Bystander Intervention

Over the last few years I have had the privilege of teaching the concept of bystander intervention. Specifically, it pertains to prevention of anything violence related such as sexual assaults, stalking, domestic violence and suicides to name a few. The training conveys the importance of understanding warning signs of these types of violent acts as well as recognizing our own barriers that could prevent us from intervening. This training has opened my eyes to many things that I may not have previously before. This brings me to 2 Samuel 13 where we meet Tamar, David's daughter. In the first 14 verses we are introduced to her and told of her horrific rape by her half brother, Amnon. Amnon had a strong sexual desire for her and once he raped her he had an even more intense hatred for her. Verse 20 shows what bystander intervention looks like. Tamar's brother, Absalom, noticed there was a change with her. Specifically, she wore her clothing differently and she was crying loud. Absalom also knew where she was last at and he asked her, "Has Amnon, your brother, been with you?". Absalom paid attention to his sister and knew where she went, that she dressed differently, and that she was crying. He put them all together and went to her, although he probably already knew the answer. How attentive are we to the people that we know. Do we know their normal habits? If your co-worker came to work in and was not their normal self, would you notice? What about your children?