Forgive Me

And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.” 1 Samuel 12:20

I’ve met those who fear that they’ve done things so terrible that God cannot forgive them. Even in my worst behavior though, this was never my concern. From a young age, I was taught about God’s immense love and mercy, believing that he would forgive me for anything, no matter how bad it was. What I did worry about in my addiction however, was that even though I was sorry for what I was doing, I didn’t really do anything to stop doing the thing for which I was sorry. Yes, I wanted to stop stealing pills, and yes, I wanted God’s forgiveness, but for a long time I remained unwilling to do what it took to stop. So, I asked and hoped for God’s forgiveness to feel better about myself, but I just kept on doing the thing that caused a schism between God and me. I think I was right to be concerned.

Today’s passage illustrates the reason for my concern. In the story, God displayed his displeasure with the Israelites (for demanding a human king) by sending a thunderstorm at the time of harvest. Recognizing their failure, the Israelites cried out for forgiveness, fearing that God would do worse in his wrath. Samuel calmed them, Do not be afraid. Samuel went on to explain that even though they had demanded a king, and even though the deed and damage was done, they could still return to God and find that he’d accept them with open arms. Forgiveness though, required repentance. The Israelites couldn’t simply say they were sorry, experience absolution, and then continue the behaviors that offended God in the first place. Experiencing forgiveness required a radical change in behavior.

The primary message of the Bible is that God loves us and desires to live in a loving relationship with us. No matter what we’ve done, no matter how bad it is, God’s mercy is greater and his love his bigger. To experience forgiveness and absolution though, we must make a genuine effort to turn from our way to follow God’s. We’ll not do it perfectly. We’ll still fail. We’ll still regularly turn from following God. Thankfully, there is always forgiveness, and we don’t have to live in fear. Do not be afraid. To live in harmony with God though, and to experience the new life for which we were made, we must daily make a genuine effort to do what it takes to stop going back to the old life.