Now Absalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her. And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar. 2 Samuel 13:1-2
Amnon was David’s eldest son (3:2), and he was drawn to his half-sister. The Bible says Amnon “loved her” (13:1), and again, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister” (13:4).
But Amnon knew very little about love. Love seeks the good of another person, irrespective of the cost. For Amnon, love was nothing more than getting what he wanted. Amnon became obsessed with Tamar and he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
Amnon lived without God, and when you live without God, something else takes the place of God, and so his passions became his god. They took control of his life and Amnon was tormented by his own desires.
You would think the fact that he was tormented to the point of making himself ill would be a sign to him that his desire was not pushing him in the right direction. But perhaps Amnon reasoned, as so many do today, that feelings so strong must be right.
If God is not sovereign in your life, something else will be. And if you allow your passions to gain control of your life, in the end, they will torment you.
Where are your own passions gaining power and beginning to torment you?