BIBLE READING: 2 Samuel 13: 1-14
“ After this, Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her. But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man. And he said to him, Why are you the king’s son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me? Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother, Absalom’s sister. So Jonadab said to him, lie down in your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand. Then Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, please let Tamar my sister come and make a couple of cakes for me in my sight that I may eat from her hand. And David sent home to Tamar, saying, now go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him. So Tamar went to her brother’s house and he was lying down. Then she took flour and kneaded it, made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. And she took the pan and placed them out before him but he refused to eat it. Then Amnon said, have everyone go out from me , and they all went out from him. Then Amnon said to Tamar, bring the food into the bedroom that I may eat from your hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them to Amnon her brother in the bed room. Now when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, come, lie with me, my sister. But she answered him, no my brother, do not force me for no such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing. And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now, therefore, please speak to the king for he will not withhold me from you. However, he would not heed her voice and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her.”David had many wives and this is one of the problems affecting polygamy. Amnon and Absalom were David’s son but not of the same mother. Absalom had a younger sister of the same mother called Tamar. Amnon fell in love with Tamar and the love was so deep that Amnon grew thinner everyday and had sleepless nights. Amnon had a friend called Jonadab ( the son of David’s brother). Amnon confided in Jonadad that he loved his sister Tamar. Jonadab being a crafty person advised him to pretend to be ill and make a request to the king that Tamar should prepare food for him. David approved and got Tamar to do the needful. Amnon forced and lay with her and Absalom killed him.
The word of exhortation here is who is the person influencing you and who are you influencing? God wants you to understand that salvation is apart and you may go through storms in life. These storms may not be from the devil but caused by you. When a man does not realize what he is doing, you just try to manage it. God has planted conscience in everybody’s heart . Your conscience can find you guilty but God wants you to correct/ adjust it. Jonadab was supposed to have told Amnon that what he intended to do to his sister is abomination. That informs us of the extent people uphold abomination in America and other parts of the world. A notable example is the judgment of the supreme court that upholds the practice of same sex marriage in America. What is highly exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. It is terrestrial and terrestrial can never overcome celestial ( word of God). The word of man could fail because it is not of God. A decree can be revoked. Anything God has not planted in your life will be uprooted in Jesus Name. Amen. Everybody understands equality but it should not be misconstrued for a sinful thing. Same Sex Marriage is sinful, demonic-, sensual and abomination. Therefore, you should not embrace, welcome, agree, take or accommodate it. These abominable acts started from Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord destroyed the city with brimstones and fire. Genesis 19:24 says “ Then the Lord rained brimstones and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens.” So Lot saw salvation by the mercy of the Lord and because of the covenant between Him and Abraham. Malachi 3:6 says “ For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” Hebrew 13:8 says “ Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.” The Lord is a consuming fire. Proverbs 21:30-31 says “ There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord. The horse is prepared for the day of battle but deliverance is of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 13:8 says “ For we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth.” You can not change the things of God. God disapproves abomination. Proverbs 19:21 says “ There are many plans in a man’s heart. Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel- that will stand.” It is the counsel of God that will stand in America and the world as a whole. Two men and two women would live together in the house as husband and wife and their children would call them Mom and Dad. You should not allow the consequences o f same sex marriage in the family to turn children’s head upside down or cause them mental problems. It is abominable to join man and man together; woman and woman together. It is against the Christian religion and the will of God. As soldiers of Christ, it is only the will of God that will prevail . Influence spreads like cancerous diseases and the approval of same sex marriage in America is influencing everybody. 2 Corinthians 3:9 says “ For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.” God is not sleeping or slacking. God does not want you to come to condemnation. John 17:12 says “ While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. Those subject for destruction will go for destruction but you are ordained for salvation in Jesus Name. Amen. Before you move with somebody, you should find out the value the person will add to your life; In a church, find out what value your Pastor will add to your life; Find out the value you will add to your society, your family, your community etc. Just because God has blessed you, you are enjoying yourself when your family members are suffering . In Nigeria, there are no good roads, no electricity, no adequate pipe-borne water. The question is what value has the Government of the day added to people’s lives? Psalm 138:8 says “ The Lord will perfect that which concerns me ; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” Matthew 5:48 says ‘ Therefore you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect. “ God is God of perfect. Some broken marriages emanated from the advice of bad friends. If a husband and a wife have divorced, there is still a solution. With God all things are possible. Homes that are destabilized can still be re-organized. You should run away from bad company. Evil communication corrupts good manners. Some people have good fathers/ mothers but have chosen another parent claiming that their parents are illiterates. Jesus took our pains, sorrow, in short- everything. If a woman says her husband is a tiger in the house , the tiger can still be caged. If your husband is occult, you can still save him as a woman of God. The Bible says darkness can never overshadow light. Matthew 5:14 says “ You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” When light radiates in darkness, it illuminates better. You are dwelling in the midst of powers of darkness but because you are light, you will illuminate it. You have to choose the right friend, the right adviser, the right counselor. Marriage can be broken in one day. Separation is not divorce and it is not forever. Separation can still be revived but if one of the partners says he/she cannot continue, allow him/her to go. But let not the divorce come from side. God has given you your purpose and destiny in life. The dream of David is different from that of Daniel. God blessed David, the twelfth son of Jesse. God favored Saul – the first son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin; God favored Joseph – the eleventh son of Jacob. Jacob actually had twelve sons. God’s ways are not our ways. His works are different from the way we think. You have to celebrate what the Lord is doing in the life of other people, your brothers and sisters and wait for your own time. Joshua was loyal to Moses . He was not jealous of the miracles of Moses when he divided the Red sea with his staff.; when manner fell from heaven; when water came out from the rock. Joshua was thankful to God. God who created the fingers did not make them equal and they all have different functions. Rejoice with people so that people will rejoice with you. What value are you adding to the church? You should stop being a rumor monger in the church. You should pray for people who are not well off or who do not have good jobs. Pray for your elders. Do not say negative things against your parents, brothers and sisters . You should know that there is something connecting you and them. If you disgrace them, you are also disgraced. God wants to beautify you but rejoice with people so that your own joy will be in abundance. In Nigeria, some people are so generous but when they travel overseas, they change from their amiable ways. You should be aware of your adviser or counselor. Amnon heeded to the wrong advise of Jonadab and that led to his untimely death. There is the tendency for you to be attacked if you are:
- Doing good things: If you are doing good things, Satan will attack you spiritually so that you will stop doing good things.
- Disappointment; Expect disappointment so that you will stop doing good things. People will disappoint you.
- Lifting people up: When you lift people up , you will be lifted up too.
From today, you are going up you are going higher in Jesus Name. Amen.
