We Can't Hear It Enough

548- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 14:15-17 "Now therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. And your maidservant said, 'I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his maidservant. 16 'For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.' 17 "Your maidservant said, 'The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.'" (2 Sam 14:15-17) Kind of a clumsy and bulky couple of verses here, but what I'm picking up on is a sense of fear in this widow and a deep desire to be comforted with the words of the king. In the preceding verse she spoke of her certainty that God has provided “means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.” But in these verses she paints a picture of someone who struggles with doubt. Let's suppose the people that are making her afraid here are represent agents of the devil. Wittingly or unwittingly they are causing her to doubt the security of God's pledge to deliver through His means of grace. She pleads with the King for renewed assurance for both her and her son to be delivered from the hand of the man who would destroy them and seek to keep them from the inheritance of God. Here, let us think of this man as the devil. The “Word of the Lord her King” should cause us to think of the Scriptures, in particular, 1Jo 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life,” And the “angel of God” should cause us to think of those messengers of God who bring the Good News of peace and safety to our ears. (pastors, evangelists, etc) “The words of those angels bring comfort to the doubting soul, and need to be repeated and heard often. That's one of the main reasons we attend worship services! We are like sheep....forgetful, and we need to be constantly assured of God's love for us, and His certain promise of forgiveness through faith in Jesus. It is only through this faith that the one who would destroy our souls is rendered powerless. God, help me to never forget the gospel message. Let me hear the words of absolution often. The ears of my soul can't hear it enough.

Means of Grace

547- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 14:14 "For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him. ( 2 Sam 14:14) One of the things I love about the reading the Word of God is stumbling across gems like this. I don't know how many times I've read this portion of Scripture, but I've never paid close attention to this verse until now! And what a treasure it is! The widow speaks about the inevitability of death echoing Ec 3:20, “All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.” Then she says two beautiful words, “Yet God.” You see the wages of sin is death. And all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Since sin cannot dwell in the presence of God we are all under the curse of banishment. “Yet God,” does not desire for us to be banished. He loves us and so He has devised “means” to deliver us from banishment. In Lutheran circles we love to talk about the “means of grace.” Most notably God's Word, (which is the primary means of grace,) and the Sacraments (which are subsidiary means) Now lest I be misunderstood here, let me emphasize that Christ alone saves! The Bible has not saved one soul and neither has any of the Sacraments. But the Bible is the primary “means” by which Christ is brought to the soul. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom 10:17) These “means” are the methods in which God delivers His grace (the forgiveness that is in His heart for the banished) We need this grace to be saved! Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. Take heart from the words of this widow. God has ways to bring Christ to our souls and He will use whatever “means of grace ” He can to bring a soul back from banishment.

The Prison of Unforgiveness

546- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 14:12-14a, “ Therefore the woman said, "Please, let your maidservant speak another word to my lord the king." And he said, "Say on." 13 So the woman said: "Why then have you schemed such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again. 14 "For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. (2 Sam 14:12-14a) The widow has set the trap that was cleverly laid out by Joab, and now she springs it. How is it that the king is quick to pardon the widow's son for murdering his brother, and so slow to pardon Absalom for the murder of his brother? The widow's son pardon would not affect the nation of Israel nearly as much as the pardon of Absalom, for he was the heir to David's throne! How could Absalom possibly become a king if he was banished? The widow was asking David to rethink his position! Maybe some of us need to rethink our position on forgiveness in our own family. The widow makes a point to the king that you only go around once and life is short: She says, “For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again.” Indeed, life is too short to turn it into a breeding ground for bitterness! Heb 12:14,15 tells us: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;” I greatly regret my own struggles with forgiving my parents after their divorce. It took years before I forgave my father, and my mother didn't hear me utter those words “I forgive you,” until she was on her death bed! I am not proud of that. To see the look on her face when I said those words is too precious for words, yet it was a crushing blow to my own soul as I realized for the first time what I had robbed her of for all those years. Are you harboring unforgiveness? Please learn from my mistake before it's too late. Unforgiveness is a prison for all involved. Ask Jesus to help you forgive. He can set you free from this prison as you learn to forgive one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:32)

