II Samuel 14:22 “And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.
(23) So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. (24) And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.”
Did you notice what Joab could not see? He sees that David is persuaded by the wise woman of Tekoa. But he can’t see David’s heart towards his son.
Yes, David agrees that Absalom can come back to Jerusalem. But, verse twenty-four, “Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face.”
Remember I asked you earlier this question. Have you figured out what is worse than not being forgiven?” Here it is. It’s half-forgiveness.
Now I believe I know the answer as to why David wouldn’t let Absalom come to his house and why he wouldn’t talk to Absalom, why he wouldn’t let him see his face. It’s simply this. “Often we gain God’s forgiveness for our sins. Yet, when it comes to our forgiving others who have truly hurt us, we are both slow and reluctant to give it.”
Do you recall the story of the man who refused to cancel a small debt after he’d been forgiven of such a large one? God watched it all from Heaven.
David is in that exact same situation. He’d been an adulterer. And he’d been a murderer. And he’s been forgiven by the LORD. Yet when given that exact same opportunity to forgive his own son, he refuses to do forgive.
Here’s another reason why. We who sin (and we all do) judge others more harshly than they deserve; especially those who mess up like we do.
Folks, God’s purpose for our lives is not to stand in judgment of others, but to stand in judgment of ourselves.
The Apostle Paul says this. I Corinthians 4:4 “ … he that judgeth me is the Lord.”
Jesus Himself says this. Matthew 7:7 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. (2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
Paul says this also. I Corinthians 11:31 “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (32) But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
God is the true judge. He is also the best judge because He is a merciful judge. We too often judge others somewhat severely and somewhat more harshly than they deserve because of our lack, not theirs.
Now, let’s take a minute to ask a question about Absalom. What do you think Absalom wanted from his father? Here’s what he wanted. He wanted the relationship restored. He wanted to know his father’s forgiveness. By now he surely knows that he what he did to Amnon was wrong. Yet, his father won’t even talk with him about it.
And how does Absalom respond to this lack of true forgiveness from his father? He’s hurt and now back in Jerusalem, maybe even seeing his father at a distance on a daily basis. He’s only been half-forgiven and that is never enough.
What we all want and need is complete forgiveness. And yes, Absalom should have gone to God and found complete forgiveness from Him. But folks, we are all human when it comes to the matters of sin and forgiveness. We all want broken relationships restored.
And it’s almost like the wound can’t heal until we know the human side of forgiveness alongside the divine side.
That shows you not only the power of sin and the power of selfishness. But it also shows you the power of forgiveness.
Can you make it through life without forgiveness? Yes, a lot of people attempt it. But it’s not a very satisfying life, is it?
Forgiveness is so necessary that it will always come to mind every time we see that one we sinned against; every time their picture comes to our minds; every time we think of what happened.
You see, God’s way is to allow accept His forgiveness. But His way is also that you hold a continual attitude of forgiveness towards others.
This is a very large issue with God. Here’s what the NT teaches on this subject.
Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (31) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
(23) So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. (24) And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.”
Did you notice what Joab could not see? He sees that David is persuaded by the wise woman of Tekoa. But he can’t see David’s heart towards his son.
Yes, David agrees that Absalom can come back to Jerusalem. But, verse twenty-four, “Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face.”
Remember I asked you earlier this question. Have you figured out what is worse than not being forgiven?” Here it is. It’s half-forgiveness.
Now I believe I know the answer as to why David wouldn’t let Absalom come to his house and why he wouldn’t talk to Absalom, why he wouldn’t let him see his face. It’s simply this. “Often we gain God’s forgiveness for our sins. Yet, when it comes to our forgiving others who have truly hurt us, we are both slow and reluctant to give it.”
Do you recall the story of the man who refused to cancel a small debt after he’d been forgiven of such a large one? God watched it all from Heaven.
David is in that exact same situation. He’d been an adulterer. And he’d been a murderer. And he’s been forgiven by the LORD. Yet when given that exact same opportunity to forgive his own son, he refuses to do forgive.
Here’s another reason why. We who sin (and we all do) judge others more harshly than they deserve; especially those who mess up like we do.
Folks, God’s purpose for our lives is not to stand in judgment of others, but to stand in judgment of ourselves.
The Apostle Paul says this. I Corinthians 4:4 “ … he that judgeth me is the Lord.”
Jesus Himself says this. Matthew 7:7 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. (2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
Paul says this also. I Corinthians 11:31 “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (32) But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
God is the true judge. He is also the best judge because He is a merciful judge. We too often judge others somewhat severely and somewhat more harshly than they deserve because of our lack, not theirs.
Now, let’s take a minute to ask a question about Absalom. What do you think Absalom wanted from his father? Here’s what he wanted. He wanted the relationship restored. He wanted to know his father’s forgiveness. By now he surely knows that he what he did to Amnon was wrong. Yet, his father won’t even talk with him about it.
And how does Absalom respond to this lack of true forgiveness from his father? He’s hurt and now back in Jerusalem, maybe even seeing his father at a distance on a daily basis. He’s only been half-forgiven and that is never enough.
What we all want and need is complete forgiveness. And yes, Absalom should have gone to God and found complete forgiveness from Him. But folks, we are all human when it comes to the matters of sin and forgiveness. We all want broken relationships restored.
And it’s almost like the wound can’t heal until we know the human side of forgiveness alongside the divine side.
That shows you not only the power of sin and the power of selfishness. But it also shows you the power of forgiveness.
Can you make it through life without forgiveness? Yes, a lot of people attempt it. But it’s not a very satisfying life, is it?
Forgiveness is so necessary that it will always come to mind every time we see that one we sinned against; every time their picture comes to our minds; every time we think of what happened.
You see, God’s way is to allow accept His forgiveness. But His way is also that you hold a continual attitude of forgiveness towards others.
This is a very large issue with God. Here’s what the NT teaches on this subject.
Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (31) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: