Respectfulness

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

RESPECTFULNESS

2 Sam 13:15-29

15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, "Get up and get out!" 16 "No!" she said to him. "Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me." But he refused to listen to her. 17 He called his personal servant and said, "Get this woman out of here and bolt the door after her." 18 So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing a richly ornamented robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornamented robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went. 20 Her brother Absalom said to her, "Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet now, my sister; he is your brother. Don't take this thing to heart." And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman. 21 When King David heard all this, he was furious. 22 Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar. 23 Two years later, when Absalom's sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king's sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, "Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his officials please join me?" 25 "No, my son," the king replied. "All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you." Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go, but gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us." The king asked him, "Why should he go with you?" 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king's sons. 28 Absalom ordered his men, "Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, 'Strike Amnon down,' then kill him. Don't be afraid. Have not I given you this order? Be strong and brave." 29 So Absalom's men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king's sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.

NIV

Justice had been served, for Amnon had done an offensive act, first raping his own sister, then rejecting her with as much hatred toward her as he had first had love or lusted for her. How disgraceful his actions were toward Tamar, and now his brother will serve the justice without the knowledge of their father, King David. However, how do we make sense of this that would be relevant for our lives? With one son raping his sister and another son making plans to murder his brother, there was no respect for each other, and maybe we might even think they had no respect for life. Did Amnon deserve some form of punishment for his crime against his sister? Of course, but was death a little too strong a punishment? However, maybe the point we should consider is having mutual respect for each other, even when we feel someone has offended us, or someone we love. We have witnessed there have been times when an offended believer disrespects the person they felt offended them, by getting upset and leaving the local church to find another church, leaving the situation unresolved, harboring that hurt, and that unforgiveness. We wonder how anyone who has those anger issues with unforgiveness in their heart can even worship the Lord. Any tension within the body of Christ, specifically within a local church, disrupts the ability of true worship, for God loves true worshippers who worship in spirit and in truth. If there is any tension, any unforgiveness, any type of disharmony, then there is no truth, and they also lack the Spirit. Let us put all else aside except pure love for each other, having mutual respectfulness, so that our worship will be pleasing and acceptable to our Lord.