Saturday, September 22, 2018

The Fruit of Not Forgiving

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“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. So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 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.”

2 Samuel 14:22–24

David’s failure to correct his children when they did wrong brought great trouble to his family. Absalom killed his own brother, Amnon, when David refused to deal with his horrible sin, then fled for his life, fearing that David would kill him for taking the life of the heir to the throne. Years passed, and it took a trick by Joab to get David to extend permission for Absalom to return to Israel. But even then, David did not really forgive his son, and refused to allow Absalom into his presence. It was not right for Absalom to later lead a rebellion against his father, but we can certainly see that David’s lack of forgiveness made Absalom vulnerable to temptation.

When we do not forgive others, it does not just damage our relationship with them, but it hinders our relationship with God as well. Evangelist R. A. Torrey said, “That is the trouble with some of you. Someone has done you an injury, or you think he has, and you will not come [close to God] because you want to cherish this bitter grudge in your heart.” Too many people are still in bondage to hurts of the past because they simply will not let things go. But we cannot be right with God or with others unless we are willing to forgive those who wrong us, just as God forgives us.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

When we are wronged, we must be willing to forgive, or those we love may suffer the consequences.