Sin Upon Sin

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 12:23, Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.

This is an interesting interchange between Samuel and the people of Israel. Samuel, once again, reminds them and proves to them that they have sinned against God (v. 16-18) by asking for a king when He was already Him as King. Now he begins dealing with them in respect to their rejection of him personally. The people’s reaction to Samuel calling down thunder and rain was fear of the LORD and fear of Samuel. Prior to doing this, Samuel had already communicated to them that in spite of their rejection, God had forgiven them and would not turn His back on them, unless they turned away from Him. He repeated this promise later on in this chapter to reassure the people. What we should note is that Samuel too had forgiven the people. Even though this was a rejection of God’s direct authority over them, it was also a rejection of God’s prophet. Samuel could have taken this opportunity to reject the people and abandon them. However, he would have been wrong and would have then put himself in a position where he too was sinning against God for his refusal to forgive. Far too often, we, who call ourselves Christians, try to rationalize our refusal to forgive others, based on the type of offense, or how often the person has offended us. The only problem with this scenario is that God does not suggest that we forgive, He commands us to forgive. Colossians 3:12-13 clearly command, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Ephesians 4:32 also commands, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Here is where most of us go seriously wrong. Someone sins against us and we get upset, making all kinds of excuses as to why this offense is so grievous that it is just impossible to forgive them. However, the other person goes to the Lord, God forgives them, but we continue to hold a grudge and refuse to forgive. May I ask a question? Who do we think we are to continue to refuse to forgive someone God has clearly forgiven? Are we now in the place of Jesus as judges to continue holding a grudge against someone that is forgiven by Christ Himself? Samuel dared not put himself in that position. As a matter of fact, had he not forgiven, he would have sinned times two. How, you ask? Well, had he chosen not to forgive them and instead turned his back on them and abandoned them, he would have been abandoning what God called him to do as the prophet of God. He also would have refused to pray for them, which was obviously a sin against God. This is something that very few, if any of us at all, give very little thought to. Yes, refusing to be in continuous prayer is sin against God. Did God suggest in His Word that we pray, or did He command us to pray? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 commands, not suggests, “Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Note that it is not only a command, it is God’s will for all of us in Christ Jesus. When we refuse to pray, we are refusing to do the will of God. Far too often, we miss out on opportunities to pray for those who hurt or offend us because we refuse to forgive. Samuel was not offended by just one person, but by an entire nation. His response? Not only was he going to pray for them, but he was going to continue to teach them “the good and right way”. Before we harden our hearts when it comes to forgiving others, we need to remind ourselves that in doing so, we are opposing God’s commands. When we refuse to forgive, we will most likely not pray for that person(s), and thereby add to our sin against God because now we have also refused His will. We cannot violate one aspect of God’s Word without violating others. Samuel made a right and very wise decision when he chose to forgive those whom God chose to forgive, and he did well when he not only prayed for the people, but continued to teach them the ways of God. Let us not add sin upon sin by refusing to do that which God has commanded, especially those commands He clearly states as His will for us in Christ Jesus.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).