How Forgiving is Jehovah?
Do we ever feel, that we're so bad that Jehovah could never forgive us for our past wrongs, errors, and sins, and we go about broken at heart and spirit, because we feel we are so bad; and we feel our situation is completely hopeless? Surprisingly enough, those are the ones, Jehovah stands ready to forgive, and extend his help to. Those that are conscious of their spiritual needs, and are deeply troubled about it:
18 "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed." {Psalm 34:18 NLT}
We have an example in King David who himself had committed very serious sins and was deeply conscience - striken about them:
1 "O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage! 2 Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me. Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins.4 My guilt overwhelms me—it is a burden too heavy to bear.5 My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins.6 I am bent over and racked with pain.
All day long I walk around filled with grief." {Psalm 38:1-6 NLT}
King David had, had relations with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. {2 Samuel 11:2-4 To make matters worse he tried to have Uriah her husband, killed in Battle by ordering his Men to retreat from behind him in Battle so that Uriah would be killed in an effort to cover his sin. {2 Samuel 11:15, 17} King David was cut to the heart because of his sins, and pleaded with Jehovah, whom he knew would forgive his serious sins. David offered the necessary sacrifice it would take to gain Jehovah's forgivness. That broken Spirit and broken repentant heart. But he did something else, that gauranteed him Jehovah's Forgivness.
9 "Don’t keep looking at my sins.Remove the stain of my guilt.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.Renew a loyal spirit within me.11 Do not banish me from your presence,and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. {Psalm 51:9-11}
"The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." {Psalm 51:17 NLT}
5 "Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord."
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." {Psalm 32:5 NLT}
King David had committed sins worthy of the death penalty under the Mosaic Law, but Jehovah stayed his hand, and in King Davids case, did not carry out that death penalty.
10 " If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the man and the woman who have committed adultery must be put to death." {Leviticus 20:10 NLT}
King David's Heart and Spirit were broken, because of the sins he committed, and confessing them to Jehovah, as he did, he was forgiven, and his heavy load of guilt was lifted; Jehovah removed the stain of his guilt; as he tells us, it was all gone, all wiped away. How far does Jehovah's Forgivness extend? The Prophet Isaiah knows something about that, for note what he penned for us today who seek Jehovah's Forgivness for all of our sins, perhaps committed in ignorance of his Laws, or even while knowing those laws:
18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it." {Isaiah 1:18-20 ASV}
That sounds like our sins could be very serious, yet even in the face of that, he invites us all to reason with him to set matters straight between himself and us. But he tells us we must be willing and obedient, which as I see it, isn't really asking all that much in return for his forgivness for perhaps some very serious sins we may have committed. An amazing example of Jehovah's Forgivness, is seen in the words of the Apostle Peter to those early Jews who had murdered the Messiah. Even for that murder they were given opportunity to repent and turn to God, and their sins for even that murder would be forgiven. But they had to display true repentance in order to receive that forgivness, as we see by the account in Acts:
12 "Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. "People of Israel," he said, "what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? 13 For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. 14 You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact! 16 "Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes. 17 "Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. 18 But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. 19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of JEHOVAH, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. 21 For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets."{Acts 3:12-21 NLT}
How many of us today could even commit a sin as serious as that, out of all the sins we could commit? There is only one sin that there is no forgivness forever for and that is the sin against the Holy Spirit; hopefully none of us will ever go that far. Jesus made mention of that sin, while leaving room for many others that were excusable and could be forgiven for:
31 "So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven." {Matthew 12:31 NLT}
Many very probably do not even know what would constitute that sin. Before they committed it, they would have to know what it was they were doing; as in the case of Judas Iscariot or An-ani'as and his wife Sap-phi'-ra. Who would have known absolutely what they were doing. Acts 5:1-11} Matthew 10:1-8} {Hebrews 6:4-6;10:26-31}} {2 Peter 2:20-22} I don't believe any of us would want the words spoken by Peter to be applied to us: "The saying of the true proverb has happened to them, "The Dog has returned to its own vomit, and the sow that was bathed to rolling in the mire." Not that it couldn't reach that stage, but we would hope it never would.
11 "We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord {JEHOVAH} was kind to him at the end, for the Lord {JEHOVAH} is full of tenderness and mercy." {James 5:11 NLT} As we approach Jehovah in prayer during those times we are cut to the heart over some wrongdoing we know has offended Jehovah, we want to remember the words of the Psalmist who knew Jehovah stood ready to forgive whatever sin and blasphemy we may have committed that has broken our heart and our spirit with the full assurance he will forgive our errors and sins, to lift the burden of guilt, as it did with King David. Because Jehovah Knows our sinful condition, and knows we need his help to overcome, and remove the burden of guilt, that so heavily weighs on our hearts, when we sin against him.
