2 Samuel 13-15

Ever prayed that prayer for God to let you have that one thing? That one thing that would make right the whole world? That new job, with its higher salary so you could afford all those bills? That new house with enough room for everyone so you all wouldn't have to share so much? That newer car with the great reliability record so that you wouldn't have to keep fixing up yours? Or perhaps that wonderful bride whose beauty has captivated you from the first day you saw her?

Our heart can sure long for a lot of things! Some great, some very selfish. But I have begun to learn that everything you think you desperately need, are not always so desperate as you think, nor as much of a need as you have imagined. And sometimes it takes getting them to show you how misguided you really are.

Amnon learned that lesson and it cost him not only alienation, but his life. He desired Tamar so much that he could not control himself and took her by force. But that which was sweet to the eyes, became bitter to the lips. The Scriptures say that after he violated her and laid with her, that "then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her" (2 Sam 13:15).

Isn't sin the same for all of us? We desire it in the moment. We are led to believe the lies which surround it, we rationalize our involvement... and after indulging in it, the conviction of the Holy Spirit resounds so starkly in our hearts that we despise all that we have done. James 1:14-15 reminds us of this very fact, "Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." (literally, in the case of Amnon!)

The next time you begin to go after that thing that entices you, stop and remember what James has to say, then remember the story of Amnon.

Sadly ironic is that as Tamar first points out to Amnon, there was a way to take her and enjoy her which would have been without sin, yet his heart had become so caught up in the heat of the moment that he could not wait to take what he so desperately thought he must have. How often are we much different? Pray and ask God for His wisdom and guidance. The Bible says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).