The story of Amnon and Tamar in 2 Самуел 13 is an example of how quickly love can turn to hate. Amnon was the son of David and was sick of love for his sister Tamar. Amnon really admired and loved Tamar, but Amnon was not able to fulfill that love. Because that love was not permitted. He could not have Tamar and therefore he was vexed and sick of his love for Tamar. Day in and day out, Amnon was overwhelmed by his feelings and was not able to fulfill these feelings. But then someone in his family appeared and gave him advise that turned his love into hate.
Amnon listened to his friend and nephew Jonadab instead of God
His friend and nephew Jonadab noticed that Amnon was lean and asked Amnon about it. Amnon told Jonadab the whole story.
Instead of Jonadab saying, "yes Amnon, I can imagine that this is hard for you, but you have to resist these feelings, because it is not right to give in to these feelings and sin”, Jonadab said to Amnon, that he had a great idea to get Tamar and fulfill his feelings.
Jonadab told Amnon that he had to pretend that he was sick and ask his father if his sister Tamar could come. And when she would come, he would send everyone away and take her.
Instead of Amnon saying that he could not do it, Amnon did the stupidest thing. He gave ear to Jonadab’s idea and carried out Jonadab’s plan.
How did Amnon’s love for Tamar turn to hate?
Amnon carried out Jonadab’s plan and pretended he was sick. Amnon asked his father king David if Tamar could come and make for him a couple of cakes. David sent Tamar to Amnon and Tamar made cakes in his sight.
When Tamar was ready and wanted to give Amnon the cakes to eat, Amnon sent everyone, who was in the room, away and asked Tamar to come to the camber, that he may eat from her hand.
When Amnon was alone with Tamar, Amnon took hold of her and asked Tamar to lay with him, Tamar refused and asked Amnon not to force her. But Amnon did not accept her refusal and so, Amnon forced Tamar to lay down with him. After Amnon laid down with Tamar, Amnon began to hate Tamar and send her away.
After Amnon laid down with Tamar, his feelings of love and lust were not so strong anymore, but his feelings of love and lust were changed into feelings of hate. This example shows us, how love turns to hate so easily.
Да направимо дугу причу, Апсалом, the brother of Tamar took Tamar into his house and heard what happened and after two years Absalom killed Amnon. Pa, Absalom didn’t actually kill Amnon, but Absalom gave the commandment to his servants and his servants obeyed Absalom and killed Amnon.
What can we learn from the story of Amnon and Tamar in the Bible?
Amnon was overwhelmed by feelings of love, which were actually carnal feelings of lust towards Tamar. He knew that it was forbidden to lay down with her.
Amnon knew God’s will in this matter, Amnon knew His law. But instead of staying obedient to God and do His will and recognize that his carnal feelings were wrong and resisted these feelings by taking authority over them and moving on, Amnon allowed these feelings in his life. Као резултат, his feelings were getting stronger and stronger.
Na kraju, his feelings were so strong, that Amnon was tortured by them; he was vexed and sick.
Amnon was weak and in his weakness, Amnon listened to the plan of his close friend. His friend’s advice and plan caused him to sin. да, Amnon was deceived and trapped into sin.
Amnon lied to his father and to the others, in order to get what he wanted. He answered his carnal feelings of love and lust.
But after Amnon sinned, his deceptive feelings of love were gone and changed into hate. By giving in to his carnal feelings of lust and sin, hate entered his life and finally death. The outcome was different than Amnon expected.
Not all feelings are good feelings
We are humans and have feelings. But not all feelings are good. It is important as believers and followers of Jesus Christ to discern these feelings. Sometimes we can be led by greed, Poћuda, љубомора, бојати се, анксиозност, љубав према новцу, итд, but these are all carnal feelings.
If certain feelings do not line up with God’s Word, even if they look good in the natural realm, then they are not good and are carnal feelings.
We must recognize these feelings by knowing the Word of God and know God’s will in every matter of our lives.
We should not allow carnal feelings to rule over us, but we shouldrule over them. God created us and He knows what is good for us, that’s why God gave us His precepts in His Word.
The feeling of greed
Рецимо, that you have seen an electronic device, videogame, a pair of shoes or …, that you really like. You don’t need it, but you want it. You look at it, изнова и изнова. The more you look at it, the more you want to have it. Without knowing you, sow to the flesh.
