same again.
“I stay in bed all day,” responded the woman when asked about how she dealt with depression. I was thinking about her later on when I myself stayed in bed all day after an argument with my spouse resulted in low spirits. It surprised me how quickly I reached that low state from a previous “spiritual high”: fasting all day and worshiping the Lord in the evening.
Was David impressed? Perhaps, but not enough to scrap his devious plan and come clean. He now executes Plan B: the most heartless way to kill a man. David writes a letter to Joab, Uriah’s boss, instructing him to place Bathsheba’s husband “in the front line where the fighting is fiercest” and “then withdraw” so that he will get killed (15). Uriah carried that letter. When informed of his death, the king “had [Bathsheba] brought to his house” (27), presumably under the pretext of looking out for his royal soldier’s widow.
Some who don’t care for the Christian faith see the Bible as endorsing anti-woman culture of the past and present. A pamphlet by Atheist United reads, “As long as women regard the Bible as the charter of their rights, they will be the slaves of man.” But, Rodney Stark, Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor University, in his 1996 book entitled, The Rise of Christianity, declared, “They are all wrong.” Noting that most Christians in the Roman Empire were women, he commented that it had a lot to do church “promot[ing] liberating social relations between the sexes and within the family, giving women more status than they enjoyed in Roman society.”
The graveyard next to the “palace” is full of bones belonging to powerful men who fell from the top because, while they knew how to win battles fought outside, they were clueless facing the ones fought inside. David Petraeus, a retired four-star general and director of CIA, had power like none other; and yet he was powerless to overcome his lust for his official biographer. Having resigned in disgrace, he now faces a possible criminal investigation. Eliot Spitzer, as the state attorney general, knew how to put bad guys in jail, and later as the 54th governor of New York wielded great power; but he lost everything because he wouldn’t rein in his lust of the flesh.