He's the Only One Who Can Grant Pardon

545- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 14:8-11, “Then the king said to the woman, "Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you." 9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord, O king, let the iniquity be on me and on my father's house, and the king and his throne be guiltless." 10 So the king said, "Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore." 11 Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, and do not permit the avenger of blood to destroy anymore, lest they destroy my son." And he said, "As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground." (2 Sam 14:8-11) It's interesting that the woman is not satisfied with the king's first response to her request. He has given his word that she and her son would be left alone, but she wants more than the promise of the government. (Hmmmm distrust of the government? When did that start?) She wants a little more certainty and she asks David to bring the Lord into the situation. She doesn't want to appeal to the mercy of the government, rather she would base her appeal on the mercy of God. When you think about it, this is the way it should be. In this case, her son's guarantee of safety must come from someone higher than the government, and that Someone is the Lawgiver Himself, the Lord God Almighty. He made this Law concerning murder, and He is the only One who has the authority to grant a pardon. Good government, should follow God's guidelines for civility, but what if government were in charge of carrying out punishment for our sins? We would all be dead! No, our only hope must come from the Supreme Merciful Lawgiver! It is only he who can grant clemency to sinners. In Rom 9:15 we read, “For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." And rather than avenge us for our sinful ways, God has chosen to offer mercy to us through faith in Jesus Christ. His justice was served by the death of His Son on the cross, and His mercy comes to you and I through His grace. Appeal to the higher authority of God for your sins, receive His mercy and be saved!

Justice AND Mercy

544- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 14:1-7, “So Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was concerned about Absalom. 2 And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead. 3 "Go to the king and speak to him in this manner." So Joab put the words in her mouth. 4 And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, "Help, O king!" 5 Then the king said to her, "What troubles you?" And she answered, "Indeed I am a widow, my husband is dead. 6 "Now your maidservant had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him. 7 "And now the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, 'Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.' So they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth." ( 2 Sam 14:1-7) It's not easy working for someone who is perpetually moping, and that seems to be the case here. But David's right hand man, Joab, takes the bull by the horns and decides to do something about it. This David is not the warrior he originally signed up with! So he devises a plan where a widow will feign her displeasure with the current legal system that required the death of her only surviving son who had killed his brother. Nu 35:19 'The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. To carry out this sentence would kill the family name and leave the widow without any financial support. In a sense she is asking David to allow mercy to triumph over judgment. (James 2:13b) And who are you or I to argue with that? Think of what we have “gotten away with” because of the decree of our King who said, “place your faith in My Son and I will forgive your sins.” “But what about justice God?” And God says, “My justice was meted out on My Son. Sin has not gone unpunished, and if you think that My mercy gives you license to sin, then you just don't get it, and you remain a candidate for My final justice. It all boils down to this, all sin must be accounted for. Those found in Christ on the last Day will be judged innocent, and those not in Christ will serve their time in the eternal torment of hell. Justice AND mercy will be fully served by God.

God Is Waiting For You

543- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 13:37-39, “ But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 38 So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 And King David longed to go to Absalom. For he had been comforted concerning Amnon, because he was dead. ( 2 Sam 13:37-39) Absalom flees to his grandpa's country for safety. There were no provisions for willful murderers to escape the death penalty in Israel. Ex 21:12-14 says, "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 "However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. 14 "But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die.” David had grieved the loss of his son Amnon, but now found himself longing for his wayward son Absalom every day. But he knew that Absalom would face the death penalty should he return. This longing and mourning for Absalom went on for three years! It makes me wonder about the father who is mentioned in the parable of the prodigal son. How long did he wait for his wayward son to return? We don't know. We just know that the father waited. Let's pick it up in Lu 15:20 "And he (the wayward son) arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.', But you know the rest of the story the father overjoyed to see his repentant son again, restored everything and threw a huge party. His son who was as good as dead as long as he held onto his sin, was now fully alive! Beloved, don't you see the heart of God in David? Sin separates us from God and carries a death penalty, but God is waiting for you, longing for you to come to repentance and life saving faith in Jesus, who paid the price of your sin! No need to flee anymore! Come to Jesus and live! Father, help us all to see Your deep longing for us, Your wayward children.

