2Sa 13:1-2 KJV
(1) And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of
David loved her.
(2) And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her. What exactly is true love? How do I know if a man truly loves me? How do I know if a lady
truly loves me. While putting in mind that there are so many definitions and perceptions of what true love is, it is pertinent
to remind ourselves that true love can only be defined by Scriptural standards. Why is this so? God is love. True love can only comes
from anyone that really knows God. A man that doesn’t know God is incapable of showing true love. He may be caring and nice in your own
standards, but as long as He doesn’t know God, he doesn’t understand the dynamics of true
love. That is why we will be going back into the Bible to see the true definition of love. In our devotion this morning, the story of Amnon
comes to mind. Verse one of the above scripture tells us that Amnon was in love with his sister.
Verse two tells us that she was so vexed with love that he fell sick. It was no longer a soul’s battle, it became rottenness in his bones.
From the above, one will naturally conclude that this is genuine love. What do you think? Was the love genuine? For him to fall sick, he
must really be in love! Isn’t that how some men come around you and truthfully tell you that they can’t eat again, sleep again because
of love? Can we conclude about a man’s love for a woman by virtue of his being “vexed” to the point of sickness?
Look at a few translations:
2Sa 13:2 MSG
Amnon was obsessed with his sister Tamar to the point of making himself sick over her….
Can obsession equal true love?
2Sa 13:2 AMP
And Amnon was so troubled that he fell sick… Can being troubled equal true love?
2Sa 13:2 BBE
And he was so deeply in love that he became ill…
Can being deeply in love equal true love?
2Sa 13:2 NIV
Amnon became frustrated to the point of illness on account of his sister Tamar…
Can being frustrated equal true love?
Well, before we conclude, let’s see what happened in a few verses away.
2Sa 13:14 KJV
Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and
lay with her.
Here is Message translation:
2Sa 13:14 MSG
But he wouldn't listen. Being much stronger than she, he raped her.
This couldn’t be true love! How would you rape someone you profess to love? Something
is not quite right there. Sometimes all he wants is sex. That is not love! Sometimes, all she wants is your money, that is not true love! All Amnon wanted was to satisfy that rush of adrenalin. He went so far, thinking he was in love, but once his lust was pacified, love vanished into thin air. Love is willing to wait, lust demands immediate satisfaction. Never forget that. True love will not insist that you compromise your virtue. True love will protect. True love will honour.
True love will respect. So what more is true love? Amnon feigned sickness and deceived his father
True love will not pretend, deceive or trap you. He was never interested in the food. Amnon refused to consider the consequences.
True love is not stupid . True love stands to reason in respect to God’s standard Amnon’s love for Tamar was not natural. It was
incest. True love will not enter into perversion to prove itself. Amnon forced Tamar and raped her, despitevthat Tamar called him ‘brother’ True love will protect. It will not violate your sanctity.
Amnon hated Tamar afterward
True love is not fickle, instant or temporal. It is enduring and lasting. True love does not go back and forth. It is stable. Even when
tried, it still stands strong. I pray for you today, that God will guide you,vlead and help you to differentiate between true love and lust. You will not miss it in Jesus name!
