part0085

Key Verse : "Amnon became frustrated to the point of illness on account of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her."

An unfortunate and particularly undesirable characteristic of many people is that they do not show others proper consideration and respect. No one should ever hurt or abuse another person, but it happens all the time in this world. One example of abuse is rape, and that particular sin is very common. Rape is a sin against the Lord, it is a sin against another individual, and it is an action that is usually driven by the rapist's need to have dominance and control over someone else. But in Deuteronomy 22:25, the penalty to the rapist was death.

David was a very popular king in Israel. He killed the Philistine warrior, Goliath, he won many major victories for his people, and in Acts 13:22, he was described as a man after God's own heart. But he stumbled into adultery with a woman, named Bathsheba, and his sin had a devastating effect on his family. His son, Amnon, saw his dad's poor regard for women, and he got the idea that women were like property that could be used and thrown away. In II Samuel 13:1-17, when he saw and wanted his half-sister, Tamar, he did not consider how his actions might affect her. Instead, he selfishly only thought about himself and about what he wanted.

Amnon was not disciplined enough to control his sexual passions, and he was not considerate enough to try to satisfy them in a lawful manner. In II Samuel 13:13, Tamar told her half-brother that they could be married and pursue a proper relationship, but that was not what he wanted. In II Samuel 13:14, he forced himself on her, and he raped her. Then, once he had gotten what he wanted, he did not care about her anymore, and he sent her away. His actions were very selfish and very evil, and in the end, the consequences to everyone were very severe. Tamar's brother, Absalom, killed Amnon. Tamar's life was ruined, and another evil person, named Joab, killed her brother, Absalom.