How King David Learnt About Forgiveness

By: Dr Eliezer Gonzalez

David learnt about forgiveness. When David, the one who would become king of Israel was young, he thought he understood about forgiveness, but he didn’t. Like so many of us, David learnt about forgiveness by the things that he suffered.

The most important lessons we will ever learn are about forgiveness. And we only really learn them the hard way.

How David learned

David learnt his need of forgiveness when later in life he awoke one day and realised what he had become – a lustful adulterer and a vile murder. David learnt about forgiveness the hard way.

In his great Psalm of repentance (Ps 51) he cried out to God,

Have mercy on me, O God,

    according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

    blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

    and cleanse me from my sin (vv.1–2).

David learnt the cost of forgiveness when even later on, his own son rebelled against him. What David learnt about forgiveness is that forgiveness costs. When King David heard of Absalon’s death,

The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son” (2 Sam 18:33, NLT)

From David’s life we learn the two great lessons of forgiveness: how free it is from God, and how costly it was to God.

We are forgiven only because of God’s mercy and compassion. We are forgiven because God gave us his one and only Son who died at Calvary.

David learnt about forgiveness. Have you truly learnt your need of forgiveness, and its cost, yet? There is nothing more important.

To learn more about forgiveness and your salvation, subscribe to our free daily devotions here.

You are forgiven because of God’s grace. Learn more about the grace of God here.

Article supplied with thanks to Dr Eliezer Gonzalez.