2 Samuel 13 recounts the story of Amnon, the son of David. He fell in “love” with his half sister Tamar. Eventually, Amnon cornered Tamar in his house and raped her. He then tried to make it look like it was her fault, not his.

David found out about how Amnon had incestually raped his sister, but did nothing to discipline or confront Amnon. The passivity of David enraged his other son Absalom, who was Tamar’s full brother. Eventually, Absalom killed his half brother Amnon in revenge for raping his sister. This began a long chain of events that brought much bloodshed and pain into David’s family and the nation of Israel.

Why is it that David did nothing in response to Amnon’s sin? Some believe that it is because he had committed adultery with Bathsheba (see 2 Samuel 11). The shame of his own sinful behavior took his sense of moral authority away so that he felt unable to render discipline in his son’s situation without being a hypocrite.

Are you a father struggling with sexual sin? If so, you now have a new reason to seek help. You can be practically guaranteed that your children will be exposed to porn and pressured to have sex at some point. You want to have the moral authority to speak to them. Do not fall into the same trap that David did and render yourself impotent in the lives of your children.

If you find yourself in the place where you have a child facing pornography or sexual promiscuity, you don’t have to bow out because of your own struggle. Take the humble road. Admit your own faults to them. Don’t let your shame and sin prevent you from being a factor for good in your child’s life! Let them learn from your mistakes so they might be spared repeating them!