We found two women with the name Tamar in the Bible. One of them was the daughter-in-law of Judah, the son of Jacob. And the second one was the daughter of David, the sister of Absalom. However, both stories in the Bible are so significant that they left a lifelong lesson for believers.
The Bible is full of strange stories and mysteries, and without the help of the Holy Spirit, it is not possible for humans to understand the depth of these stories. Also, we read in the Scriptures, that only the Spirit of the Lord knows the hidden things of God. “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10
Tamar Meaning in the Bible
According to Wikipedia: Tamar (Hebrew: תָּמָר) is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning “date” (the fruit), “date palm” or just “palm tree.” There are two powerful characters in the Bible with this name.
Characteristics of Tamar in the Bible
We will speak only about the characteristics of the daughter of David. The biggest lesson I learned from the second Tamar is that we should never blindly trust anybody. Not even our biological brothers and sisters. We should watch out for sweet words and praises without any reason.
I am talking about Tamar in 2-Samuel, Chapter 13, the daughter of David who might save his brother from being killed by another brother if she knew the trap the devil had spread against her and her family.
She can say to her father “I can cook food for my brother Amnon, but you should also come and eat.” Or she can ask, “I can cook food at my place and can pack a lunch or dinner box for my brother Amnon.” Amnon was her step-brother, but Absalom was her biological brother.
She can ask Absalom to join her once she goes to Amnon’s palace. Sometimes, Christian women behave like Tamar and become so innocent that they forget to see the traps of the devil behind the sweet and praising words. As the Bible already explained in Psalm 12:2, They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
Tamar should not trust her step-brother and should speak to her father to send private guards with her, so her brother or any of his men cannot hurt Tamar, but she clearly lacks good leadership skills.
Lack of Wisdom in Tamar
Wisdom is not taught in schools or in homes unless the parents are Christians or read the Bible regularly. Truth and knowledge are on one side when it comes to acting like a leader. Both things can not help you until you know how to use your knowledge.
This is called wisdom. And wisdom does not work if you do not truly understand the knowledge at your disposal. Tamar lacks wisdom if you read Samuel Chapter 13, as the Bible said it is useless to spread a trap in front of a bird. I am not saying Amnon did good work, but if Tamar acted like a sharp leader, he might not have had a chance of misleading her and his father.