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2 Samuel Chapter 12: 1-31 Complete Forgiveness

by fol CHURCH on April 03, 2020

David has restored the nation to peace and great military power, but his personal life has become entangled in sin. This passage comes immediately after he has committed adultery with Bathsheba. In Chapter 12 God sends Nathan the prophet to rebuke David. He starts by telling David a story (vs 1-4). David is unable to see that the traveller in the story is in fact him! Nathan has to make him aware of all his wrong actions and point out that David himself would not have tolerated this way of behaving in anyone else (vs 5-11).

David’s subsequent repentance then allows Nathan to comfort him with the reality of God’s forgiveness and at the same time, remind him of the painful consequence his sin would bring (vs 13-19).

All this happened over a year and in that time David has become insensitive to his sin. Once Nathan had opened his eyes to the wrongdoing, he wrote Psalm 51. He pours out his heart to God, feeling utterly miserable and wracked with guilt. He asks God for forgiveness, which of course God grants to him.

Psalm 32 expresses the joy David felt after he knew he was forgiven.

This is encouraging news for us. We too can pour out our hearts to God and ask to be forgiven. There is no need for us to carry guilt and shame around, dragging us down into feelings of unworthiness.

Romans 4: 7-11

“Blessed are they whose sins are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed are they whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

1 John 1: 9

Sins confessed are sins forgiven.

When we return to God, we need to accept His forgiveness, change our ways and take from Him the fresh start that He hands us, moving on with a new approach to life!

There are of course, the consequences of sin. This is painful. All wrongdoing has a knock-on effect; people get hurt, reputations are smeared, friends are lost, families are broken….

We can’t turn back time, but we can move on with God in our lives. We can consciously make the right choices and make a positive difference to those around us.

There may be days that we think about our past wrongdoing, but there is no need to confess our past sins repeatedly. We can be confident that the sins we confess and renounce are forgiven and forgotten….

Hebrews 10:17 “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”

 

 

 

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Spend some time today reading The Prodigal Son in Luke’s Gospel (Ch 15) and ask God to speak truth into you regarding forgiveness. Praise God with Psalm 32.

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