Put A Sock In It

542- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 13:34-36, “Then Absalom fled. And the young man who was keeping watch lifted his eyes and looked, and there, many people were coming from the road on the hillside behind him. 35 And Jonadab said to the king, "Look, the king's sons are coming; as your servant said, so it is." 36 So it was, as soon as he had finished speaking, that the king's sons indeed came, and they lifted up their voice and wept. Also the king and all his servants wept very bitterly. (2 Sam 13:34-36) Here we have Jonadab (the Eddie Haskel of Scripture) tooting his own horn. “See your highness, I told you your other sons would be okay!” Yes, they are all right physically Jonadab, but how about paying attention to the emotional state of all involved. This is not the time to be bragging about your own cleverness Eddie. Their brother was just killed in front of their eyes and they had to hightail it out of town for their own safety, and this was a sad moment for the family. Have you not heard, to every thing, there is a season! And this was a season of weeping and mourning! As Ec 3:4, says, “A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;” Some more advice for Jonadab is found in Pr 15:2, “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.” The words of Jonadab show us exactly what kind of person he is. He speaks only for his own self-interest and inflated ego. Let us learn from this and seek to use our tongues rightly. Prov 15:23b says, “a word spoken in due season, how good it is!” And in Eph 4:29 we are admonished to: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Jonadab's words added nothing of value to the situation. He would have been much better off saying nothing at all. Hmmmmmm. Father help me to measure my words and learn to us them as vessels of grace.

The Eddie Haskel of the Bible

541- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 13:30-33, “And it came to pass, while they were on the way, that news came to David, saying, "Absalom has killed all the king's sons, and not one of them is left!" 31 So the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the ground, and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn. 32 Then Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, answered and said, "Let not my lord suppose they have killed all the young men, the king's sons, for only Amnon is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. 33 "Now therefore, let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead. For only Amnon is dead." ( 2 Sam 13:30-33) Well, look who we have here. David's nephew Jonadab shows up again in the story. This guy is like the Eddie Haskel of the Bible. Eddie was the guy in the old TV show, Leave It To Beaver, who was always Mr nice guy around the adults but the big instigator of trouble when their backs were turned. If you recall our first meeting with Jonadab in 2Sa 13:3, he was described as a friend of the now deceased Amnon and very “crafty.” It was Jonadab who crafted the plan for Amnon that led to the rape of Absalom's sister. How is it that he is the only one privy to Absalom's plan to kill Amnon? How can he confidently tell the king that his other sons weren't harmed? This guy knew what side his bread was buttered on and played it to the hilt. Given his track record of scheming, it wouldn't surprise me if he was not the one who gave Absalom the plan for killing Amnon! Somehow Jonadab escapes suspicion in all of this and he remains unscathed, and I think this is a very important lesson for all of us. Jonadab escaped the scrutiny of Amnon, Absalom, and David, but the Holy Spirit brings him into the story at these opportune times to remind us that Jonadab did not escape the scrutiny of God!. Job 31:4 reminds us, “Does He (God) not see my ways, And count all my steps?”And in Ps 33:13-15, “The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. 14 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; 15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. Eddie Haskel, didn't get away with anything, Jonadab didn't get away with anything, and neither will you and I. Are only hope to escape our sins which have been under the scrutiny of God is to put on Christ through faith in the Gospel. Father, thank You for Your watchful eye.

It's Almost Like the Godfather

540- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 13:23-29, “And it came to pass, after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim; so Absalom invited all the king's sons. 24 Then Absalom came to the king and said, "Kindly note, your servant has sheepshearers; please, let the king and his servants go with your servant." 25 But the king said to Absalom, "No, my son, let us not all go now, lest we be a burden to you." Then he urged him, but he would not go; and he blessed him. 26 Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us." And the king said to him, "Why should he go with you?" 27 But Absalom urged him; so he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. 28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, "Watch now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, 'Strike Amnon!' then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant." 29 So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and each one got on his mule and fled. (2 Sam 13:23-29) Two full years have passed since the incident with Tamar, but Absalom has not forgotten. Absalom has done a good job of hiding his pure hatred of Amnon from others and life appears to have returned to normal. It is normal to shear sheep and normal to celebrate with a big party. So Absalom invites all his brothers including Amnon and his father David. To have the king attend sheep shearing would require some extra preparations and expenses so David begs off and even tries to get Prince Amnon out of attending, but Absalom insists and so Amnon and all his brothers attend. Absalom then instructs his servants to strike Amnon at the height of merriment and kill him. They do, and all of his brothers hop on their mules and flee for their own lives! This whole scenario sounds more like something we would see in the movie “The Godfather.” In fact, I don't think I'll ever view the movie the same again! My friend, don't let your life become like the movie “The Godfather.” Take these words to heart again: Eph 4:31, says, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

