To Be a Handmaid of the Lord – Lesson 28 – Dangerous Relationships (Dinah, Tamar, Tamar)
To Be a Handmaid of the Lord
Lesson 28
Dangerous Relationships (Dinah, Tamar, Tamar)
Dinah, Tamar, and Tamar – three women dealing with men who did not have their best interests at heart.
In Dinah’s case, we are told NOTHING about her thoughts on the matter. Just what happened around Shechem’s choices.
Tamar – the daughter-in-law of Judah – is put into a seemingly impossible situation for a woman at that time. She waits for Judah to do what is right for her, but he fails to do so. Tamar takes matters into her own hands – with not ideal results.
Tamar – the only daughter of David – is the lesson, in my opinion, that young men and women need before they ever start dating (To be followed up with a good study of Song of Solomon and relationships in scripture). This young woman did EVERYTHING right. She stayed in control of herself even while being assaulted by Amnon. She showed wisdom before he raped her and she showed wisdom again immediately after. She was prepared with knowledge of the law and God’s teachings. This lesson also teaches us to beware those words “if you love me” or “but I love you” when in the context of trying to commit fornication.
Tamar’s lesson also teaches us to beware those words “if you love me” or “but I love you” when in the context of trying to commit fornication. You should never use those words to pressure someone into doing something sinful. You should never fall for the lie when someone else uses them to try to pressure you into doing something sinful. True love does not behave the way Amnon did. What he called “love” was unbridled lust – and young people need to know how to tell the difference – within themselves and from others.
This lesson is a needed one, but it does get into topics that are difficult for young people. Personally, I do not teach it to anyone under the age of 12, but given the atmosphere of our society, it may be needed.
I hope that you find the lesson beneficial.
Click here to download a PDF of Lesson 28 – Dangerous Relationships
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