Forgiveness

Forgiveness

We are always told to forgive. We wonder is it really possible to forgive, all the evil ever done to us. Some things are done to us so vile, evil, hurtful and despicable. Yet, we are told to forgive and we have to do this because we are obedient children and we love our FATHER.

Deep down , we know that it is not right to harbor ill feelings and ill will towards others, but it is not easy to let people off the hook. We know we must forgive and it also helps to forget. How can we accept this teaching of JESUS that we must forgive?

The story of David and Saul helps us to grasp this concept. Now, Saul was king and he had fallen out of favor completely with GOD and GOD had found himself a king after HIS own heart and had him anointed by the same Samuel the prophet.

Saul knew this and was intent on killing David. Saul attempted to kill David by pinning him to the wall, sending him to battle with the philistines once on the pretext of getting foreskins as dowry. Saul also lied to David concerning the marriage of David to his daughters and in one case, he even gave the daughter to another man. Then Saul set out on expeditions to hunt down and kill David. At one point things were so bad that David had to pretend to be a lunatic in front of the philistines for his own survival. Imagine that! The mighty David acting like a lunatic before the philistines, the people of Goliath! Beloved, things can get thick and I mean thick. All this because Saul was angry and jealous of him. David had the right to be flaming angry forever and ever after all he was innocent. Should Saul have landed in his hands, we would understand if David retaliated heavily. But David did not do this.

David never dreamed of being king. It was GOD who saw it fit that David should be king, yet David was , at that season, in big trouble. How did David handle it?

i. David knew, understood and respected authority. He respected GOD, Samuel and Saul. Although, The LORD was with HIM, David knew his place. The same Samuel who anointed him had anointed Samuel. The pit Saul was in, could one day be his pit. He had to be wise and clever and not plant what he did not want to reap because he knew one day he would also be king. David looked ahead at the promises in the future. Beloved, don’t throw away your future because you feel that you must retaliate, you must pay back. Many people have paid too great a price for paying back and taking matters into their own hands.

Beloved, look at the people who have hurt you. Look at them carefully. One day you will be in their shoes. You are in danger of doing exactly the same thing they have done to you and someone will do to you exactly what you do to them. As someone said what goes round comes around. This saying works well with two wrongs don’t make a right. That’s why JESUs said, if someone slaps you, turn the other cheek. So that the day you are doing the slapping, the other cheek is turned for you to continue the slapping. But if you slap back, you will never have peace al the days of your life. Beloved, GOD is for you. These commandments and rules are there for your benefit. So, forgive, it may be hard but worthwhile especially in the long run.

ii. David purposed in his heart never to raise his hand against Saul. In fact David called Saul, “ GOD’s anointed”. He must have known that Saul was in trouble with GOD but that was between GOD and Saul. David did not take advantage of this. Several times David could have easily dealt with Saul but he didn’t. He knew that some people self destruct and do not need your help in self destruction. As we see, Saul totally lost it and self destructed without any help from anyone. Saul himself did what The LORD forbade and that sealed his doom.

Beloved, don’t help those who hurt you in destroying themselves, they will do a great job of destroying themselves all by themselves. Recognize the fact that GOD is capable of handling everyone and everything according to HIS will. Beloved, like David, purpose in your heart, never to raise your hand against others. Purpose in your heart never to be a stumbling block for others especially if this person hurting you is in a place of authority. Especially if the authority involved some form of anointing by men of GOD. Even if the man is in the occult, Saul was somehow in the occult but still it did not give the license to David to strike him. Some things, beloved, are better left alone. Let GOD deal with it. HE said “HE is The LORD. Revenge is HIS. HE will repay”. Who can tell what the mind of GOD is? As we say here in Africa, GOD is not your age mate!