Year 6, Day 334: 2 Chronicles 36

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

The Chronicler gives us a mixed bag of news today.  When we read the chapter from the start, it reads like a horrible chapter.  King after king does evil in the sight of the Lord.  They reign a short time.  The king of Babylon comes and puts them in their place and a new vassal is put into a leadership position.  The people are falling apart. The nation is falling apart.  God is allowing the nation to fall into the judgment it deserves because they pursued the desires of their own hearts.

While this is a hard way to open the chapter, it is a righteous chapter.  What would God be if He did not give us the freedom to pursue our hearts?  What value would our love truly have if we did not have the option of rejecting Him?  How can we ever truly show God’s love if we don’t even have the ability to show to each other the evil that lies within?  No, we sin.  We must have the freedom to choose sin so that when we choose to imitate God’s love instead it actually has meaning.

That’s really where the forgiveness comes into play.  God knows the rebellion that is within us.  He will let us choose rebellion so strongly that we will then suffer consequences for our choices.  But that doesn’t mean that He abandons us.  He is always there to help us pick up the pieces.  No matter how grave the consequences of our actions, He is always there to help us repent and offer us an eternity of peace with Him.

We see that as the passage comes to an end. The Babylonian exile doesn’t last forever.  Seventy years pass by and the Persians come onto the scene.  They release the Hebrew people to go back to their homeland.  God gives them another chance to be loyal and faithful.  That’s what forgiveness is all about.  Forgiveness says that with God, so long as there is breath in our lungs there is always time for repentance and a change in our heart.

It’s hard to believe that today marks the end of my sixth year of this blog.  It’s time to start up another three-year cycle.  I’m not sure what the next cycle will bring – or even the format that I’ll be writing under.  But I am going to continue reading and blogging.  It is good for me to be in the Word daily, and blogging helps makes sure that I am in the Word daily and that I am processing what God’s Word has to say to me.  Please feel welcome to continue to continue to read along!

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Year 6, Day 287: 1 Chronicles 15

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

One of the great things about David in the Old Testament is that he is a great example of the repentance/forgiveness cycle.  David makes mistakes.  Even better, when David makes mistakes, he makes really big mistakes!  When David fails to be obedient, the mistake is obvious and the consequences are readily at hand.  But David always repents.  He always acknowledges his mistakes and makes a course correction under a more godly way.

If we look at the opening of this passage, do you hear David’s course correction?  It seems like the Chronicler can’t tell us fast enough.  Practically the first half of this chapter is about how David brings up the ark using the Levites.  He calls the Levites and asks them to do their job according to the calling of God.  He then establishes the priests and the Levites to minister properly according to the ways of the Lord.  With his course correction in place, he finds the blessing of the Lord.

This is just who David is.  He lives out what he thinks is best.  He makes decisions based on what he feels in his spirit.  Because of this, when he messes up there are noticeable consequences.  But David is quick to admit when he makes mistakes.  He is quick to move past them, fix them, and get on with life.  David epitomizes the reality that when God says He forgives, God means it.  When we truly repent and change, God forgives and moves on and invites us to do the same.

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Year 6, Day 282: 1 Chronicles 8

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

1 Chronicles 7 gives us a really neat perspective.  Yes, it is the genealogy of Saul.  The Chronicler gives us Saul’s ancestors and then he gives us Saul’s progeny.  One might read this chapter and not think anything of it.  After all, Saul was the first king of Israel, right?

Let’s not forget who Saul was.  Saul was the man the people chose when they rebelled against God and told God that they wanted a human king instead of Him.  Saul was a mighty warrior, but a mighty warrior who eventually tried to kill of David time and time again.  Saul hunted David like a pack of dogs hunts a fox.  In the grand scheme of things, if David is the revered king of Israel, Saul should be the easily forgotten antithesis.

But Saul’s genealogy is still remembered here.  Saul has his place.  There is forgiveness.  God doesn’t strike Saul and his family from the record.  God guides the chronicler to place Saul in the history and to be remembered.  We all make mistakes.  God forgives.

