Monday, August 3

Today’s Readings: Psalm 119:121-152; 2 Samuel 13:1-22; Mark 8:11-21; Acts 23:31-24:9; Psalm 80

Today’s reading from 2 Samuel contains one of the most difficult stories for me to read in all of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). The passage tells the story of Tamar’s rape by her brother Amnon. Now most people assume there is one person to get upset at in the story. That person would be Amnon: the individual who raped his sister. Clearly, one would be correct in getting upset with Amnon. There is another person in the story, however, whose actions also push all of my buttons. That person? King David. In the culminating verses of the passage we are told: “King David heard the whole story and was enraged, but he didn’t discipline Amnon. David doted on him because he was his firstborn” (2 Samuel 13:21 from The Message). Amazing! A person of authority who not only looks the other way, but goes so far as to dote on the rapist. That gets my blood boiling. Of course before I get too bent out of shape, I should remember that many of us often get sucked into a place in our lives where we have the opportunity to stand up for what’s right and do what King David did – yet we keep our mouths shut and look the other way. In speaking on behalf of those who have found themselves in situations analogous to Tamar’s, Martin Luther King, Jr. so correctly observed: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Today, I would encourage us to use Tamar’s story as impetus to speak out against all acts of injustice we encounter – whatever form they may take. Til next time…