Understanding the Atonement: 1 Samuel 25

The Atonement of the Savior is what we base our belief around. Most of the time we talk about how the atonement helps us to repent, gives us the opportunity to make up in some way for what we have done wrong, and for Christ and his infinite sacrifice to envelope us in the arms of mercy, restoring us to our whole.

What we don’t talk about as much is the Atonements ability to help us to forgive those wrongs which have been done or perceived to be done against us.

David in exile asks for provisions of the wealthy farmer Nabal. David and his men had helped his servants and now asked for some assistance. Word came to David that Nabal had refused his petition. David was aggrieved and resolved with his men to come up and slay Nabal and all the men in his household. Nabal’s wife Abigail was told of the situation and quickly gathered provisions and went to intercept David before he reached the house.

When Abagail found David she fell at his feet and begged for his forgiveness,  not for Nabal her husband but for herself. Her fervent plea and her obvious innocence moved David, his heart was changed in an instant, he realized he was about to do something terrible, it was him that needed forgiveness. 

Likewise the Savior comes to us in our moments of hurt and begs us to forgive him. The absurdity of forgiving the perfect Christ hopefully can move us to the kind of humility necessary to allow us to let it go. In which case we see our own need for forgiveness and not require the repentance of others for our own healing to happen.

In this way we can be free.

Abigail begs David to forgive her.