The
book of 2 Samuel has two broad divisions. The first division, from chapters
1-12, describes how Israel expanded under the reign of David. He enjoyed
success to a large extent until his sin with Bathsheba and the plot he hatched
to murder her husband, Uriah. God then sent Nathan to uncover his wickedness
and pronounced a two-fold judgment for his sin. As a consequence of his sin,
the prophet told David in 2 Samuel 12:10-12 that “‘Now therefore, the
sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have
taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord,
‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will
even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your
companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed you
did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel,
and under the sun.’” The
second division of 2 Samuel begins from
chapter 13 all the way to chapter 24. These chapters tell us how God’s judgment
pronounced by Nathan played itself out in the life and household of the
king.
David
had a large household because he had many wives who bore him many children. In
2 Samuel 13 we will see the mischief of his eldest son Amnon. He was the heir
apparent bore to him by Ahinoam of Jezreel. Amnon had a crush
on his half-sister Tamar, the sister of Absalom. They were the children bore to
David by Macaah, another of his wife. Tamar must be stunningly beautiful and
attractive.
In
those times, the unmarried ladies were kept in a secluded section of the
courtyard. Though Amnon could see her he could not get near her. So he fell
ill from frustration for not being able to get near her. Unfortunately, he had
a scheming cousin by the name of Jonadab whom he was close to. He helped him to
devise a plot to get close to Tamar. He suggested that Amnon should feign
illness to get David to come to visit him. When the father came and visited, he
made the request for Tamar to come and nurse and take care of him. The
unsuspecting and naïve David granted his request. So Tamar came and made him
some cakes and set it on the table for Amnon to eat. But he refused to eat at the
table and insisted that she should bring it to his chamber, which he had
ordered everyone to leave. This would have indicated the wrong intention he
had. But innocently and foolishly, Tamar acceded to his coaxing and brought the
cake to his room.
In
this account we see in Amnon a case of one who cherished impure affection so
much so that he was overtaken by an unquenchable obsession. It is not wrong to
admire beauty but when the admiration drives one to a point of lust, it has
become a serious matter. The first thing we can learn from this passage is what
we need to do when faced with a situation like this. The best action is not to
let our thought dwell too long on it. There is a need to control our minds. For
if we become overly obsessed with disproportionate thoughts, they will generate
a wrong desire and eventually a wrong and unbridled passion. While the Bible
encourages us to resist sin, it tells us to flee sexual immorality. This we
will do well to take heed. We need to learn to run away both physically and mentally. The
second thing we can learn from this passage is the need to seek godly counsel.
Know who you are seeking counsel from. Always evaluate what you have heard.
Many words and little or no prayer is dangerous. Any advice to pander to a
wrong desire can never be right. Remember, “if you run into a skunk, you will
stink like a skunk.” So, first, don’t entertain sinful thoughts, and second,
reject ungodly advice.
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