Several years earlier David was refusing to even look at his son. Now, his son is wanting to steal his throne, but David holds no hate in his heart towards him. He still loves his son. His love and forgiveness extends through this treachery.

This is how great our love and forgiveness should be, how great God’s love and forgiveness are.

David’s relationship with his son is broken, but his heart still is for him.

Our sin tears us away from God. It’s the nature of sin. Chosen sin is a rebellion against our Father. It means we’ve turned against Him.

He keeps loving. He doesn’t attack. He may need to turn us over to Satan for a time for discipline, only out of love and desire for us to be safe, which means with Him. But He says to Satan, as David did with his commanders, deal gently with my son.

We see in Job that Satan has to bow to God’s demands. God puts limits on what Satan can do. It may not feel gentle at times, but Satan would love to utterly destroy and kill you.

Joab doesn’t obey the kings command and Absalom is killed in not so gently a manner.

That can’t happen to us. Our Father’s will must be carried out. We can’t be killed by accident. He will keep us. That includes discipline. That includes moving heaven and hell to make sure we stay with Him and don’t leave the fold.

1 Corinthians 1:30 says that it is because of God that we are in Christ Jesus. The context is about how we aren’t to boast, but only boast in the Lord. It is God, the Father, who keeps us in Christ Jesus. We can’t be righteous on our own and keep ourselves in His presence. We can’t save ourselves. With man it is impossible. With God it is possible! We are kept in Christ of God!

Surrender your life to God and He will keep you! You can have assurance of salvation, not because we can sin all we want and get forgiveness anyway, but because God Himself will keep you in His righteousness. Righteousness is required. If unrighteousness were accepted in God’s presence, there would have been no need for the cross of Christ.

Trust yourself to God to keep you. Don’t fear what He might choose for you. He’s a good father and loves His children more than we can understand. He will deal gently with his children.