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Year 6, Day 279: 1 Chronicles 5

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

The trio of families listed here in this chapter can teach us quite a bit.  First of all, we are told about Rueben.  We are reminded that he was supposed to have the birthright, but he lost it.  He sinned.  Furthermore, notice that within the genealogy listed here, there is a descendant with the name Ba’al, which was a Canaanite god.  In fact, it was the father to the person who was in charge of the family when they were taken into captivity under Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria.  Not only was the line of Reuben tainted with sin, it was actively turning from God at points in its history.  Yet, it is still here, listed among the remnant that God loves.

In the listing of the half tribe of Manasseh, we hear that they broke with the will of the Father and chased after other gods.  There doesn’t get much more serious accusations than that.  Yet, they are still listed here among the tribes of Israel.  They aren’t written out.

You see, God holds us accountable for our sin.  He does care.  But His forgiveness is greater.  His compassion exceeds His wrath.  The people rebelled.  Some of their rebellion was quite great.  God sent them into captivity.  But He did not abandon them.  He still loved them and extended forgiveness to them.

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Year 6, Day 270: Zechariah 11

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

In Zechariah 11 we hear about the rebellious flock.  I usually wonder about this topic when I read this chapter.  After all, the Hebrew people are just returning from exile!  How on earth could they possibly be rebellious?

Remember, they are human.  Therefore, they are still full of selfishness and sinfulness even as they return home.  They are looking for the best land.  They are looking for the choice fields and pastures.  They aren’t caring about their neighbors.  They aren’t really caring about the community around them.  They are selfish human beings.

However, it goes deeper than this.  Before the exile, the Hebrew people we engrossed with their freedom.  Their freedom led them into rebellion against God.  As they return from exile, they are focused on legalism, their own rights, and ways to legislate proper behavior.  This legalism will likewise lead to sin – we see it in the depravity of the Hebrew people at the time of Christ.

Yet, God doesn’t turn His back.  He promises the Good Shepherd.  He promises that there will be a righteous leader who will open the door to greater righteousness.  This is a continued sign of God’s forgiveness.  We show our sin day after day.  God continues to forgive and welcome us into relationship with Him.

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Year 6, Day 256: Zephaniah 2

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Zephaniah just gave us a scorching prophesy in the last chapter.  He spoke at length about the problems of the Hebrew people and how they have earned the judgment that is coming.

In chapter 2 we hear Zephaniah prepare to give prophecy against the nations around the Hebrew people.  They, too have earned God’s wrath.  They are like the Hebrew people and care more about establishing themselves and their own passions.  For this, they will find judgment.

Do you hear the change in tone with respect to the Hebrew people, however?  Today he is pleading for them to repent.  He is pleading for the Hebrew people to turn around and seek righteousness. Zephaniah begs them to seek the Lord.  He asks them to live humbly.  He asks them to do as the Lord commands.

Zephaniah knows something about God.  While His wrath is certainly great, His grace and mercy is far greater.  Zephaniah knows that if the people repent and turn to the Lord that He will forgive.  Zephaniah’s desire is not to see other people punished, in spite of what he said yesterday.  He wants repentance for the people so that they can live in relationship with a forgiving God.

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Year 6, Day 214: Joel 2

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Joel 2 is the epitome of passages regarding forgiveness.  The chapter begins with a discussion about the enemy coming against the nation.  It speaks of judgment and wrath.  It speaks of guilt and wrongdoing.

The next section is a call to repentance.  It speaks for the people to acknowledge their guilt and come before God.  It speaks about true repentance being a thing of the heart, not just an outward act.

The third section promises the forgiveness of the Lord.  Here we learn that when we are told about our sin and repent of it, the Lord is faithful to forgive.  He will have mercy.  He will have pity.  There is no reason to fear.  We can find ourselves back into the provision of the Lord.