It starts to control your mind and you think about it day and night. Na kraju, you give in and decide to buy it. Maybe you can effort it or maybe you can’t. Рецимо, у овом случају, that you don’t have enough money and you can’t effort it. Стога, you shouldn’t buy it.
But when the feeling of greed, which is a wrong carnal feeling, is so strong, that it controls your life. Instead of saying no, you decide you have to get it, без обзира на то. Even if you have to borrow money from people or the bank. And that’s exactly what you do.
You lent the money from the bank or pay with your credit card and get into debt. You go to the store and buy the electronic device or pair of shoes.
Шта посејеш то ћеш и пожњети
You’re so happy and so excited, but when you come home reality sets in. How do you feel after you bought it? Are you still happy and excited or do you feel miserable and maybe even guilty? Зашто је то то?
Pa, you fulfilled your carnal feeling of greed. You have obeyed your carnal feeling and have sown in your flesh. Као резултат, жетиће воће меса (Прочитајте такође: Ono što seješ, vi ćete žeti).
It’s not wrong to buy something. But it’s about the motive. Do you buy something because you need it? Or do you buy something out of greed?
Infidelity
Adultery is another example, which not only takes place among unbelievers, but also among believers. Рецимо, there’s a colleague at work with whom you work closely with. The more you work with your colleague, the better you get to know your colleague. изненада, feelings of lust; feelings of ‘love’ for that person, који није ваш супружник, arises. These feelings are not right, because they’re carnal feelings, који воде у грех.
У почетку, you think that these feelings are innocent and not harmful at all. But then you start noticing that you think about your colleague more than you should. The thoughts about your colleague and the feelings you have for your colleague start to control your mind.
You think a lot about your colleague and aren’t able to get your colleague out of your mind. What happens if a situation arises and you will be tempted? What happens, when you are alone with your colleague and your colleague also shows affection towards you? Do you respond and give into it and commit adultery?
As soon as you obey and respond to your carnal feelings and commit adultery, then feelings of guilt, мржња, туга, туга, etc will overwhelm you and your action can lead to divorce. (Прочитајте такође: ‘Шта Библија каже о разводу?‘).
If you are led by carnal feelings and obey them and fulfill them, then you will reap the opposite carnal feeling.
Amnon had wrong feelings of love. When Amnon fulfilled those carnal feelings he sinned and his feelings of love turned to hate. Видиш, how quickly love turns to hate. И на крају, his sin led to death.
Let us learn from this story and not make the same mistake. Don’t let love turn to hate, but recognize these carnal feelings in time.
How can you resist carnal feelings and emotions?
How can you resist carnal feelings and emotions and how do you prevent yourself from being led by your flesh; твоја осећања, емоције, итд.? Pa, the answer is quite simple: by feeding your spirit man with the Word of God and walk after the Spirit.
Read and listen to His Word and obey His Word. Apply His words and commandments in your life and become a doer of the Word. (Прочитајте такође: ‘Слушалице вс тхе-а‘).
The more you feed yourself with the Word of God, the more you sow into your spirit man.
The more you sow into your spirit man, the stronger your spirit man will become and the weaker the flesh will become.
You shall grow up as a son of God, who is controlled by the spirit instead of the flesh.
The Bible has the answer for every problem.
When you struggle in a certain area or with certain feelings and emotions, look up the Scriptures and find out what God has to say about it.
Write the Scriptures down on a piece of paper and renew your mind with the words of God.
Meditate on the words of God instead of meditating on your problem, осећања и емоције. Ако урадиш ово, you you will notice that eventually the problem and feelings and emotions, you struggle with, will disappear.
Speak to your feelings and emotions and take authority over them. Command them to leave instead of begging God to take those feelings away. Take the Word, because that’s your Sword у духовној борби.
In Christ you have all authority
You have been given all authority in Jesus Christ and power by the Holy Spirit, to rule over those feelings and emotions.
When you walk after the Spirit according to the Word in obedience to God, you shall not fulfill the desires and lusts of your flesh (Galatima 5:16).
Прочитајте такође: ‘Преузми власт над својим мислима, пре него што преузму власт над вама‘‘
„Будите сол земље’
