Devotion
No means mo!
David Jacobs

The world is starting to shed a bit more light on the dark plague that is sexual abuse and rape. Abusive behavior of men that has been tolerated for most of human existence is finally beginning to be considered inappropriate and immoral. Unfortunately it is a problem that has existed for as long as there has been recorded history, and it seems it is only now getting the attention it deserves. Women are often blamed for being the victims of rape. "She shouldn't have been there", "she should have known better", "she knew what kind of man he is", "she should not be wearing that", and "boys will be boys", are all excuses that I have heard in response to the sexual abuse scandals in Hollywood. The problem will persist until we change the attitudes of people thinking these things.

These verses tell a disgusting story, once again involving a son of David. Another of David's sons, Absalom, will soon conspire to overthrow and kill his father, but in these verses, Absalom's sister Tamar is raped by her half-brother, Amnon. There is more than one guilty party here, for Amnon's friend, Jonadab, initially hatches the plan. Amnon forces his half-sister, a virgin, to sleep with him, and is then disgusted by her, ignoring her pleas not to send him away, knowing the shame that it will bring the two of them. This is only the beginning of this story, because later in this chapter, Absalom plots his revenge and eventually kills his brother, Amnon.

I once again think about David's role in this story: considering the story of Bathsheba, he did not set the best male role model for his sons. This story sounds like it could be in a tabloid newspaper in modern times, so the problems have remained the same for literally thousands of years. The way that the wrongdoers behave in these verses, namely, the men, is not so different from the shaming culture that persists today.

Prayer

We can make a difference. We can learn from the sinful ways of those before us and create a new and safer society. It starts with us acknowledging that the way things were and the way things currently are is wrong. Remember the Ten Commandments; remember the teachings of Christ; remember the horror stories in these verses and in modern society. Then, and only then, will people like Amnon listen to Tamar when she implores him not to do this wicked thing. No means no.