Quite often, though, we think that is the end.  We think that the process ends with our forgiveness and God restoring His provision.  That shows how self-centered we are!  In reality, the process ends with the reception of the Holy Spirit.  It is one thing to repent and be forgiven.  But the real joy in God’s presence is not the perishable provision that He faithfully gives.  The real joy is knowing that He will comes and dwell within us as He pours out His Spirit.

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Year 6, Day 212: Hosea 13-14

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

The last two chapters of Hosea are awful bleak.  As Hosea looks to the close of God’s message through Him, he sees a people who have refused to listen.  They refuse to hear.  They refuse to look at their life.  They refuse to change.  They refuse to admit that anything might be broken.  They want to live their life the way that they see fit and they want to be left alone while doing it.

This is why Hosea calls them the “morning mist” or “dew that passes away early” and “smoke from a window.”  Each of these things are extremely temporary.  They look neat for a very short time.  But the world comes along and with a remarkably little effort it gets rid of each of those things.  That’s what Hosea thinks as he looks upon the Hebrew people of his day.

However, as bleak as these words are – and most of the rest of chapters 13 and 14 – you’ll notice that Hosea doesn’t end with judgment and condemnation.  There are large sections of judgment and condemnation in these chapters, but it isn’t how they end.  They end with a promise of God to heal wounds and forgive apostasy and love freely.  He promises to protect them in His shadow.  He promises that they will flourish and blossom.  These are words of forgiveness and restoration.  This is the message that Hosea wants to end upon.

As Hosea says, the wise will heed these words.  The wise will look upon God’s ways and embrace them.  The wise will look towards the time of healing and restoration with hope and anticipation.  God’s forgiveness is an amazing and incredible gift for which we – like the Hebrew people before us – do not deserve.

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Year 6, Day 207: Hosea 6-7

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Hosea 6-7 present us with a great opportunity to study the forgiveness of God.  After all, look at how God mourns His people in these verses.  What are the words that He uses to describe the people?  “Your love is like a morning cloud, a dew that goes away early.”  “They transgressed the covenant.”  Again we hear the return of the accusation, “They have dealt faithlessly with me.”  They are like robbers who “lie in wait.”  They are “silly and without sense.”

Okay, with that string of quotes, you are probably wondering how it is that I see this chapter as a chapter of forgiveness.  It certainly sounds like a chapter of condemnation, doesn’t it?  Of course it does!  But look at the subtext.  What is God longing for?  God is longing for the day that He can restore them.  If God wanted to destroy them, He could have easily struck them down and erased them from the face of the earth.  He’d already shown capacity to do it in the flood.  Why couldn’t He do it on a limited spectrum with His people here?  The reason is simple.  God’s wrath is designed to bring us to a place where God can instead reveal His forgiving love and redemption.

One of my all-time favorite quotes in the Bible is Hosea 6:6.  I like it because the reference is easy to remember.  But I like it even more because of the message that it contains.  “For I desire love and not sacrifice; the knowledge of God rather than burnt sacrifices.”  In other words, God longs for and desires true relationship!  God isn’t waiting for a time to punish these people as thoroughly as they deserve.  He is waiting for a time when they repent in truth and He can open up the floodgates of His love.

God wants to forgive them.  That’s why He tells them the secret about love and knowledge being more important to Him than sacrifice and burnt offerings.  God wants us to dwell in relationship with Him that is sustained by His forgiveness.  He wants us to focus more on obeying Him because of His love rather than our fear.

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Year 6, Day 192: Matthew 18

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

The story that ends this chapter is one of my favorite – and one of the most challenging.  It is one of my favorite because the action is so clear cut.  Here is a man who is forgiven so much and then cannot find it within himself to forgive something so small.  Clearly he is wrong!  Clearly he is violating God’s ways.  In such a straightforward story, it is hard to go wrong.

