DECEPTIVE NAMES

DECEPTIVE NAMES

Names of biblical characters usually carry meanings.  However, perhaps some of the names of King David’s children were not very accurate.  I can think of at least three who had deceptive names.  It wasn’t long before the consequences of David’s sins surfaced within the actions of the adult children of his house. 

To put things lightly, no one was living up to their name.  Those with the deceptive names were not living according to royal protocol.  Rules of the Kingdom were being broken right and left.  Even worse, the King was too busy to address any of these matters. 

When a king has only one wife, things are pretty simple.  David’s House had many wives.  Therefore, life was extremely complicated.

TAMAR AND ABSALOM

One of David’s wives was Maacah.  She was the daughter of Talmai of Geshur.  David and Maacah gave birth to David’s third-born son named Absalom.  In Hebrew, the name Absalom means “his father’s peace.”   Soon we will find out how wrong this name was for this particular son.

Maacah and David also had a daughter. Their daughter was named Tamar.  In Hebrew the name Tamar means “a fruitful palm tree.”   

Old Testament women are often named after trees.  Maybe this is because the date palm silhouette resembles the form of a woman.  Good trees are said to be fruitful.  It was the desire of every ancient man for his mate to be fruitful. That meant they should birth many children to carry on the family name.  Soon we will see how ironic this name became for Tamar.

Tamar was a beautiful princess.  She wore royal robes indicating she was a royal virgin waiting to be married to the most appropriate suitor.   Of course, it is desired that this man should be a good and noble man. He is to be one who will bring more blessings into the royal Kingdom.

AMNON

Another wife of King David was a Jezerite named  Ahinoam.  Ahinoam was the wife who gave birth to King David’s first-born son named Amnon.   In Hebrew the name Amnon means “faithful and stable.”  Being the first-born, Amnon was The Crown Prince and next heir to the throne.  All of Israel thought he was slated to  come after David as their next King. 

Amnon, being The Crown Prince, was used to having his own way.  Rarely was he denied anything he wanted.  David often indulged him. To be fair though, David indulged the desires of all of his sons.  History proves Amnon was neither faithful nor stable in his ways.   

AMNON’S FOLLY

 As fate would have it, David’s son Amnon fell in love with his half-sister, Tamar.  The word “love” is used in the telling of this story. However, that word isn’t accurate.  Lust often masquerades as love.  

It was forbidden for Amnon to have a relationship with Tamar. He would have been breaking the law of the land.  A half-brother was forbidden to marry his half-sister. 

Tamar wore the royal robes of a virgin princess. This robe proclaimed her true heritage and identity.  It was similar to the coat of many colors which Jacob gave to Joseph.  That coat was also about identity and heritage. 

This coat/robe Tamar wore signified to all the men in the land that she was a royal virgin Israelite Princess. It said she was one who had come of age to be married.  The robe publicly identified her and set her apart.  This elaborately embroidered covering had very long sleeves. The long sleeves indicated that she was of royal blood and did not need to work with her hands.

WHEN THOUGHTS ARE NOT TAKEN CAPTIVE

Amnon was miserable. He was always thinking some noble young man would soon claim the hand of Tamar.  He wanted her and he didn’t want anyone else to have her. 

Amnon worried over this situation so much that he didn’t eat or sleep.  He lost weight and looked pale.

JONADAB THE SCHEMER

Prince Amnon often sought advice from  a man named Jonadab.  Jonadab was King David’s relative and Amnon’s cousin. He worked in the palace as an advisor.  One day Jonadab noticed something was wrong with Amnon.  He inquired and Amnon admitted his feelings for Tamar were tearing him apart.

This would have been prime time for Jonadab to make a difference in the life of The Crown Prince.  He could have advised why Amnon’s feelings were wrong and very off-base.  Maybe a Torah lesson on Deuteronomy 27:22 would have been in order.

Jonadab could have kindly and thoughtfully explained the consequences this situation could bring about for everyone in David’s House.  However Jonadab was very crafty.  Secretly, he resented Amnon’s position as The Crown Prince.  Jonadab devised a wicked plan for Amnon to obtain the affections he desired from Tamar. 

JONADAB’S PLAN

He said “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill.  Ask the King to send Tamar to you with food.” 

Amnon fell for this deceptive plan.  Giving absolutely no thought to what was right or wrong, all he cared about was getting his way with Tamar.

AMNON SINS 

So, Amnon followed through with the plan. He pretended to be ill. When King David inquired of his health, Amnon requested Tamar bring him food and prepare it in his presence. 

Always the passive and indulgent father, David complied with Amnon’s request without questions or instructions.  He sent for Tamar and requested she make cakes for Amnon.  Tamar complied.  When Tamar and Amnon were alone in Amnon’s bedroom, Amnon raped her.

This was a sad day for Israel.  There is much more to tell of this story. Its affect on the kingdom was tragic.  However, let’s pause to consider all that transpired before we move on with the rest of the story.  There are many facts to consider.

DANGERS OF UNCHECKED DESIRES

Being The Crowned Prince, Amnon would have been trained in the proper behavior of royalty.  He knew the laws of the land.  Amnon knew full well he was walking into a situation which was forbidden and never meant to be.  He charged ahead anyway.  His heart was ruled by the lust of the flesh. 

Satan often uses our lusts to get his way.  These sins of Amnon came from the same type of lust that caused the sins of David with Bathsheba. 

So, here we see the pattern. The sins of the father are being passed down to the sins of the son. Only this time is worse.  David committed adultery, lies and murder.  Amnon committed incest, fornication, and deception. 

