2 Samuel 13: On Sexual Purity

"'Don't, my brother!' She cried.  'Don't humiliate me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel.  Don't do this horrible thing!'"

2 Samuel 13:12

Amnon, son of David, had a problem.  He had a beautiful sister, and he "was infatuated with her." (v.1b)  When his friend asked why the king's son should be so miserable every day, he replied, "I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister." (v. 4b)

Infatuation.  Love.  Where does one begin and the other end?

Amnon and his friend devise a scheme for Amnon to be alone with Tamar, and then he rapes his sister.  Afterward, "the hatred he hated her with was greater than the love he had loved her with." (v. 15b)  Why?  Because she had changed from a virgin, pure and delightful, into a defiled woman.  Amnon's desire for his sister had nothing to do with real love, but rather the kind of "love" which most people end up trying to base their relationships off of.  This kind of "love" is not even worthy of being called love because it is entirely based on an inward, selfish desire for one's own benefit.  True love is based on selfless sacrifice for another's benefit.

What else is wrong with this picture?  Amnon's desire was for his own half-sister, his father's daughter.  There's not a single culture on earth, religious nor secular, which approves of and supports incestuous relationships.  They used to be encouraged for royalty, but then we discovered how detrimental this can be to the offspring of such unions.  But how far away are we from beginning to allow such unions?  With the current focus on "marriage equality," many people believe that individuals should be allowed to marry whomever they wish based on "love" (often of the kind mentioned above)...

Question of the Day:

Does infatuation or sexual attraction make it acceptable to marry someone (whether they're the opposite gender or not)?  Does it make incest acceptable if the feeling is mutual?  Is it okay to have sex with and/or marry minors if you have their consent and their parents' blessing?  Is it a good idea to have multiple sex partners before marriage, or during marriage?  Is it alright to marry an animal?  Should society bless and encourage these kinds of unions?  If we encourage one on the basis of equal rights, won't we also have to do the same for all the rest?  Would that be beneficial to our society, or would it be humiliating, something that should never be done in our nation?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, help us to find a suitable solution for allowing freedom without encouraging atrocities.  Help us to be equitable without being shameful.  Help us to be graceful and forgiving without accepting or blessing wrongdoing.  Help us to be open to new ideas without giving up our core values.  Help us to become a nation which blesses Your Name so that we can be deserving when we say: God bless the USA.  Amen.