However, it is one of the most challenging stories because when it comes to forgiveness I find that it is so easy to be like this man.  When we are in the wrong, it is very easy to beg for forgiveness and want to be on the receiving end of mercy.  Yet when I am the one who is violated, it can occasionally be so hard to forgive.  When someone offends me, or crosses a certain line, or attacks someone I love, it can be easy to want to see them get what they deserve!

Am I really any different than the man in this parable?  No, not really.  And that’s Jesus’ point.  We all want to be forgiven.  But we need to be willing to forgive as well.  If it wasn’t so hard and if it wasn’t so commonly human, Jesus’ wouldn’t have needed to give us a parable for us to learn.

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Year 6, Day 169: Ezekiel 43

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

The end of the chapter deals with sacrifices.  Naturally, sacrifices are for the forgiveness of sin.  It is the shedding of blood that allows for human sinfulness to be overlooked.

This makes great sense when we couple this with what happens at the beginning of this chapter.  In the beginning of the chapter, God promises to come and dwell with His people.  He promises to forgive them.  He promises to put the past behind and come forward into a restored relationship.  This is why we see the vision of the sacrifices at the end of the chapter.

As a Christian, I can’t help push through this text into the future that this text does not presuppose.  We know that Christ will come.  He will teach.  He will die.  Through the shedding of His blood we will find our relationship with Him restored permanently.  And after His death, we see the ultimate fulfillment of the promises of this chapter.  After His death, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells within us.  God dwells among His people in a new and exciting way.  God comes and dwells with His people.  It starts with His forgiveness being poured out upon us.

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Year 6, Day 130: Ezekiel 4

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

There is a simple reality about God.  We don’t have to be forgiven.  He would be completely righteous if He judged us because in our free will we chose sin.  He would be completely righteous if He were to let us perish when we so readily choose to abandon His ways.

That’s the meaning of the iron pan in God’s command for Ezekiel.  Clearly this first vision in this chapter is given with respect to the siege of Jerusalem.  The iron pan shows that there is an impenetrable barrier between the brick (Jerusalem) and Ezekiel (God’s messenger).  In the same way, the real Jerusalem is under siege because their sinfulness is an impenetrable barrier between them and salvation.

When we realize this, we come to an understanding of God’s grace.  Our sin in our life is no less of an impenetrable barrier than the people of Jerusalem.  Just because we understand that it is wrong does not make it okay.  What makes it okay is that God has atoned for us in our sinfulness.  He has paid the price; He asks us to live repentantly as a response to what He has already done.  That’s grace and forgiveness.

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Year 6, Day 113: Hebrews 9

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

This chapter in Hebrews is a classic chapter.  I remember reading it for the first time as an adult.  I remember reading it for the first time and suddenly realizing what Christ did on the cross.  I have always known that Jesus died on the cross for our forgiveness of sins.  But beyond that, Christ’s death does in the sacrificial system instituted under the Law.  Animals no longer need to be sacrificed; Christ covered that.  There are no longer special priests who can enter into private places; the curtain was torn and we are all now high priests in Jesus Christ!  We don’t need to keep offering sacrifices to God because Jesus offered up the sacrifice to God once and then ascended into the presence of God forever.

Jesus changes so much in life.

I think it is really worthwhile spending a day focusing on everything that the life and death of Jesus changes.  We can live with confidence in our relationship with Christ because we are forgiven.  We can live righteously without fear of the mistakes that inevitably creep into our life because we are forgiven.  We who are sinful can share this good news with others because forgiveness and restoration is based on the character of Christ, not our character.

What’s more is that one day Christ will come back.  He will return to claim those of us who wait for Him.  That is one of the best examples of forgiveness.  Each of us has sin.  Each of us deserves condemnation.  But we will experience forgiveness.  We will experience a God who wants to come back and claim each of us, not because we deserve it but because He desires to forgive us.

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Year 6, Day 56: Jeremiah 3

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

This chapter is like a roller coaster.  It begins with God absolutely slamming Judah through the words of Jeremiah.  After all, God compares Judah to a whore!  You don’t get much more critical than that.

