He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not...

2 Sam. 13: 15 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.

It reads like a soap opera: beauty, power, romance, sex, betrayal... It is Israel in the days of King David. In this episode, Prince Amnon is carried away by a deep, passionate and unholy desire for Tamar, his sister! Talk about dirt! He figures he’s in love with her. She fills his mind. He is burning every day with lust. Being royally spoilt, he cannot accept the fact that some desires are wrong and that nobody is free to have everything they want. He knows that what he is thinking is wrong, but instead of repenting and seeking God’s help to overcome, he lets his mind carry him where he should not go.

This dark and evil state of mind affects Amnon to the extent that his cousin Jonadab, realizes that something is wrong. Instead of rebuking Amnon and helping him to overcome this temptation, he helps him to put together a plan to seduce his sister. Getting her into a situation where they are alone Amnon expresses his deep “love” for Tamar and asks her to have sex with him. Tamar, naturally, refuses, telling him that what he wants to do is sinful and foolish. She appeals to him on principle, on godliness and on social respectability, but his “love” is so strong he cannot listen to reason and being stronger than she, he rapes her.

Then comes our text. After he gets what he wants, he hates her with the same passion with which he had loved her. He curses her, throws her out of his apartment and embarrasses her in front of his men. How could he be so cruel? How could he be so deceitful ? What happened to the love he had for her? Where did it go so quickly? Truth is, it was not there in the first place. Love is a principled thing that does not lead people into the path of wrong. Yes, when you are in love temptations will come, but it is not the love which pushes you to yield to it. When one’s mind is not ruled by the Spirit of God, it is amazing what you can wind up doing! The carnal mind is an enemy of God and godliness. Our only protection against sin, shame and disaster is to have God’s Holy Spirit guiding our minds and governing our thoughts.

Dear Lord, come into my heart today and rule my mind and my conscience that I may be strong to resist temptation, in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.