Today's passage contrasts sharply with our Easter celebration of Christ's resurrection and the granting of new life to those who trust in Him. Here, in King David's family -- the very family from whom the Messiah will come -- we have great intrigue that emerges from the longings of sinful hearts. Like Jesus, David will experience the pain and disappointment of seeing those closest to him bring betrayal and sorrow. David had just finished his stealthy campaign to avoid the jealous Saul, and now he finds great violence and heartbreak within his own family. Because of sin's consequences, David can cry like Jesus: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22)
We notice several themes with the sinful nature and actions displayed in the passage:
1. Even the righteous will face great sorrow at the sin of others. As David painfully sees in his own family, despite his heart after God's own, he cannot control his own family members. Perhaps this lack of spiritual connection with prodigal sons and daughters is most troubling to parents of faith. There may be questions of: Could I have done more? How could I have loved them better? In the example of David, we see that each person must individually make choices to love and serve God but that, by our sinful nature, we are inclined not to.
2. Sin often has shrewd trappings. Amnon, who rapes his half-sister Tamar, receives counsel from Jonadab, David's brother. Jonadab sets up a plan to facilitate Amnon's lust. People has sinned creatively since the Fall, but their motivations are generally not very complex.
3. Unrighteous desirers will never be truly satisfied. Where do we seek our satisfaction? From a Snickers? A new car? As Mick Jagger told us (in the song that some have named the greatest rock song of all time), "I can't get no satisfaction." Sin always leaves us wanting more. In the case of Amnon, he initially "loves" his half-sister Tamar, but, in reality, he merely lusts after her. As we see her powerfully, love builds up, while lust breaks down. Lust is self-centered, while love is others-focused. His lust pushes him from love to hatred in the moments after their sexual encounter, and he pushes his sister away in great disgrace.
4. Anger that masks itself as "righteous" anger may lead us to even greater sin. Absalom's anger is initially justified, but he acts on his anger in murderous rage. Imagine Absalom's thought life for the two years between Amnon's rape and his murder. Was Absalom ever free? He never sought restitution from Amnon nor gave him forgiveness; as a result, his grudge welled up into great sin. We must not be naïve to let others' sin roll over us, but we also cannot allow our response to sin to lead to greater sin. We often believe that grudges give us power over another person, but they really only act to trap us. Please be careful with roots of bitterness because they can grow into mighty trees that harden our hearts.
QUESTIONS
1. How has others' sin affected your walk with the Lord? How might you seek to forgive them fully and so be freed from grudges?
2. How can you better seek satisfaction in God? Perhaps you might start by listing five ways in which the Lord has shown His great love to you.
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