What is it that Judah has done?  Judah has sought help from other nations.  Judah has sought help from the gods of other nations.  Judah has brought other gods into God’s Promised Land and worshipped them.  Judah has claimed to be faithful, but has proven themselves to be liars.  Judah is deserving of the condemnation.

But what is it that God says in the end of the chapter?  God looks to Israel – the northern kingdom, who is already in captivity – and promises to forgive them if they would just repent.  God even promises to grant them shepherds to lead them and teach them.  God says this as a sign to Judah.  If Judah would just turn and repent as God seeks from Israel, they too would be forgiven.

In the end, this is a very compassionate chapter after all.  We don’t deserve it, but God forgives us when we repent.  God accepts us even when we walk away from Him so long as we repent.

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Year 6, Day 41: Isaiah 57

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Isaiah 57 is a sad chapter in the midst of a book that ends in a largely happy tone.  The first two-thirds of the chapter talk about judgment and wrath.  God reminds the people how they have chased after other gods.  He reminds them that they have sought their own desires.  He reminds them that they have leaned upon their own strength and the strength of humanity.  The opening verses of this chapter speak of wrath and judgment.

However, that is not the end of the story.  In Isaiah 57:14 we get a change of tone.  We hear God remind the people that a time will come when the people will cry out to rebuild.  God reminds the people that He will not remember His wrath forever.  There will come a time when God revives the spirit of the people.  There will come a time when God will heal the broken.  This is largely a chapter that begins in wrath but ends in forgiveness.

Yet, the chapter doesn’t exactly end in a very pristine manner.  In spite of God’s forgiveness, not all will turn to Him.  There will be people who scorn God’s forgiveness.  In the end, God promises peace to those who will receive.  But for the wicked, there will be no peace.

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Year 6, Day 38: Isaiah 54

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

This is a wonderful chapter about the cycle of God’s relationship with humanity.  Of course, we know that God creates us.  God desires relationship with us.  Yet, we sin.  We push God away.  We live rebelliously against His ways.  So we bring judgment and condemnation upon us.  But this cycle doesn’t end with wrath.  It ends with forgiveness and a promise of peace.  It ends with a promise of security.  It ends with a promise of God caring for us and our future.

In fact, we hear within this chapter this promise in two different ways.  Of course we hear Isaiah speaking to the present reality of the people around Him.  But we hear about it as Isaiah remembers back to the story of Noah.  In the days of Noah, God brought about judgment.  But then He promised to never do it again.

It should bring us comfort to hear about God’s grace applied to people in our past.  After all, if God can bring judgment but revert to a time of grace after Noah and then bring judgment again in the time of Isaiah but once more revert to a time of grace, then God can do that with us, too.  Yes, we do bring judgment upon ourselves.  But God can get us through the judgment and into a place of grace.

By the way, these aren’t the only such times in history.  Remember Moses in the wilderness?  God judged that generation, yet brought their children into the Promised Land.  Furthermore, every story in the book of Judges is this principle at work.  After David is king, the Hebrew people slide into sinful behavior.  Yet every so often we get a king who repents and we see God forgive and restore the nation of Judah.  The reality is that God is a God of restoration and forgiveness much more than He is a God of wrath and judgment.

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Year 6, Day 14: Isaiah 30

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Isaiah 30 contains an interesting set of perspectives.  These perspectives aren’t unusual to hear in Isaiah.  In fact, they aren’t unusual to hear in the Bible.  God complains that His people have rebelled.  God complains that His people aren’t listening.  God warns them about impending doom.  But how does this chapter end?  It ends with God looking forward to a time when He is with a remnant of people who have returned to Him.

Isn’t God glorious?  We don’t deserve His grace, yet desires to forgive us anyways.  That’s God.

