v 2. Amnon became so obsessed with Tamar that he became ill. She was a virgin, and Amnon thought he could never have her.
We are going to conclude our readings this week with two tales of a man and a woman obsessed with sex – they could come right out of our daily paper!
Amnon and Tamar were closely related, so a sexual relationship would generally be considered inappropriate. But Amnon was so obsessed with the thought of sex with Tamar that he became ill. The stress of not being able to get his own way sexually had physical symptoms. But Amnon had a very crafty friend—his cousin Jonadab. (v 3) That spells trouble, and so a devious plan is concocted for Amnon to get Tamar into bed with him. It turns out that Tamar is not a willing participant in the action, and a violent rape is the outcome. The rest of the chapter is about how Tamar’s brother, Absalom, plotted revenge on Amnon and had him murdered.
It’s quite a tale – Lust, Lies, Rape, Revenge, Murder. How very 21st Century.
These history lessons from the Old Testament are examples or warnings to us. Paul wrote about it in 1 Corinthians 10 ‘These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. ‘
Quite right Paul! Lust in 1000 BC is not really different from lust in 2000 AD. Sexual predators of our time are not that very far removed Amnon. So, gentlemen, if you think the lessons do not apply to you, you might need to think again!
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