The Lesson Of Forgiveness

Mar 5, 2016 1507

When David, the one who would become king of Israel was young, he thought he understood about forgiveness, but he didn’t. Like so many of us, he learned forgiveness by the things that he suffered.

The most important lessons we will ever learn are about forgiveness. And we only really learn then the hard way.

David learned his need of forgiveness when later in life he awoke one day and realised what he had become – a lustful adulterer and a vile murder.

In his great Psalm of repentance (Ps 51) he cried out to God,
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin (vv.1–2).

David learned the cost of forgiveness when even later on, his own son rebelled against him. When King David heard of Absalon’s death,

The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son” (2 Sam 18:33, NLT)

From David’s life we learn the two great lessons of forgiveness: how free it is from God, and how costly it was to God.

We are forgiven only because of God’s mercy and compassion. We are forgiven because God gave us his one and only Son who died at Calvary.

Have you truly learned your need of forgiveness, and its cost, yet? There is nothing more important.

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