2 Samuel 13 (NIV)
2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill.
12 “She said to him. “ Don’t do this wicked thing. 13 What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.”
14 But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.
15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”
20 Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman.
21 When David heard all this, he was furious. 22 And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad;he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.
23 Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?”
25 “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.
26 Absalom said, “Please let my brother Amnon come with us.”
The king asked, “Why should he go?” 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king’s sons.
28 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” 29 So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered.
Murder They Wrote
ABSALOM, AMNON AND TAMAR
The tragic story of Amnon, Tamar and Absalom highlights the problems associated with David's neglected justice, and Absalom implementing his own brand of justice, creating chaos and destruction in the process.
Reasons why David didn't punish Amnon?
1. Amnon was David's son
2. Women held few rights in Israelite society
3. Israelite law required 2 witnesses to prove guilt
4. David was a bad dad
5. David's court was full of intrigue
Absalom took matters into his own hands and avenged Tamar by killing their half-brother Amnon.
A parent can have no sharper pang than the sight of his own sins reappearing in his child.
David saw the reflection of his failures in his eldest son's crime, and of murder in his second son's revenge. While all this is occurring around him, a passiveness overwhelms the king, and it continued until his retreat from Absalom.
What caused this mess in the first place?
1. Failure of _________________________________
2. Failure to _________________________________
3. Failure to _________________________________
4. Failure to learn from the _____________________
Three Steps for a Family Reunion:
1. A sense of _____________________ should prevail
2. An opportunity for ____________ should be offered
3. An environment of ___________ should be fostered
2 Samuel 13 (NIV)
2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill.
12 “She said to him. “ Don’t do this wicked thing. 13 What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.”
14 But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.
15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”
20 Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman.
21 When David heard all this, he was furious. 22 And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad;he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.
23 Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?”
25 “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.
26 Absalom said, “Please let my brother Amnon come with us.”
The king asked, “Why should he go?” 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king’s sons.
28 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” 29 So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered.
Murder They Wrote
ABSALOM, AMNON AND TAMAR
The tragic story of Amnon, Tamar and Absalom highlights the problems associated with David's neglected justice, and Absalom implementing his own brand of justice, creating chaos and destruction in the process.
Reasons why David didn't punish Amnon?
1. Amnon was David's son
2. Women held few rights in Israelite society
3. Israelite law required 2 witnesses to prove guilt
4. David was a bad dad
5. David's court was full of intrigue
Absalom took matters into his own hands and avenged Tamar by killing their half-brother Amnon.
A parent can have no sharper pang than the sight of his own sins reappearing in his child.
David saw the reflection of his failures in his eldest son's crime, and of murder in his second son's revenge. While all this is occurring around him, a passiveness overwhelms the king, and it continued until his retreat from Absalom.
What caused this mess in the first place?
1. Failure of PARENTAL GUIDANCE
2. Failure to PROTECT THE INNOCENT
3. Failure to PUNISH THE WICKED
4. Failure to learn from the PAST
Three Steps for a Family Reunion:
1. A sense of JUSTICE should prevail
2. An opportunity for GRACE should be offered
3. An environment of HEALING should be fostered
“I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases,
heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is?
If you prick us, do we not bleed? If
you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?
And if you wrong us, do we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.”
? William Shakespeare
“When someone is mean to me, I just make them a victim in my next book.”
? Mary Higgins Clark
“I'm a fighter. I believe in the eye-for-an-eye business. I'm no cheek turner. I got no respect for a man who won't hit back. You kill my dog, you better hide your cat.”
? Muhammad Ali, The Greatest My Own Story
“The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when their tormentors suffer.”
? Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
ILLUS: REJECTION AND RETREAT
One of the manipulations used in sales has been the rejection-then-retreat technique. First, you ask someone to do something that you know is so big that they will refuse (that’s the rejection). Then, you back up (retreat) and ask them to do something on a much smaller scale. But what you retreat to is what you wanted in the first place. Most people really have trouble saying no to you two times and see an escape in choosing the lesser of the two. This is what Absalom does.
