1 Samuel 12:9-11
8 “After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 “But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. 10 They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.
How many times would you not just forgive someone who betrays you, but rush to their help when they cry out to you? Peter asks Jesus a question along these lines in Matthew 18:21, ‘Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” God doesn’t just set demanding standards, however, he also lives them as seen here in 1 Samuel. Time and time again he forgives and rescues his people, despite the fact that they keep betraying him.
Lord, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us…
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