2 Samuel 15-18
Forgiveness with Consequences

The conclusion to the sad chapter of David's life that began in 2 Samuel 12 is one of the most painful and heart-wrenching in all of scripture. After killing his brother Amnon, David's son Absalom eventually led a rebellion against his father and for a brief while seized the throne of the kingdom of Israel. Urged on by foolish advice and a desire to crush his father, he chose to engage David and his forces and was, in chapter 18, defeated. In the melee, Absalom's hair was caught in the branches of a tree, and he helplessly dangled between heaven and earth. Despite David's clear instructions to his men to capture Absalom alive, Joab, David's chief general, killed the young man. When word reached David, we read in 18:33, "And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

There can be little question that David's thoughts must have gone back to that day on his balcony overlooking Jerusalem when he saw the beautiful Bathsheba bathing, and the subsequent secret liaisons. Nathan had made it plain in chapter 12 that what would follow David in the years to come were a result of that indiscretion. While David was forgiven by God, he still had to deal with the consequences of his sins. This story sadly reminds us there are no "do over" privileges, nor a reset button in life. The actions we engage in today are those that will follow us through our lives. Like David, we can be forgiven when we fall—and praise God powerfully for that fact—but sometimes we must still deal with the consequences of our failings.

One of the lessons, then, is to not live your life counting on grace as a parachute to get you out of danger. I am certainly not saying we can live our lives without the need for grace, but I am saying we must not abuse grace (Romans 6:1). Are there not times when we give into sin knowing we won't continue in it and trusting in God's grace to forgive us—sins of weakness? God's grace may be there, but it does not necessarily stop all the things we have set in motion by our actions—those things we will have to face one day. For instance, God may forgive the young couple that engaged in sex before marriage, but such forgiveness does not mean there won't be a child as a result. God will forgive the homosexual if he is sincere, but he may still suffer the ravages of AIDS. God will forgive the employee that sincerely repents of stealing money from his boss, but he may still go to jail. Forgiveness can come, but it isn't always painless. So, when we are tempted to sin, don't just think of the reality of grace, but also the reality of ramifications.

One final question: what, then, is the point of forgiveness? If He forgave, then why doesn't He stop bad things from happening? God's grace forgives us of the eternal consequences of our sins, which are the most damning. But, even when we must face consequence, God does not leave us alone. His presence is always with the faithful (Hebrews 13:5) and His strength can get us through the further fall-out from our sins as we anticipate the glorious rest He longs to give us in heaven one day.