Boy, I’ve got to preach a sermon on this Bible verse real soon! In 2 Samuel 14:14 a woman is talking to King David about forgiving and restoring his son Absalom to the family. David is not responsive to the idea. As the woman persists, she says in verse 14, “But God does not take away life, instead he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.” Isn’t that great? What insight this woman had into the love of God!
Even though God has spoken that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) and “the soul that sins shall surely die” (Ezekiel 18:4), his love is so great that he is devising ways for people to realize that he is willing to forgive.
This was a part of Preacher Jonah’s defense when he ran from going to Nineveh and warning the people about the coming Judgement. In Jonah, chapter 4, he complained that though God wanted him to tell the people that judgement was certain, he knew God would forgive the people if they repented and the great calamity would be averted.
Paul says that God’s ways with men are impossible to understand.
Forgiveness is hard for us. So often we are looking to get revenge or to get even with the one who has hurt us. (Take note of the weekly list in the local papers of the people who are suing someone.)
We demand that our hurt feelings be stroked. We assume that God operates on the same set of motivations that we use, but wonder of wonders, God is looking for ways to bring mankind back into relationship. He does not “go away mad” when we sin but rather offers us total, complete, free forgiveness.
No wonder John said, “God so loved the world” (John 3:16)! Extraordinary love! Where are you today? God says “come home”.
“Doing it Your way, Dear Lord, is absolutely the best way ever opened for
us. Please remove our spiritual blindness! We insight Amen need
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