May 16, 2014 - Friday

Start Time: 9:34 A.M.

End Time: 10:24 A.M.

Title: Amnon and Tamer

Scripture: 2 Samuel 13:1 – 39

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David. Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her. Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” “Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.’”  So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.”  David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.”  So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it. Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said. So everyone left him. Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom. But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.” “No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don’t do this wicked thing. What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.” But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.

NOTES:

Ø God teaches that love is not selfish, like Amnon who thought he loved Tamar but was just in lust with her.  The story of Amnon and Tamar was unusual from the stories written, it is one of the few stories in the Bible that portrays the sin of the characters like Cain who killed Abel.  Here we have Amnon raping his sister Tamar.  But know that in this story, we can see that Amnon believed that he loved his sister.  A mistake that people today also make.  We find ourselves infatuated with someone and seek to be with the person but in the end found out that it is not love but merely lust.  Amnon here felt the same way but he was so blinded that even if Tamar warned him of the result of his actions, he abandoned her wise counsel and proceed to satisfy his heart’s desire.  Clearly, his love was selfish and God is telling us this is not love.  This is not God’s love and we only know that our love is true when it mirrors the love of God, which is pure and selfless.  This also serves as a warning that lust sometimes camouflage as love but in the end, its true color will always be revealed! 

Ø God’s wisdom is different from human’s wisdom.  In this story, let us look at Jonadab, an adviser of Amnon.  Clearly, Jonadab was an intelligent man to be an adviser of the son of the king and not just any son but the eldest, the 1^st born.  Here we see that Amnon, was raised with human effort and wisdom and was taught differently from David’s own acquired knowledge growing up because David became close to the Lord but Amnon on the other hand, depended on his human adviser, Jonadab.  Man’s wisdom is selfish and cunning but God’s wisdom is pure and with good judgment.  Let us make sure that we are filled with God’s wisdom and not human’s wisdom.  We want to grow and make decisions that are pure and with good judgment, not cunning and selfish.

                                                                       

→Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!” “No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.” But he refused to listen to her.  He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her.” So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate^[a] robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore. Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.  Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman.  When King David heard all this, he was furious. And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.

NOTES:

Ø God’s love is pure and unconditional, lust on the other hand is temporary and once done, it’s unsatisfying to the point of disappointment and regret.  Know that lust is fleeting and when you stop to entertain it, it will never satisfy you.  For a moment, you thought you were, but after a few minutes, reality kicks in and disappointments and regrets follow.  But God’s pure love is unconditional and more than enough.   Amnon threw Tamar out because he is reminded of his mistakes and the victim, becomes subjet to disgrace and isolation.

Ø Without God’s wisdom guiding us, our hearts harbor negative feelings that can cause to ruin us.  Amnon did wrong to his sister and didn’t know how to repair the destruction he caused not only to his sister but to his whole family.  Absalom, Tamar’s brother, also without the guidance of the Lord, harbored negative feelings in his heart and nurtured it that it took him years before he acted on it fully.  When we harbor negative feelings in our hearts and nurture it, it grows to a point that it covers or overwrites whatever goodness is in our hearts.  So be careful to make decisions without God’s guidance.

→ Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there.  Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?”  “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.  Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.” The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?” But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king’s sons.  Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.  While they were on their way, the report came to David: “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons; not one of them is left.” The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn.  But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom’s express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.” Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, “I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill.”^[b] Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king’s sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said.”  As he finished speaking, the king’s sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly.  Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son.  After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. ³⁹ And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon’s death.

NOTES:

Ø God’s love is forgiving!  David, despite of what Absalom did, understood why he did it and seek to have his son by his side.  The same that God seeks for us to be with Him despite of everything that we did.  He understands why we do what we do and He knows why we can’t stop and He is willing to help us out.  The same way was David as a father to Absalom, who longs to go to his son.  That even with the rumors of rebellion, david’s heart is still to console Absalom for what he did to his brother, Amnon.  This is the picture of God’s love for us.  This is how God loves us and His love is continually seeks and longs to be with us.   Amazing!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for your love is pure, it is unconditional and Your wisdom is without equal.  Lord I know that at times, I can mis interpret things and even believe some misguided truth, that’s why Lord, I need Your wisdom and Your love.  Show it to me Lord daily that I may be able to understand and know the truth and will not be deceived.  Lord thank You because the love that is not Yours and the wisdom that does not come from You are both not healthy for me and so You made sure that I know this that I may be careful to believe and be reminded by You of the truth, the moment the enemy tries to disguise his lust as love and his cunningness as Your wisdom.  Lord help me to spot the difference by showing to me daily Your love and wisdom.  I love You Lord, in Jesus’ Name, Amen!