Carnal Desires

Scripture verses that caught my attention today: 2 Samuel 13:15-16 Then Amnon was seized with a very great loathing for her; indeed, his loathing was even greater than the lust he had felt for her. Amnon said to her, “Get out!” 16 But she said to him, “No, my brother; for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her.

Observation: Earlier Amnon had uncontrollable lust for Tamar. Suddenly, upon getting (or, I should say, ‘taking’) what he wanted, he suddenly becomes loathsome toward here. He never learned to take the long view.

Application: The story that comes to mind is that of a recent secret service scandal where, we are told, one agent in particular spent the night with a woman who was engaged in prostitution. They had agreed upon a price but, when morning came, the agent refused to pay her and, what’s more, rudely dispatched her from his room.

As was the case with Tamar, one could say that the wrong of the agent sending the woman away without the agreed-upon pay was worse that the original wrong of agreeing to pay to sleep with her to begin with. It became a source of shame for both of them.

One lesson to be learned from both the biblical and contemporary fiascoes is that our carnal desires can be dangerously disingenuous. In other words, what (or who) we might think we want is sometimes nothing more than an illusion. It’s like a bird flying full-speed into a clear glass window or a person diving into the sea at high tide without any clue of what rocks might be just beneath the surface.

Better to tread more carefully, take considerably more time in discernment, and consider broader and longer-term ramifications so that, if one has created an illusion, it might be seen for what it really is. That’s a much better path toward finding a happy and fulfilling relationship or toward keeping and cherishing the relationship one might already have.

Prayer: Lord, I’ve been mighty fortunate in this regard, blessed with a marital relationship that I have never regretted or wished to exchange. It’s really nice to be able to say that and I can’t thank you enough for making it possible. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: 2 Samuel 13-14 and Matthew 24)