Beautiful Word: Your Daily Devotion

Daily Scriptural Insights, Curated by the Editors of CT | [View online]( [ChristianityToday.org]( [Beautiful Word Newsletter]( Wednesday, April 26, 2017 Carrying My Sexual Shame [Ruth Everhart]( Everhart&db=true) Today’s Verse Powered by the [New Living Translation]( “‘No, my brother!’ [Tamar] cried. ‘Don’t be foolish! Don’t do this to me! Such wicked things aren’t done in Israel. Where could I go in my shame? And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the king about it, and he will let you marry me.’” 2 Samuel 13:12–13 [View in context]( A vulnerable woman is preyed upon by a powerful man. A second man shows pity, only to use the situation as an excuse for revenge. The two men are historic enemies, but it is the woman who loses. I encourage you to read all of 2 Samuel 13 to better grasp the dynamics involved in Tamar’s story. What is unusual about this story is that all three characters are siblings and members of the royal family. Amnon (the rapist) plays second fiddle to Absalom (the revenger) who is the heir apparent to David’s throne. Tamar’s role is as the king’s virgin daughter and the victim of assault. When Amnon decides that he is “in love” with his half-sister Tamar (v. 1), an adviser suggests a scheme to trap Tamar in Amnon’s bedchamber. The heart-wrenching verse above is Tamar’s plea with her brother. Not only is she trying to protect her physical and sexual self; she is also protecting her social self, which will be destroyed by this violation. What happened was exactly what Tamar had feared. After he raped her, Amnon hated her and refused to marry her, so Tamar ended up a “desolate woman” (v. 20). The story of Tamar can break our hearts. It also reminds us that certain human stories repeat themselves. My own life echoes this story. Like so many others, I have been a rape victim. I read Tamar’s story and grieve, yet I am grateful that her plea is recorded in Scripture. Her words reverberate, the cry of a victim challenging the church: Where can we go in our shame? Reflect Read 2 Samuel 13. What assumptions are at play about the roles of men and women and who will bear the shame of sexual sin? Pray Lift up victims and survivors of sexual assault in prayer. What names and faces come into your mind? Your own, or that of a sister, daughter, or friend? Pray, aligning your heart with their pleas for help. Ruth Everhart is a Presbyterian pastor and the author of [Ruined](, which received a [2017 book award]( from Christianity Today. You can find her at [rutheverhart.com](, on Twitter at [@rutheverhart](, or on Facebook at [RuthEverhartAuthor](. [Read devotions online]( | [Share with a friend](mailto:&subject=Christianity Today Women: Carrying My Sexual Shame&body= More for Women [How Brainy Women Benefit the Church]( [How Brainy Women Benefit the Church]( A recent study suggests that intelligence is often associated with masculinity, not femininity. Hannah Anderson [When 'You're Pregnant' Feels Like Bad News]( [When 'You're Pregnant' Feels Like Bad News]( How can the church help those who are grieving motherhood? Kendra Dahl Follow Us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [RSS]( [Subscribe to this newsletter]( In the Current Issue [May]( [The Science of Sinning Less]([Subscriber access only] [What to Make of Donald Trump's Soul]([Subscriber access only] [Why Don't the Gospel Writers Tell the Same Story?]([Subscriber access only] [View Full Issue]( [Subscribe Now]( Christian Bible Studies [God's Comfort]( ) God meets us in our struggles. by Jack Kuhatschek [Beautiful Word]( Delivered via email to subscribers daily. [Subscribe]( | [Email Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Advertise]( | [Subscribe to CT]( You are currently subscribed as: {EMAIL} Copyright ©2017 [ChristianityToday.org]( Christianity Today, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.