“After this Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.” 2 Samuel 13:1 (NKJV)
Half-brothers and half-sisters make for difficult relationships. Absalom and Amnon were half-brothers. Absalom and Tamar were brother and sister from the same parents. Amnon was infatuated with Tamar but she was a virgin and it would have been improper for Amnon to have a sexual relationship with Tamar.
Amnon’s friend, Jonadab, devised a sneaky plan to get Tamar into Amnon’s bedroom under the guise of Amnon being sick. The plan worked with King David’s blessing (unknowingly).
Tamar refused to voluntarily have sex with Amnon, so he raped her. After he was finished he now hated her as strongly as he desired her before. Word of what had happened got to King David, but he did nothing.
David had his own guilt to deal with and had difficulty disciplining his offspring for their sexual indiscretions. Too often as parents we struggle to take our children to task for things we did or are doing even when we know they are wrong.
Tamar in this situation was blameless. She obeyed her father, King David, and put herself into an unsafe situation. Her reputation and value as a virgin bride were ruined because of Amnon’s lust for her body.
The Bible commands us to honor and obey our parents; however, there are times when for our own safety we should disobey our parents if they do not take all reasonable precautions to keep us safe. When things go wrong as they often do when someone else has evil intentions, God doesn’t forsake us. Christ died to safe each and everyone of us even when those we trust betray us and place us into unsafe situations.
Listen to Jazzy Music’s rendition of “I’ll Never Forsake You.”
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 2/10/25, 6:00 am