photo courtesy of Shamia Casiano via Pexels
I’ll never forget the day a friend described the Bible as a book of fairy tales for those who need simple answers to complex questions. My response was something like this:
“That rote, hackneyed comment proves that you are just as intellectually lazy and dishonest as most people. I actually held you in higher regard.”
No, the relationship did not disintegrate; and he didn’t feign offense or demand I apologize. We were friends. He had been direct, and I returned the gesture. But he was surprised. And intrigued. So we talked. Naturally, he admitted that he hadn’t actually read much of the Bible. I knew that. Nobody who has ever taken the time to read past the first two chapters of Genesis could ever conclude that the Bible is a book of fairytales, providing easy answers to tough questions.
One of the most depressingly realistic and emotionally draining stories in the Bible is the story of Princess Tamar. She is King David’s daughter. A stunning young woman who catches the eye of her brother.
Yup. Her brother.
As in her father’s son.
Amnon.
I want to say that his name means incestous, bottom-feeding pervert. But it actually means faithful. Like it was Opposite Day in the King’s Court when his mother named him.
This is #metoo on steroids. Tamar is not only brutally violated by this lecherous, palace thug; but when his lust is spent, he chucks her out of his house. Righteous King David is mad, but not mad enough to do anything about it. So David’s other son, Tamar’s older brother Absalom takes matters into his own hands and murders the rapist. Uh, yes, they are brothers from a different mother. No joke.The epithet of Princess Tamar’s life is this: And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, as a desolate woman. This woman lives all her life as a ward of her brother.
Depressed, violated and forgotten. So much for fairytales and simplistic answers.
The tragedy of Tamar haunted me. David’s impotent fury disgusted me. Absalom’s rage both appeased and horrified me. If only this young woman’s life had received a better ending. If only it was one of those stories where the good folks win. But contrary to what people (who have never read the Scriptures) believe, the Bible is not a collection of morality tales or a Disney-fied cannon of religious myths. Tamar’s life is a tragedy. I was tempted to despair, when my attention was drawn to an unremarkable verse later in the text. Absalom, her protector-brother, later had a daughter. Quite a fetching beauty it seemed.
That might seem insignificant to the casual reader. But I find it intriguing that the text also notes that Absalom had three sons. Anonymous male offsprings mentioned as footnotes in their father’s genealogy. But this one daughter born to him is mentioned by name. He names his daughter Tamar.
Absalom did many, many things wrong. But it seemed he was determined to give his sister another ending.This tender act of brotherly love compelled me to give my fictional Tamar another ending. My novel The Price of Honor is loosely, very loosely based on this story. But this time, Tamar gets her happy ending. Her life is redeemed. A gallant brother and later an honorable man help to change her narrative. It is not a story of unending anguish. Let me stress: I write happily ever after romance. All Bronte fans look elsewhere. There are gritty realities, but it is a beautiful tale of honor, redemption and love.
Kind of like the Bible.
Rae J