2 Samuel 13:15 Iniquity of the Fathers!

 ”Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Arise, be gone!”“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭13‬:‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Amnon hated her exceedingly: This revealed Amnon’s attraction for Tamar for what it was – lust, not love. Amnon was attracted to Tamar for what he could get from her, not out of concern for her. In many lustful relationships there is a combination of both love and lust but in Amnon’s attraction there was only lust.

i. In this single-minded lust, Amnon only built upon the example of his father David. David was never this dominated by lust, but he was pointed in the same direction. David’s multiple marriages (2 Samuel 3:2-5) and his adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:2-4) displayed this same tendency.

ii. This is often how the iniquity of the fathers is carried on by the children to the third and fourth generations (Exodus 20:5). A child will often model a parent’s sinful behavior and may go further in the of sin the parent.

b. The hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her: Amnon had no real love for Tamar, only lust – and so he immediately felt guilty over his sin. Tamar was simply a reminder of his foolish sin. He wanted every reminder of his sin to be put far away. (Guzik)

i. “Let me give a friendly, fatherly tip unto all of you young girls, who may be in the position of Tamar, in that you have some fellow who is really pressing hard to have sex with you. He is the soul of kindness. He is very attentive. He calls all the time. He opens the door for you. He brings you flowers, but he’s pushing hard for a sexual relationship. Don’t give in. If you really love him, make him wait until you’re married. If he really loves you, he will. Over and over, time and again, the fellow will press and press until he has taken you to bed, and that’s the last you see or hear from him. You’re no longer a challenge. He’s conquered, and he’s off for new conquests. If you really love him and want him, make him wait. If you really love God, and love yourself, make him wait.” (Smith)

Iniquity of the Fathers!

As leaders of a Christian based twelve step program I’ve seen Exodus 20:5 played out in real time. 

”you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,“

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Alcohol, drugs, lust, anger, desertion, divorce and the list goes on. Learned behavior from parents during childhood passes on from generation to generation. 

But there is hope! Jesus can set you free and break the chains!

”Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.“ Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Do you know anyone under the yoke of bondage that needs help and encouragement?

Blessings 

Life Recovery Bible

2 Samuel 13:11-14 Blinded By Lust!

 ”Now when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” But she answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing! And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you.” However, he would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭13‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Come, lie with me, my sister: Amnon’s evil naturally revealed itself. Here he admitted his incestuous desire as he made the wicked suggestion to Tamar. Amnon seems to be a spoiled prince who always took what he wanted.

b. Do not do this disgraceful thing: Tamar easily saw how evil and disgraceful this was. Amnon could not see what was so plainly evident because he was blinded by lust.

c. Where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel: Tamar wisely asked Amnon to consider the result of his desire, both for her and for him. It would shame Tamar and reveal Amnon as one of the fools. Blinded by lust, Amnon would not see the inevitable result of his desire.

i. “There is something exceedingly tender and persuasive in this speech of Tamar; but Amnon was a mere brute, and it was all lost on him.” (Clarke)

d. Please speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you: The Law of Moses commanded against any marriage between a half-brother and half-sister (Leviticus 18:11). Tamar probably said this simply as a ploy to get away from Amnon.

e. He forced her and lay with her: This was nothing but rape. Tamar did whatever she could to avoid this and all the blame clearly rests on Amnon. (Guzik)

Blinded By Lust!

The devil uses lust to draw many souls away to perdition. Pornography, sex trafficking and the like.

I’m reminded of a verse:

”But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.“ ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Father God, I lift us all up who struggle with lust. Please give us the wisdom and strength of the Holy Spirit to overcome it. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Blessings 

2 Samuel 13:6-10 Childish

 ”Then Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let Tamar my sister come and make a couple of cakes for me in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.” And David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Now go to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.” So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was lying down. Then she took flour and kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. And she took the pan and placed them out before him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said, “Have everyone go out from me.” And they all went out from him. Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them to Amnon her brother in the bedroom.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭13‬:‭6‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Please let Tamar my sister come and make a couple of cakes for me: Amnon’s behavior was clearly childish, and David indulged it. Amnon acted like a baby. It is childish to refuse food unless it is served the way we want it.

i. From this and other passages, it appears that David was generally indulgent towards his children. This may be because he felt guilty that in having so many wives, children, and responsibilities of state, he didn’t take the time to be a true father to his children. He dealt with the guilt by being soft and indulgent with his children.

ii. Amnon took Jonadab’s wicked advice quickly and completely. It’s too bad that men don’t often respond to godly advice the same way.

b. And David sent home to Tamar: This was what Amnon wanted. If he was alone with Tamar because David commanded it, then it gave part of the responsibility to David.

c. But he refused to eat: Amnon showed by this that everything he told David was a lie. He continued the deception, so he could force himself upon Tamar in the bedroom. (Guzik)

Childish 

I recall several times in my childhood I acted childish and both times it didn’t end well. One time I was disciplined by my father and another time I spent hard earned money for something that was junk.

David should have disciplined Amnon instead of indulging his childish behavior and because he didn’t it’s not going to end well!