Though Amnon did not murder Tamar, he caused the death of all of her hopes and dreams. She was no longer fit for true love and a happy marriage.  This was just another type of death.  She would live, but her spirit would die in the process. 

THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH

When desires go unchecked, there is always a danger.  1 Corinthians 10:13  explains this.  “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful.  He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”

AMNON IS US 

The above scriptures describe the way Amnon SHOULD have been thinking. Why did he not turn to God for strength to overcome his lust? However, he did not consider any such thoughts. 

Isn’t this the way most of us tend to operate? We call ourselves Christians, but we forget to consult the One who makes that true.  We leave God out of the equation and let our human feelings guide us.  This is always a mistake.  It isn’t always a matter of lust or deception, it could be anything sinful. This could be how we handle any number of everyday decisions. The point is, our own human decisions are not godly ones.  We constantly seek anything our heart desires that isn’t godly. Meantime, we refuse to consider whether they are godly desires or evil. We simply keep moving toward whatever we lust or covet.

How can we stop being like Amnon?  Maybe if we meditate on these things now, we will make better choices later. By considering our actions beforehand, we can remember them when they matter.

JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS 

Hindsight is 20/20.  Amnon was a crowned prince, with the rule of a kingdom in his future. He should have considered justice and righteousness in all of his ways.  However, he did not.

Micah 6:8 declares God’s people should always “Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”  This was just the opposite of Amnon’s actions.  There was nothing just about the way he deceived Tamar and/or everyone else in this story. 

True love always considers the rights and comfort of the other person.  Instead, this story was only about the desires of the person committing the crime. His actions were totally selfish.  A person who truly lives for the Kingdom of God learns how to die to themselves.

If Amnon had truly loved Tamar, he would have considered what was best for her, not his own fleshly desires. 

THE IMPACT OF PARENTAL INFLUENCE

David, knowing everything  Amnon requested, should have instructed and trained his son instead of indulging his desires.

Surely David did not expect things to get out of hand. I’m sure he never imagined that things would go as far as they did. However, he could have had enough discernment to advise his son that his request was inappropriate.   One simple “no” would have solved all the problems.

ROYAL PROTOCOLS

David did not remind Amnon of appropriate protocol for a prince.  If he had done so, the whole situation might have dissolved away without incident.  Amnon’s mood would have passed. All would have been well. 

Amnon is not the only one who needs reminders of protocol. Those serving God’s Kingdom today are called to another type of Kindom protocol for a royal priesthood.  We have no excuse for not following the protocols of the Kingdom.  One of those protocols is to know and meditate on Torah. We are called to be obedient in all things Torah teaches.  Today’s believers have no more of an excuse than Amnon. 

THE PROBLEM WITH A GUILTY CONSCIOUS

Was David ashamed? Did he fear bringing these facts up to Amnon because of his own lack of protocol in the past?  Instead of training his son to avoid the same mistakes he made, David showed leniency in judgement. This lack of discernment appears to take place because of the weight of his own personal guilt.

It must be pointed out that once God forgives us, we are no longer guilty.  After confession, repentance and turning it is time to put the past behind us. We simply aspire to not ever make the same mistakes again.  David should have admonished his son to do his best. There was no need for the King to fear a pointing finger. No one should live in fear from past failures once they have corrected their path. However, the proper environment in the home is always up to the father.  It was David’s job to keep order in his home. He made no effort.

IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO TURN

Perhaps David realized he had waited much too late to train Amnon in the proper behaviors of a Crowned Prince.  Imagine how different things could have been for everyone if David had only applied the wise words of Proverbs 22:6, Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

 Obviously, David gave this proverb no attention.  He neglected the training his own children. This too came back to haught him.

WHEN LEADERS ARE EVIL AND CRAFTY

Let’s not forget that Jonadab also failed in this matter.  He was supposed to be a leader. Jonadab had an important role as advisor for the throne.  His job was to look after the best interests of the Kingdom.  His plan for Amnon was wicked and evil. There was no consideration for the betterment of Amnon, Tamar or the Kingdom.

It is very possible that Amnon would not have devised such a scheme if Jonadab had not suggested it. Who knows?  This is what happens when evil and crafty people are put into noble leadership positions.  Everyone suffers in the end.

TAMAR’S STORY

We have considered this story from Amnon’s perspective.  Also, we have mentioned how David and Jonadab were also guilty parties.  Next, we need to take a look at this story from Tamar’s perspective. What were her thoughts and her words to Amnon?  These points will be considered as we continue to move forward with the rest of this story.  There is much more to tell, and we will continue this discussion further in our next lesson.

SUMMARY

VERSE:  Galatians 6:7-8.  Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption.

PRAYER:  Father thank you for sending Yeshua Messiah to save us from our sins.  May we always repent and turn.  Help us to rule our homes properly in a manner that shines your Kingdom out to the world.  Give us the daily strength to die to our flesh. Show us how to lift others up, even when it means careful correction. Help us to help others to learn to live for You.  Teach us to be overcomers. We know this was a last request of Yeshua when He walked the earth.  May we have the courage to follow in His footsteps. Help us to ignore the ways of the world and stay constantly turned toward You.  Amen.

SONG:  SPIRIT SONG
Lord, Forgive Me – A Worship Song of Repentance and Redemption Https://youtu.be/Wq89ZC4tHttps://youtu.be/Wq89ZC4tHtw?si=FMXtdKRfMdoCcS1I