What Did You Think Was Going to Happen?

For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar. 2 Samuel 13:32

As I’ve said before, in my drug use I didn’t set out to lose my job, derail my career, and destroy my family. No one purposefully does that. I simply didn’t weigh the possible consequences. Anyone else would have probably seen it coming but by the time I saw those possibilities, I was addicted, and it was too late. At the beginning, I told myself that I’d get away with it and I blinded myself to the probable repercussions. All I could see at that point was what I wanted, and nothing was going to get in the way of feeding my appetite.

This, I think, must be what Amnon, King David’s son, experienced. Blinded by lust, he simply didn’t think or care of the consequences of his actions. He wanted Tamar, his half-sister, and so he took her. In doing so, he wrecked Tamar’s life and tore his family apart. He was heir-apparent to the throne, but from the moment Tamar’s brother, Absalom, found out, Amnon was a dead man walking. Today’s passage tells of how Abasalom bided his time, but when the situation was right, he murdered Amnon. Absalom, fueled by his father’s inaction over Tamar’s rape, would go on to attempt to overthrow King David. Like I said, Amnon could probably have predicted the disaster that would ensue if he went through with his plan, but in his lust, he blinded himself to the consequences.

It’s often maddening to see someone else self-destruct. We know what’s coming if they continue drinking, over-eating, gambling, or viewing pornography. We know they’re going to lose their job, their marriage, and wreck their lives. Still, they continue. And that’s the nature of addiction – to continue that thing we do, despite knowing and experiencing painful consequences.

Recovery then, means interrupting that cycle, which often requires some radical change – like going to treatment. Recovery also means though, that we begin to consider the consequences, thinking our decisions through to their inevitable end. If I pick up this drink, it won’t stop there. Self-destructive behavior is called self-destructive for a reason. If we refuse to consider where it goes, then eventually we’ll leave all those around scratching their collective heads, asking – What did you think was going to happen?