“Domestic Violence In The Bible”
II Timothy 3:16,17

INTRODUCTION

• In our text verse, we must first realize…

1. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, (This includes the O.T and N.T.)
2. “…and is profitable for doctrine, (to help us become Godly by His Divine instruction)
3. “…for reproof,” (to rebuke us, show us our faults in wrong behavior and beliefs)
4. “…for correction,” (to restore us to our proper/right condition)
5. “…for instruction in righteousness:” (as in training a child, teaching us God’s desire for our lives in being Holy and acceptable to Him.)

• WHY? Verse 17) That the man of God may be perfect,” Now, we know we cannot be perfect. What this means is that we can become more perfect, the goal of trying to be perfect and acceptable to God.
• “…throughly furnished unto all good works.” The Bible is given to us to “thoroughly furnish meaning, completely equip us with the things necessary for us to be called children of God and enable us to Holy as He is Holy preparing us for heaven.
• Now let us examine some people that had the same struggles with the issues in life that we struggle with.

 I. People in the Bible and their sexual abuse

A) Abraham (The sex trafficker)

• Genesis 12:10-13…
• Abraham first convinces his wife to lie to the king.
• Then he tries to get her to sexually please the king in order to put food on their table. This would be considered today as “sex trafficking.”
• Then they do it again in chapter 20.
• Discuss some things wrong with their conduct as “Christians/children of God.”

B) Tamar (The pious prostitute)

• Abraham’s great grandson(Judah) had three sons. The oldest son Er, married a Canaanite woman named Tamar. Er was wicked in God’s eyes so God killed him in Genesis 38:7.
• Then, Judah told his second son(Onan) to “go into (go sleep with, have sex with)” Tamar in order to keep their blood line going of Er. This is the Levirate law that the oldest brother alive must marry the deceased man’s wife to continue the lineage.

• Look at Genesis 38:9…And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. 10) And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.
• Onan slept with her but never allowed his semen to enter Tamar not allowing her to become pregnant.
• Why was this wrong in God’s eyes?

1. Onan knew that the children would not be his, but rather Er’s.
2. That means Onan would not get the firstborn’s inheritance.

• This Law of God’s was mentioned in Deuteronomy 25:5-6.
• Onan sexually made use of Tamar’s body for his own gain(profit) which mentally and physically abused Tamar.
• Notice the judgement of God upon him was death in verse 10.
• Then Judah decides not to give Tamar to his third son(Shelah).
• Judah tells her to live as a widow in her father’s household. (Abuse, Rejection)
• Tamar then notices that Er’s (her dead husband) blood line is not going to continue as God wants, she schemes up a plan of her own.
• Judah’s wife dies, so Tamar dresses up like a prostitute, sit alongside the road that she knows Judah will travel and lures Judah to have sex with her.
• Judah pays the fare of a prostitute (A goat), and upon her agreement she wants collateral. Judah gives her his wallet, signet, cord, and staff.
• Now she conceives, and Er’s bloodline is continued.
• Judah later learns that Tamar is pregnant (Not knowing that it is his child), he orders Tamar to be killed.
• Now, Tamar is pregnant with twins. If Judah has her killed, he will be responsible for the death of Tamar, and his two sons.
• Tamar carries on with her plan. Tamar then sends a message and Judah’s possessions to the authorities saying I am pregnant and the man responsible is the owner of these things(signet, wallet, and staff). Note Genesis 38:25.
• Judah was wrong. Why?
• Tamar was wrong. Why?
• Judah later repented of his sin and was a changed man. He offers himself as a slave in the place of his youngest brother(Benjamin) who was a slave to the man in charge of the grain in Egypt – his brother Joseph. Genesis 44:33.
• Unlike Judah, Tamar was trying to do what was right, she did wrong unto God.

C) David (the rapist)

• The O.T. includes several rape stories, including the gang rape of the Levite’s concubine (Whore) in Judges 19.
• But many people do not associate “rape” with the David and Bathsheba story.
• We all know that David was supposed to be at war and ended up walking around on his roof top to see Bathsheba bathing and then he inquired of her to come to him.
• In II Samuel 11:27…And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.
• When David’s plan to cover up the sin failed, he has her husband killed in the war.
• Bathsheba may have known that David was watching.
• Now, the text does not say she was “naked.” The may have been using a wash bowel and taking a sponge bath. She may have been clothed.
• In those days women would not dare to say “no” to any man. And no one said no to a king, male or female.
• As we saw earlier, this act of David’s did not please the LORD.
• Later in II Samuel 12:5, Nathan blames David telling a story that depicts David’s sin and tells David he deserves to die for what he did.
• Bathsheba had no choice in the matter. You didn’t say no to men or the king. David was both a man and a king who raped an defenseless woman.