Strongholds

539- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 13:22 And Absalom spoke to his brother Amnon neither good nor bad. For Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar. Absalom maintained his relationship with his brother after the incident with Tamar but he kept it very cool. It was civil but apparently never went beyond the “how's the weather?” stage. In reality, we know that he was just biding his time, looking for the opportunity to avenge his sister. Cooped up anger is never healthy. Eph 4:26,27 says, “Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.” This tells us that “stewing” over a matter rather than seeking understanding and forgiveness gives a grip to the devil. It's like someone climbing a mountain. They look for a place that they can grab and hold onto. Something in which they can have a “strong hold.” When we allow anger to stew, the devil uses that as a chink in our God-given armor and he builds a foothold on our soul and if it's not dealt with, he will turn it into a stronghold, and use it as a base to wreak all sorts of havoc in our lives. So how do we handle it? The illustration I like to use isn't perfect, but it may be helpful. A foothold isn't worth anything if it is slippery, therefore apply the slippery blood of Jesus to the source of your anger, make your soul slippery to the devil by learning to forgive one another. Eph 4:31, says, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. This is the secret to destroying the stronghold of anger. Do not delay! Do not allow the sun to set on the difficulty that has erupted in your life. Do not waiting for an opportune time to erupt. Ec 7:9b says “ anger rests in the bosom of fools.” Father, help me to be mature in handling those things that cause me to be angry.

When Sin Is Unchecked

536- Before we begin, I feel it is necessary to warn parents with young children at this time that this material is only suitable for adults. The biblical commentator Matthew Henry had this to say about this portion of Scripture: this is “a subject not fit to be enlarged upon nor indeed to be mentioned without blushing, that ever any man should be so vile,” But the Bible doesn't sugar coat life, even when it is at it ugliest moments, so parents, beware as we progress through this portion of Scripture verse by verse. I read from 2Sa 13:21- “But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry. (2 Sam 13:21) The word is out about the rape and sexual assault of Tamar by Amnon. David, who is the father of both of these young people is very angry about what happened....but please note....he doesn't do anything about it. Amnon is not disciplined in any way for this terrible deed. What was holding David back? This was no mere family matter! This was a violation of civil law! David should have taken this matter to the proper authorities to dispense justice! And in this case, he was the proper authority. The offense of Amnon was punishable by death and perhaps this is what restrained David. From the perspective of the parent here, perhaps David didn't say anything because of his own sordid past. To say anything to his children about sexual sin, would invite the response, “Look who's talking!” Let's face it, this is a sticky situation! But look what happened because nothing was done to address the matter! As we shall see......more than just Amnon will die and sexual sin and indiscretion will multiply in the family, and David will lose the respect of the people he governed because he couldn't even govern his own family. Isa 26:10 warns, “Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah. Amnon needed to be confronted with his sin and invited to repent of it. There was more at stake here than earthly punishment, he was in danger of “not beholding the majesty of Jehovah” in glory! Father grant us the courage to confront sin, and to do it with grace. A live streaming audio version of this Devo can be heard at 5:50 P.M CST at www.thefamily.net

Like A Shot of Novocaine

536- Before we begin, I feel it is necessary to warn parents with young children at this time that this material is only suitable for adults. The biblical commentator Matthew Henry had this to say about this portion of Scripture: this is “a subject not fit to be enlarged upon nor indeed to be mentioned without blushing, that ever any man should be so vile,” But the Bible doesn't sugar coat life, even when it is at it ugliest moments, so parents, beware as we progress through this portion of Scripture verse by verse. I read from 2Sa 13:20 “And Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this thing to heart." So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house. (2 Sam 13:20) Absalom picks up on the behavior of his sister. He puts two and two together and realizes that Amnon has violated his sister, and then dumped her. He tries to give her a word of encouragement by saying that it wasn't her fault. It was her brother who had betrayed her trust. But it was of little comfort to Tamar who remained desolate in Absalom's house. The word “desolate means, “stunned or stupefied.” It is to “grow numb.” Think about the effect that this had on Absalom who watched his sister's feelings being numbed day by day because of what Amnon had done to her. The pot of his anger and thoughts of revenge were being stirred day by day. Think about the emotional state of Tamar. Think of what this one lustful act of Amnon's did to her emotional state. It was like giving her emotions a shot of novocaine and putting the light of her soul on the wrong side of the dimmer switch. No wonder Paul reminded Timothy in 2Ti 2:22 “Flee also youthful lusts;” Amnon did not flee his youthful lusts and look what happened! Is it any wonder why God's Word reserves sexual activity for husband and wife? Does God forgive illicit sexual activity? You know the answer is yes. There is no sin that Jesus did not pay for on the cross. Come to Jesus, confess your sin. Receive His forgiveness and then go and sin no more. Father guard us from youthful lusts. Let Your Spirit reign in us and not our flesh.

