The Tragedy of a Beautiful Princess
The story of Tamar (2) is tragic. She’s the beautiful daughter of King David and catches the eye of her half-brother, Amnon, who lusts for her.
At the advice of his cousin, Amnon feigns illness and manipulates Tamar into his bedroom, duping David into innocently arranging the whole thing.
Once alone, Amnon grabs Tamar and solicits her. She refuses—three times.
When her pleading fails to dissuade him, she talks about the implications: her disgrace and him appearing foolish and wicked. She even suggests they ask Dad for permission to marry.
Amnon won’t listen. Lust drives him. He loses control and rapes her.
After this, his supposed love turns into an even more intense hate. He commands her to leave, but Tamar refuses. She says that rejecting her would be an even greater insult.
Amnon has her forcibly removed from his presence.
Tamar, a victim of rape, lives in desolation with her brother Absalom.
What can we do to help the victims in our world?
Who is one person we can help today?
[Read about Tamar in 2 Samuel 13:1–22. Discover more in 2 Samuel 13:23–33.]
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More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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