To Encourage You

2 Samuel 3:22-25 “Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, ‘Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace.’ Then Joab went to the king and said, ‘What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, so that he is gone? You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.’”

A number of years back I remember talking to an individual about the gospel and his response was that he had a big problem with a person that had lived their entire life any way they wanted but then had a death-bed conversion.  He didn’t believe in such things. He was actually angry about such a possibility, and he let me know he didn’t want any part of such a religion! 

It’s that incident that came to my mind as I was meditating on the passage above from 2 Samuel.  It’s taken from the account of David’s life soon after Saul had died and David began to assume the kingship. He first ruled only in Judah, while Saul’s son Ish-bosheth ruled the rest of Israel. Abner was the commander of Ish-bosheth’s army, while Joab commanded David’s army.  Eventually, Abner, who saw that his forces were growing weaker while David’s grew stronger, decided to align himself with David. He now would serve him, although he had spent many years fighting against him.  And David agreed.  In fact, David had a feast to celebrate Abner’s actions and then sent Abner away “in peace.”  Soon after this, Joab, who had always been faithful to David, returned.  He was angry, and in fact exasperated, that David had allowed Abner to go in peace.  Abner had killed Joab’s brother (in an act of self-defense), and Joab wanted revenge.  You see, Joab’s terms were more severe than David’s, and eventually Joab deceived Abner and took his life. 

As I’ve thought about this, I wonder how many of us who call ourselves Christians have a similar attitude toward others, i.e., people who, like Abner, have decided to stop fighting against the King we follow and are now submitting to him?  How many are like the individual I mentioned earlier, who had a higher personal standard for forgiveness than did God?!  Are we skeptical of new believers? Are we hesitant to welcome them into the family of God? If they are people who have sinned against us, are we skeptical that they could ever change?  Are we like the Christians in the first century who just couldn’t believe that Saul, the persecutor of believers, had now become Paul and was a believer himself (Acts 9:26)? And while we may not actually attack such people with a weapon, do we ever attack them with our words? 

You see, it’s our God Who has established how One comes into the faith.  He is merciful to any sinner who will repent and turn to Him, no matter how dark their past and no matter how long their past has been.  He grants eternal life to a person who believes in the last minute of their life (remember the thief on the cross) the same as a person who has served Him since they were a child. He would tell any with a self-righteous attitude who thinks they deserve what God would give them more than someone else, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” (Matthew 20:15). I, for one, praise God for His longsuffering patience toward sinners.  It gives me great hope as I pray for those who have not yet believed.