The One Who Will Never Jilt You

536- Before we begin, I feel it is necessary to warn parents with young children at this time that this material is only suitable for adults. The biblical commentator Matthew Henry had this to say about this portion of Scripture: this is “a subject not fit to be enlarged upon nor indeed to be mentioned without blushing, that ever any man should be so vile,” But the Bible doesn't sugar coat life, even when it is at it ugliest moments, so parents, beware as we progress through this portion of Scripture verse by verse. I read from 2Sa 13:16-19, “So she said to him, "No, indeed! This evil of sending me away is worse than the other that you did to me." But he would not listen to her. 17 Then he called his servant who attended him, and said, "Here! Put this woman out, away from me, and bolt the door behind her." 18 Now she had on a robe of many colors, for the king's virgin daughters wore such apparel. And his servant put her out and bolted the door behind her. 19 Then Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore her robe of many colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly. ( 2 Sam 13:16-19) Amnon had gotten what he wanted from Tamar and now discards her like a dirty rag. He kicks her out and bolts the door behind her, locking her out of his life forever. He has stolen something from her that was meant to be reserved only for her future husband. In biblical times, this loss of virginity was a very serious matter and if it was discovered on the wedding night, it was grounds for annulling the marriage. See Dt 22:13-21) In a sense, Tamar's dreams of a future, happily ever after story, were quashed the minute that door was bolted. In biblical times, she had no place to go, nowhere to turn. The jilting by someone who professed to love you is a traumatic experience for the victim. Your life is not going to pan out in accordance with your dreams. If this is your experience, let me tell you about a lover who will never jilt you. Let me tell you about Jesus. He will never discard you. He will forgive you of any indiscretions and He will help you build a new life with new dreams. One of His great promises is found in Joel 2:25 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten” Oh jilted one, do not despair! Jesus loves you! Turn to Him and allow Him to rebuild your life!

Saving Yourself For Marriage

535- Before we begin, I feel it is necessary to warn parents with young children at this time that this material is not suitable for children. The biblical commentator Matthew Henry had this to say about this portion of Scripture: this is “a subject not fit to be enlarged upon nor indeed to be mentioned without blushing, that ever any man should be so vile,” But the Bible doesn't sugar coat life, even when it is at it ugliest moments, so parents, beware as we progress through this portion of Scripture verse by verse. I read from 2Sa 13:14,15, “However, he would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her. 15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Arise, be gone!" ( 2 Sam 13:14,15” Amnon has sexually assaulted and raped Absalom's sister Tamar. Remember that this love that Amnon felt for Tamar was laden with sexual overtones. All he wanted from her was his own sexual gratification and once he obtained it, he was through with her, and she was discarded by him like an old dirty rag. Young people, pay attention to this account and fight to save your virginity for marriage. First of all because God commands it. He says this about fornication, (that is, sexual activity before marriage.) "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits fornication sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own, 20 for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” (1 Cor 6:18-20) Secondly, once the object of sexual gratification has been conquered, there is a high probability that the object will be dropped like a hot potato, much like Tamar. Don't think your case will be different. Sexual conquest is the goal of those that are governed by the lust of the flesh, whereas those who are governed by the Spirit understand God's plan for sexuality expressed in the true oneness of marriage. They embrace it, they treasure it, and patiently wait for it's expression on their wedding day. This kind of spiritual patience will go a long way in learning to treasure each other as man and wife. Father, give our young people the strength to say no to improper sexual expression. A live streaming audio version of this Devo can be heard at 5:50 P.M. CST at www.thefamily.net