5 "O Lord, {JEHOVAH} you are so good, so ready to forgive,so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help." {Psalm 86:5 NLT}
Should we be fearful of approaching a God as forgiving as Jehovah is; pouring out our hearts over any weakness or frailty we have that causes us to sin at various times? Should we not always remember Jehovah Stands ready to forgive, if only with a repentant heart we approach him in prayer believing the forgivness we need is ours for the asking? The Writer of the Psalms believed it. Shouldn't we too?
8 "The Lord {JEHOVAH} is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.13 The Lord is like a father to his children,tender and compassionate to those who fear him.14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust." {Psalm 103:8-14 NLT}
How Forgiving is Jehovah? Could we ask for any more?
We might look at now, at how forgiving Jehovah was with the Israelite Nation, who had sinned far worse than any of us could today due to the fact that they were in a Covenant relationship with him, yet even then Jehovah extended mercy and forgivness to them, as Isaiah will show us:
25 "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." {Isaiah 43:25 NIV}
22 "I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions, and like a cloud your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." {Isaiah 44:22 AB}
With Jehovah, it wasn't simply a matter of forgiving, it was forgiving and forgetting, which true forgivness is all about. Not remembering the offenses any longer. They were out of memory. Which is the way he expects all of us to forgive others, that may perhaps offend us in some way or another. What did Jesus tell us about that kind of forgivness? Note the following:
24"When he began the accounting, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents [probably about $10,000,000], 25And because he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and his children and everything that he possessed, and payment to be made. 26 Sothe attendant fell on his knees, begging him, Have patience with me and I will pay you everything. 27And his master's heart was moved with compassion, and he released him and forgave him [cancelling] the debt. 28But that same attendant, as he went out, found one of his fellow attendants who owed him a hundred denarii [about twenty dollars]; andhe caught him by the throat and said, Pay what you owe! 29So his fellow attendant fell down and begged him earnestly, Give me time, and I will pay you all 30 But he was unwilling, and he went out and had him put in prison till he should pay the debt.31When his fellow attendants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and told everything that had taken place to their master. 32Then his master called him and said to him, You contemptible and wicked attendant! I forgave and cancelled all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me to. 33And should you not have had pity and mercy on your fellow attendant, as I had pity and mercy on you? 34And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (the jailers), till he should pay all that he owed. 35 So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses." {Matthew 18:24-35 AB}
True Forgivness is not merely lip-service, it's a matter of the heart, and Jehovah knows the hearts of each of us. We might get away with fooling others with mere lip-service forgivness, but it will not slip by Jehovah, who will give you back what you give out. Jehovah expects us to follow his example of forgivness.
7 "But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Jehovah sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looks on the heart." {1 Samuel 16:7 ASV} Anyone who believes they are getting away with anything, by mere lip-service forgivness, wants to give that idea some serious thought:
15 "For the Day of the LORD JEHOVAH is near, against all the nations. As you have done, so it will be done to you; what you deserve will return on your own head." {Obadaih 15 HCSB}
Many today try to adhere rigourously to the Ten Comandments, not realising, there were not just Ten Commandments. There were over six hundred other Laws and Commandments embodied within the Ten. Not even those in the Covenant relationship with Jehovah could follow those Laws, nor did they try all that hard to. In fact when they stoned the Apostle Steven to death, he told them that they had not kept that Law. Acts 7:53} Further to that is, none of the surrounding Nations were even under the old Law Covenant; that is clearly attested to by scripture if anyone cares to look them all up. {Amos 3:1,2} {Psalm 147:19,20} {Romans 3:1,2} So, why would anyone wish to apply a Law that they were not even under, that only a perfect Man could adhere to? Even worse, anyone even trying to apply that Old Law puts himself under obligation to perform the entire Law have fallen from grace, so said Paul. They submit themselves to a yoke of slavery, and are alienated from the Christ. That is a rejection of the Christ and the New Covenant, by which the Christ liberated them into freedom. Their Mother now being the Free Jerusalem above. It is now as Paul said: "But the Jerusalem above is free and she is our Mother!" {Galatians 4:26}
1 "Christ has liberated us into freedom. Therefore stand firm and don't submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Take note! I, Paul, tell you that if you get circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. 3 Again I testify to every man who gets circumcised that he is obligated to keep the entire law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace! "{Galatians 5:1-4 HCSB}
