“Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornamental robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.”
~ 2 Samuel 13:19
Hi James and Ellen,
God had guys record all kinds of different things in the missives which are now the books that are included in a single book which became known as the Bible. When your grandpaa thinks of the Bible, your grandpaa thinks of a book that has living words in it. The Bible teaches your grandpaa why God had to send His Son – Jesus Christ, to planet Earth to die for His sins – and for your sins. God never would have had to send His Son – Jesus Christ, to planet Earth to die for the sins of your grandpaa – or for your sins, if your grandpaa and every other guy, gal and kid who has lived, is living and will live on planet Earth had not been, is or will be disobedient to His divine will. Do you think that God had guys write down only good things that took place? Your grandpaa has already told you about some really bad things which really did happen. Your grandpaa thinks that no guy, gal or kid likes to hear or read a bad story. Do you know what will happen when a guy, gal or kid who disobeys God’s divine will? Do you like to eat apples? Do you know what will ultimately begin to happen to an apple? An apple will begin to rot. Do you know what a rotting apple will do to the apples around it? A rotting apple will cause the apples around it to begin to rot, too. Do you know what your ma does with an apple that is rotting? Your ma will throw a rotting apple away. Guys, gals and kids are like an apple which is rotting. Do you know what the word rot means? Sin can be described as rot. A guy or gal at times will say about something bad which has just happened as ‘that was a rotten thing’. Rotting is a natural thing that happens to something which is dying or which has already died. Sinning is also a natural thing that every guy, gal and kid does. It was Adam’s sin which brought death to planet Earth. Rotting is and will be a part of death for all living things – from apples to your grandpaa.
Have you accepted the fact that you sin? Do you know how sin rots your lives? Do you know how your grandpaa can know that you have sin rot in your lives? Your grandpaa does not even have to be where you are to know that you have and will do sinful things. Your dad has done sinful things which disobeyed God’s divine will. Your grandpaa has done sinful things which disobeyed God’s divine will. Your grandpaa’s dad has done sinful things which disobeyed God’s divine will. Every guy, gal and kid – except for Adam, who was the first guy who disobeyed God’s divine will, has or has had a dad who did sinful things which God did not stop him from doing. There are guys who are written about in the Bible who your grandpaa will write about who did some awful sinful things. There are other guys written about in the Bible who your grandpaa will write about who have done some really good things. Can you think of a guy who lived a long time ago who did some really good things – like writing a lot of songs which are still being sung today? The guy is David. David lived over 3000 years ago. David’s name means the beloved one. David is remembered as the greatest king who ever ruled over the Israelite’s people group’s guys, gals and kids. Do you think that David always did things that obeyed God’s divine will? David began his life doing good things. As David got older, David made some bad decisions. A decision that David made that disobeyed God’s divine will was to have more than one wife. David had at least eight wives and at least twenty sons. Do you think that David was thinking about God each time that he pursued another gal to be his wife? Your grandpaa thinks that what David did when he disobeyed God’s divine will would later be witnessed in what David’s sons did.
2 Samuel 13 relates what two of David’s kids – Ammon and Absalom, did. Ammon and Absalom had different mas. Absalom had a sis. Absalom sis’ name was Tamar. Ammon thought that he was in love with Tamar. Tamar was a beautiful young gal. One of David’s bro’s kids could see that Ammon was infatuated with Tamar. Jonadab – a son of David’s bro Shimeah, told Ammon that he should pretend to be sick and then he should ask his dad – David, to send Tamar over to his place to fix him some food to eat. While Tamar was alone with Ammon – after Ammon knew that there was no one left in his house, Ammon did a really awful thing to Tamar. Ammon really hurt Tamar. Verse 19 says, “Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornamental robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.” How do you think Tamar’s dad – David, felt about what one of sons did to one of his daughters? David was really furious. What do you think that David did to Ammon? David did absolutely nothing – even though he was very angry with Ammon. Why do you think that David did not do anything to Ammon? David had done something really awful himself with the wife of one of his army generals. David really could not say anything to Ammon about what he had done to Tamar as David knew that he had not been a good example to his own kids by the way the way that he had lived his life. Even though David probably felt really bad for Tamar, David’s past indiscretions had caught up with him. David was like a rotten apple. David as a rotten apple affected his sons to become rotten. Absalom did not forget what Ammon did to his sis. Two years after Ammon did the unimaginable to his sis, Absalom found a way to murder his half-bro. After Absalom killed Ammon, Absalom had to leave the area where he was living. Your grandpaa does not find it hard to blame Absalom for what he did to Ammon for what Ammon did to Tamar. Because of the bad decision which Ammon made and because Ammon’s motives for wanting to be with Tamar were evil, Ammon ruined three lives and he brought awful sorrow to the rest of his extended family. Your grandpaa is very grateful that Jesus Christ’s death covered your grandpaa’s sinful rot.
2 Samuel 13 (120)