Obligated

429 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 3:22-25, “At that moment the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and all the troops that were with him had come, they told Joab, saying, "Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone in peace." 24 Then Joab came to the king and said, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you; why is it that you sent him away, and he has already gone? 25 "Surely you realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing." (2 Sam 3:22-25) “At that moment,” The dust was probably still kicking up behind the legs of Abner as he leaves Hebron, and Joab, (David's right hand man) returns from a successful raid. The timing is important here because it gives Joab the opportunity to catch up with Abner immediately. At this point, it's good to remember that Abner had killed Joab's brother, and Joab had a vested interest in evening the score. He was astounded that David had him in his hands and let him go. Joab knew the character of Abner well. He knew from past dealings with him that Abner was a manipulator, and a person to be extremely wary of. But Joab forgot something here that is mentioned twice for emphasis. David let Abner go in peace. That means that he sent him away with no reason to fear harm from David and his men. He left with David's word of complete safety. In this respect, David is a type of Christ. Christ, who forgives our past mistakes and allows us to live in peace. It's very similar to New Testament church discipline. When an offending party confesses their sin, they are to be forgiven, and allowed to live in peace. They may offend again, and we ought to be wary of that, but even if they do, church discipline must be invoked again with the aim of restoration of the erring soul. How many times must we forgive an erring brother? Jesus said 7 times 70 times, which is just another way of saying....as often as necessary. When Jesus sends someone away in peace, we are obligated to do the same.