Hey Bible Babies. It's been awhile. I actually read this chapter immediately after the last blog and you will see why it's taken me this long to find the energy to write about it. The following might be in the running for The Worst Chapter Ever and really puts me in another table flipping mood.
Chapter 13:
David's firstborn son Amnon has a crush on his sister Tamar.
Tamar is his half-sister but it is fully disgusting.
Amnon is so obsessed with his sister that he makes himself sick. His cousin is concerned. They have a heart to heart and the cousin, like a reasonable person, gives Amnon advice on how to rape his own sister.
The cousin tells Amnon to pretend he's sick, stay in bed, and ask specifically for Tamar to bring him food so that he can "'eat from her hand" like a little birdie rapist. He makes his move. She begs him not to. She suggests that David might let them get married even though that's gross. She tries anything to not be a ruined woman. Rapists don't become ruined men, but raped women are spoiled goods who have to deal with their rapist's consequences. Thank goodness none of the messages of this book are relevant to our modern life.
Amnon ignores his sisters pleas and rapes her. Instead of hating himself after, he hates her instead.
"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.'"
Tamar says kicking her out now would be even worse. She refuses to leave. Amnon doesn't care because Amnon is trash. Amnon has a servant take her away. Do you know how trash you have to be to make Jaime Lannister seem like a more reasonable person?
Tamar tears off her virgin robes, rubs ash on her head, and goes to her full brother, Absalom. She tells him what happened. Absalom's words of comfort are:
"'Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don't take this thing to heart.'"
Tamar now lives as a "desolate" woman at Absalom's house. Absalom gives Amnon the silent treatment which I'm sure teaches him a lesson.
Eventually, David finds out. He's angry but does absolutely nothing. Amnon is his first son. He's young. He has a bright future ahead of him. He probably swims well.
This chapter still isn't over.
Two years later, Absalom throws a murder party. The number one guest is his rapist brother. Absalom is not trash.
David gets the wrong info and thinks all his sons are dead now. He is very upset until he finds out he only lost his rapist son. It's a good way to break the death of a child to a parent. Start big so they have some perspective.
Absalom flees because he mistakenly thinks anyone would care that he murdered his rapist brother:
"King David longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon's death."
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| A message for Amnon. |
