[NIV] 1 In the course of time, Amnon son of David fellin love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom sonof David. 2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sisterTamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and itseemed impossible for him to do anything to her. - P24
12 "No, my brother!" she said to him. "Don‘t force me!
Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don‘t do thiswicked thing. 13 What about me? Where could I getrid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would belike one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to theking; he will not keep me from being married to you."
14 But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stron-ger than she, he raped her. - P25
Amnon becomes obsessed with his sister Tamar, so he pretends to be ill andcalls for her to attend him. Tamar goes to him, and Amnon sends everyoneout of the room except for her. - P25
He calls Tamar to bed with him, and she begshim not to do such a wicked thing. He does not listen to her and rapes her. - P25
The judgment on the house of David for his sin with Bathsheba contin-ues with a horrific story: Amnon, David‘s son, becomes inflamed withlust for his own sister. - P26
The Bible tells us that he "became so obsessed"that he "made himself ill." When we do not root out temptation immediately and instead dwell upon our sinful desires, it can overtake us,body and soul. - P26
If Amnon had taken action to flee from his evil desiresand surrounded himself with better counsel, perhaps this tragic episodecould have been avoided. - P26
Whenever we face temptation of any kind, wemust act quickly with the help of the Holy Spirit to uproot it or else,
we will easily fall into sin and rebellion. - P26
Following Jonadab‘s evil advice, Amnon acts upon his sinful desires. - P26
Tamar, who is appalled by her brother‘s advances, desperately tries toappeal to Amnon‘s conscience and the terrible consequences that willbefall both of them. - P26
Sadly, Amnon‘s heart is set, and he refuses to listento reason. This story is a sobering reminder: unchecked temptation willlead to a dull conscience and a hardened heart. - P26
Like a deadly virus, sincan take over our bodies and cause us to lose all our senses. - P26
We musttherefore rely on the Holy Spirit to keep our hearts sensitive to sin sothat we can take captive every evil thought and surrender it to Christwho will purify us. - P26
Heavenly Father, I confess to You how susceptible I am to temptation, and howmy heart is prone to dwell on the pleasures of sin. So, I call out to You, knowingthat You will provide help so I do not fall. In Jesus‘ name, amen. - P27
[NIV] 15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. Infact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnonsaid to her, "Get up and get out!"
16 "No!" she said to him. "Sending me away would be agreater wrongthan what you have already done to me."
But he refused to listen to her. - P28
21 When King David heard all this, he was furious.
22 And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, eithergood or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgracedhis sister Tamar. - P28
28 Absalom ordered his men, "Listen! When Amnonis 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."
29 So Absalom‘s men did to Amnon what Absalom hadordered. Then all the king‘s sons got up, mounted theirmules and fled. - P29
Amnon despises Tamar and sends her out. Tamar goes to live with her brotherAbsalom, who does not say anything to Amnon about what he did. - P29
Two yearslater, Absalom asks King David to allow Amnon to go with him to Baal Hazor.
Then, Absalom orders his men to kill Amnon. After Amnon is killed, the king‘ssons flee the scene. - P29
After his heinous sin, Amnon is filled with contempt for Tamar. He fellfor Satan‘s lie that consummating his lust for his sister would bring himsatisfaction, only to be filled with hatred instead. - P30
Amnon then furtherdisgraces Tamar by throwing her out of his room and locking the door.
Tamar‘s life has been completely destroyed by her brother‘s sin. - P30
It isSatan‘s strategy to fool us into believing that lustful desire is a form oflove, but evil cannot hide its true nature for long. - P30
Unlike love, lust caneasily turn into anger, hatred, jealousy, and possessiveness-all destructive forces that ruin relationships.
- P30
Let us ask the Spirit for discernmentto see lust for what it really is and to protect us from falling into its trap. - P30
From the moment that Absalom finds out what happened to his sisterTamar, the die is cast: he will have his revenge against Amnon. - P30
He waitstwo wholeto take action, but when the time comes, he executesyearshis plan with shrewd precision. - P30
He orchestrates a situation where Am-non will be vulnerable and orders his men to strike him down. The timeof sheepshearing, which is usually a time for celebration and feasting,becomes a time of betrayal
and bloodshed. - P30
Amnon‘s sin has now culminated in
his death and deep division and dysfunction within the royalfamily. - P30
The destructive power of sin is truly horrifying. - P30
But in Christ,we have hope,
because He overcame sin on the cross and allows us toshare in this victory. - P30
Lord Jesus, I worship You because Your victory over sin on the cross is my onlyhope against its destructive power. - P31
Thank you for the cross, which empowersme to resist the lies of the enemy and stand upon truth. In Your name I pray,amen. - P31
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