But I want to take a deeper look at the human condition.  Do you hear what Isaiah says?  Human beings aren’t just rebellious.  We don’t want to hear correction.  We want the people who see us clearly and truly to be quiet.  We don’t want to hear about our depravity.  We don’t want to hear about the call to change.  It’s not just that we are undeserving.  We are actively rebellious and desiring to cover up the truth so that we can have our way.  That’s what Isaiah 30:8-14 are all about.

Yet God forgives.  He seeks ways to bring salvation into our life.  So often even when we intentionally walk a direction opposite from God He hunts us down just to show us His love.  That’s forgiveness.

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Year 6, Day 4: Isaiah 19-20

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Do you recall all of the hatred between God, God’s people, and Egypt?  The Egyptians oppressed God’s people.  The Egyptians taught the Hebrew people to worship false idols.  The Egyptians taught the Hebrew people to depend more on human military strength – especially in horses and chariots – than on God’s power of salvation.  The Egyptians constantly lured the eye of the Hebrew people with all of their gold, impressive buildings, and cultured lifestyle.  From the perspective of the Old Testament, there are few greater nemeses to God than Egypt.

That is why the ending of Isaiah 19 is so profound.  As we get to the end of Isaiah 19 we hear about a time when Egypt will worship God.  In fact, we hear about a time when Egypt will worship God with Assyria!  This chapter is a great example of the true forgiveness of God.  God cares so much for humanity that He seeks the day when even His greatest adversaries come to Him for relationship.

What an incredible statement about God.  We cannot outdistance God’s love.  We cannot ever be unreachable by God if we are willing to listen to Him.  There is always an opportunity for forgiveness with God.

Naturally, I have to turn to myself and ask if I am this way.  Do I long for the day when my greatest nemeses come to me for relationship?  I suppose in a way I do, but I realize that it will be great struggle and it will be strange.  I wonder if I’d ever be able to trust my greatest nemeses even if they did come.  I might aspire to model God’s love and forgiveness, but I am convinced that I’d never be able to model it in such a genuine and easy way as God.  Not that this is a surprise, mind you.  I’m not God.  But I can aspire to be like Him in all ways – especially forgiveness.

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Year 5, Day 362: Isaiah 12

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

The opening stanza of this very short chapter is a profound statement upon the forgiveness of God.  “For though you were angry with me, you turned your anger away that you might comfort me.”  It isn’t just that God forgives, which He graciously does.  He forgives because He desires to comfort us.  God would rather spend His time with us comforting us and transforming us than spend His time burning against us in wrath.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that God doesn’t give us wrath.  It doesn’t mean that God can’t stay mad at us.  But if we are repentant of our sins, God can absolutely forgive us.  He desires it, even.

It is remarkable that God desires to comfort us.  Human nature wants justice.  We want people to get what they deserve.  We want people to meet up with the consequences of their actions.  But not God.  God would prefer repentance so that He can let His anger go.  God desires to let His anger go because He would prefer to be a God of comfort.  That’s remarkable indeed.

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Year 5, Day 348: Song of Songs 6

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Today we get the opportunity to complete what we began yesterday.  Yesterday we spoke about Solomon’s wife and her desire to be forgiven.  Today we get to see that forgiveness enacted.

Here’s the cool thing.  You’ll notice that when Solomon gets a chance to describe his love for his wife that his love is largely unchanged from his wedding day.  That might not sound like a big deal, but think about it.  His wife has created an emotional barrier between herself and him.  His wife has emotionally turned him aside.  The natural response to this would be for Solomon to build a barrier of his own and shut out his wife.  But that is not his response.  His response is to say that his love for her is unchanged.  She may have put up a barrier, but he will not retaliate in kind.

That’s forgiveness.  In fact, I find it a brilliant example of the forgiveness that God gives to us.  We put up all kinds of barriers against God as we seek to do our will and not His will.  How does God respond to us?  He loves us all the same.  He sends His Son to us to die for our sake.  He sends His Spirit to dwell within us.  That’s forgiveness.

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