Influences

2 Samuel 13:3
Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shieah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man.”

The story of Amnon and Tamar (2 Sam 13:1-22) is one of the most tragic in the Bible. Amnon was one of the sons of King David. He had a very unhealthy obsession with his half-sister Tamar. He had feelings for her that he just couldn’t get out of his head. Amnon had a friend named Jonadab (actually his uncle). Jonadab seemed like a very switched-on kind of guy. He was smart. Jonadab noticed that his friend seemed trouble and asked what was wrong. Amnon shared what he was struggling with.

So far, this story seems pretty good. All of us have sinful desires that we battle with. Locked up inside these things can fester and grow to a point they can’t be controlled. On the surface, Amnon did a good thing. He openly and honestly confessed his struggle to a friend who was described as "a very shrewd man." In modern-day Christian language we’d say that he shared with an accountability partner – a very good strategy.

Unfortunately, while Jonadab may have been a shrewd man, he was not wise or righteous. If he had been a good friend he would have suggested some strategies to help Amnon get over his temptation, or prayed for him. Instead, Amnon used his intelligence to concoct a devious plan, which would help Amnon to satisfy his inappropriate cravings. The result is that Tamar gets raped and then abandoned, a disgraced woman in her society. This one event sets off a series of circumstances that almost destroys a family, and leaves Amnon murdered for his crimes.

We all have people in our lives who influence us, and others who we influence. This is part of how God made us. He works through people. We need people who we can take advice from and learn from. We must use wisdom and discernment however, in choosing these people. We must assess, is this person likely to lead me in the right direction, or lead me astray. Amnon took the wrong advice. Let’s be a bit more deliberate about who we allow to influence us.

"Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1873, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers."

Roberto Orci Talks Star Trek

Star Trek co-writer and executive producer Roberto Orci recently gave an interview to trekmovie.com. He spoke a lot about the new Star Trek(2008) movie, as well as his own love of Star Trek.

The more I hear from this guy, the more enthusiasm I have for the film. Orci clearly has an appreciation of all five series as well as the movies. The team are putting a lot of continuity references into the film, but their biggest aim is to tell a good story.

Personally, I can't wait to see this.

Read the interviews:

• Interview - Roberto Orci On Why He Is A Trekkie & Making Trek Big Again October 4, 2007
• Interview - Orci Talks Casting, Characters, Canon…and Kirks October 8, 2007