READING: 2 Samuel 13-15
Lust is a powerful thing. So is complicity in sin when others are willing to help us cross immoral lines. Today’s reading reminds us of both.
Amnon desired to have sex with his half-sister, Tamar, even though the Law forbade such an act. The text says he “loved” her, but that love was surely no more than controlling lust. So dominating were his emotions that he made himself sick in his longing for this woman. Even his cousin, Jonadab, recognized every morning that something was wrong with Amnon. Lust in his heart had resulted in distress on his face.
It was, then, Jonadab who helped Amnon come up with the plan to lie with Tamar. The scheme was not a simple one, but it did accomplish what Amnon sought. After all, Jonadab was a shrewd man who knew how to get what he wanted—and, apparently, to help others do the same. Amnon overpowered Tamar despite her objections, letting his “power” grant him lustful fulfillment that ultimately led to his rejecting the very woman he had claimed to love. Everything spiraled downward when lust and power combined to control, abuse, and cover up.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: How dominant is lust in your life today?
DAILY PRAYER: “Father, grant me grace to treat all others as Your creation made in Your image.”
MONDAY’S READING: 2 Samuel 16-18