One of the other reasons I was so blog quiet the past two weeks was due to my studying for a Christian Education lesson on domestic violence. The studying and preparing for Jinah’s wedding, alongside the general AAJA-LA madness and trying the house relatively clean, really took a toll on my time at the gym, cooking and blogging, unfortunately.
But, I made some very interesting discoveries in the time I spent studying domestic violence. For the record, I felt compelled to do this study after seeing all the news about Chris Brown and Rihanna, and the subsequent suppression of the photo of her bruised and battered face. And honestly, I believe that news agencies shouldn’t have suppressed the photo — yes, Rihanna’s privacy is important, but she’s also a public figure, and young girls who idolize both her and Chris Brown need to see what can result from an abusive relationship.
First interesting discovery was 1 John 4:18:
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
When you think about it, domestic violence stems entirely from fear — for the victim, fear of his/her abuser and for the abuser, fear of the loss of the victim, his/her love or power or any number of other things that we as individuals really have no power over. So when there’s fear, that’s not love.
Second interesting discovery was the comparison of King Saul and David as an example of domestic violence in the Bible, especially since I’ve been watching “Kings” on Hulu, which is a modern take on their story.
Third — and most valuable, I think — interesting discovery was the blog of the grandson of the publisher of the Daily Bread pamphlets, called Been Thinking About. Martin De Haan, in a neat and tidy blog post, lined up in an easy handout the many excuses abusers give based on the Bible and correspondingly gives Scripture to debunk those excuses. My only criticism? That the blog is not formatted to print the entire post out. That’s it!
Anyway, if you’re interested in actually seeing my lesson, I can email it to you. But I’m sure there are a lot more knowledgeable people on the subject out there than myself.
*There’s been a lot interest in this study, so I’ve decided to post the notes in PDF format: domestic violence. As with anything, please give credit to me when presenting these notes during your own studies. Thanks!
Darlene: Thank you for this post. In my intercession with victims of domestic abuse I have found that most men and women have no clue as to what love really is, yet God clearly defines it in 1Cor 13:4-7… I’ve also used the study of Saul and David.
As a survivor and advocate I have found that the bible is the tool of wisdom for educating on avoidance and overcoming domestic violence. It enlightens, instructs admonishes, comforts and so much more. Thank you for sharing. – Rv myspace.com/reeveal
I would love to read your bible study on abuse, my mom has been abused for almost 30 years, I grew up very confused and scared of my father. Thanks you
i would love to read your bible studies. i do suffer domestic violence. many are abused in my country and there is limited or no support for the victims. I want to do some work on domestic violence in the church and communities. thanks a lot
I am doing a study with my womens bible study class and would love to read your study. Lots of women are going through and think God has forgotten about them. I pray for a better understand through the word of God and the teaching there of. thank you