24 "So that the law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now faith that is come, we are no longer under a tutor."{Galatians 3:245,25 ASV}
Those today who try to adhere to the Ten Commandments, need to consider that, that old Law was merely a tutor to bring them, {the Jewish Nation} to the Christ, and as Paul tells us, now that the faith is come, we are no longer under a tutor. So, these ones who try to follow the Ten Commandments are poorly versed in scripture, because they put themselves under a Law that not even the Jewish Nation is under any longer. The reason being it is now the New Covenant that is in force today; the Old Law is taken out of the way; to make room for the New Covenant established on the Precious Blood of the Christ. Paul told us the Christ was the end of the Old Mosaic Law. {Romans 10:4} That anyone showing faith in the Christ might have righteousness. Paul showed that it was not possible to attain to righteousness by means of the Mosaic Law; again, any who tried to do that were severed from the Christ:
13"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross." {Colossians 2:13,14 NIV}
4"If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God's gracious favor and unmerited blessing)."{Galatians 5:4 AB}
This brings me back around to Jehovah's forgivness; how, now, it is transferred over to those of us under the New Law Covenant. The Covenants of course changed, but Jehovah's Loving kindness and mercy never changes; he remains ever constant in his dealings with those who love and fear him. Not that he tolerates deliberate wickedness, but to those broken in heart and in spirit, he is ever willing to show mercy to, and wipe the sins they may have commited away and forget they have even committed them.
31 "Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto them, says Jehovah. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: 34 and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more." {Jeremiah 31:31-34 ASV}
What must always be remembered, being inherited sinners from Adam, we sin by nature and are always in need of Jehovah's continued forgivness, because we all, Paul said: "Fall short of the glory of God." We all have the Law of sin and death at War in our members leading us captive to sins Law. With our flesh we are all slaves to sins Law that is in our members. So ever in need of Jehovah's forgivness. {Romans 3:23; 5:12; 7:15-25} The writer of Ecclesiastes lets us all know: "For there is no man righteous in the earth that keeps doing good and does not sin." {Ecclesiastes 7:20} Even in the face of all of that, under the New Covenant, when we sin, and we will; as long as there's that broken heart and spirit for doing so, and a truly repentant heart, Jehovah forgives our iniquity and remembers our sins no more. So, as is written in Jeremiah from the least of us to the greatest, we know our God to be very tender in affection and merciful; and he requires all of us to imitate the example he sets, in that tender merciful affection. Among ourselves and among all others.
11"You know how we call those blessed (happy) who were steadfast [who endured]. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the Lord's [purpose and how He richly blessed him in the] end, inasmuch as JEHOVAH is full of pity and compassion and tenderness and mercy." {James 5:11 AB}
Should we also too, not consider that we can gain this continual forgivness due to the fact that the Christ gave up his life as an offering and sacrifice to God, that was a sweet smell to Jehovah; and is now always alive to plead on our behalf?
1"THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]. 2And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance." {Ephesians 5:1,2 AB}
24"For Christ (the Messiah) has not entered into a sanctuary made with [human] hands, only a copy and pattern and type of the true one, but [He has entered] into heaven itself, now to appear in the [very] presence of God on our behalf." {Hebrews 9:24 AB}
25"Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them." {Hebrews 7:25 AB}
Bearing in mind that Jehovah always stands ready to forgive those that approach him with broken hearts, and Spirits, seeking his forgivness, and knowing as we do, that he has provided the means by which this forgivness is always attainable through the sacrifice of his only Son we owe a debt of great gratitude, not only to Jehovah but also to his only Son, who is now always alive to plead for us; who himself said: "Greater love has no man than this; that someone should lay down his life for his friends." "You are my friends if you do what I am commanding you." {John 15:13,14} Only his Father Jehovah God showed a Love, as great, or even greater than his Son, because he had to restrain himself while they murdered his one and only Son. He did that for all of us, as John will show you next:
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." {John 3:16 NIV}
What greater forgivness could you get than that? Through the death of his Son he offers this entire World his forgivness for a World full of sinners, and life eternal. From Jehovah's stand-point, many of this World's population are very gross sinners, yet his forgivness is extended to all, along with the opportunity for eternal life under the Kingdom.
How many from among this World's population now, really know just how forgiving Jehovah God really is? Wannabe