Have you ever acted childish when you should have acted your age?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 13:3-5 Lust

 ”But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man. And he said to him, “Why are you, the king’s son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” So Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’ ”“

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭13‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Jonadab was a very crafty man: Indeed, he was. His wicked advice to Amnon began a disastrous chain of events. Jonadab was a cousin to Amnon, being the son of David’s brother (2 Samuel 13:32).

i. “A friend no friend; a carnal friend, a spiritual enemy, who advised, for the recovery of the body, the ruin of his soul.” (Trapp)

b. I love Tamar: As later events will show, he did not love Tamar at all. Amnon lusted after Tamar and called it love. He certainly was not the last person to do this, and lust often masquerades as love.

c. My brother Absalom’s sister: If Absalom was my brother then clearly Tamar was my sister. In his lust, Amnon did not allow himself to call Tamar his sister – instead, she was Absalom’s sister. The power of lust is strong enough to twist the way we see reality.

d. Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill: Jonadab advised Amnon to deceitfully arrange a private meeting with Tamar. He didn’t need to say, “And then force yourself on Tamar,” because in their shared wickedness, Jonadab and Amnon thought the same wicked thoughts. (Guzik)

Lust

Lust has led many down the path to perdition! 

”I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.“

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.“ ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Amnon shouldn’t have listened to his so called friend! 

What good can come from listening to such advice?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 13:1-2 Prophecy

 ”After this Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her.” ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister, whose name was Tamar: This brother and sister were the children of David through his wife Maacah, who was the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur(2 Samuel 3:3).

b. Amnon the son of David: Amnon was David’s first-born son, born from his wife Ahinoam the Jezreelitess (2 Samuel 3:2). Being the first-born, Amnon was the crown prince – first in line for the throne of Israel.

c. Amnon the son of David loved her: Amnon longed for Tamar so much that he became lovesick. It was even more difficult for him because she was a virgin – meaning that she was available for marriage, but not to Amnon because marriage between half-brother and half-sister was forbidden. (Guzik)

i. The name Tamar means “Palm Tree,” signifying fruitfulness. The name Absalom means “His Father’s Peace.” The name Amnon means “Faithful, Stable.” “None of them answered their names.” (Trapp)

Prophecy 

We see the kindling of the prophecy concerning David’s household in these verses for Nathan had said:

”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.’“

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭12‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

If we knew all the consequences of our sin, would we still sin?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 12:29-31 Confession and Repentance!

 ”So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it. Then he took their king’s crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was set on David’s head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance. And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them cross over to the brick works. So he did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.“

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭12‬:‭29‬-‭31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah: This was the final phase of David’s restoration. He went back to doing what he should have done all along – leading Israel out to battle, instead of remaining in Jerusalem.

b. Fought against it, and took it: David was in victory once again. His sin did not condemn him to a life of failure and defeat. There was chastisement for David’s sin, but it did not mean that his life was ruined.

c. He took their king’s crown…. it was set on David’s head: David’s sin didn’t take away his crown. Had David refused the voice of Nathan the prophet it might have. Because David responded with confession and repentance, there was still a crown for David’s head. (Guzik)

i. “David’s fall should put those who have not fallen on their guard, and save from despair those who have.” (Augustine)

Confession and Repentance!

The Bible gives us real life examples of sin, confession and repentance to show us the mercy of God as an example to save us from despair and to give us hope!

The person in the Bible that convinced me of Jesus and the forgiveness of sin was Saul of Tarsus who became Paul. He literally saw the Light of Jesus on the road to Damascus!

In a split second he went from a persecutor of Christians to a believer in Jesus!

Then there is the thief on the cross next to Jesus. 

”And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”“ ‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭43‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Can you imagine him standing at the pearly gates?

“The man on the middle cross said I could come.”

What did the man on the middle cross say to you?

Blessings 

The man on the middle cross said I could come!

2 Samuel 12:26-28 Unseen Spiritual Reason

 ”Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the people of Ammon, and took the royal city. And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city’s water supply. Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name.”“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭12‬:‭26‬-‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Joab fought against Rabbah and the people of Ammon, and took the royal city: This continued the war that began in 2 Samuel 10. Joab was about to complete the defeat of the Ammonites.

b. Lest I take the city and it be called after my name: Joab goaded David into returning to battle by saying, “I’ll take all the credit to myself if you don’t come and finish this war.”

i. Joab struggled for more than a year to conquer Rabbah, and the victory only came when David got things right with God. There was an unseen spiritual reason behind the lack of victory at Rabbah. (Guzik)

ii. “David’s sin at home had hindered Joab’s good success abroad, and retarded the conquest of this city Rabbah, which now is ready to be taken, that David reconciled to God may have the honour of it.” (Trapp)

Unseen Spiritual Reason

Sin hinders and retards success and just like David, leads to an unseen spiritual reason for a lack of victory in our lives! 

”Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.“

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Studying the Bible and prayer helps us put on the whole armor of God and gives us the tools to fight against the wiles of the devil! 

Are you prepared for today’s battle?

Blessings