Forgiveness and the Character of God

This morning I was thinking about another characteristic of God, His willingness to forgive.  Again this is one of the things God reveals about Himself when He shows Moses His Glory.  Here are the verses - Exodus 34:6-7 NIV:

[6] And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, [7] maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin..."

He describes Himself as forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin, and it is clearly a result of His mercy, compassion, love and faithfulness.  He is a God who understands us, and cares for us and has mercy on us, in spite of our nature and weakness.  The root word for forgive and its variants is the Hebrew word 'nasa' and it means the following:

1) to lift, bear up, carry, take
a) (Qal)
    1) to lift, lift up
    2) to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure
    3) to take, take away, carry off, forgive
b) (Niphal)
    1) to be lifted up, be exalted
    2) to lift oneself up, rise up
    3) to be borne, be carried
    4) to be taken away, be carried off, be swept away

As we can see this is a simple word, yet used in many different contexts.  In this case the use is meaning to take away, or carry off, or removing the debt of wickedness, rebellion and sin.  There is a sense of a burden being lifted and removed, and for me that is such a helpful understanding of forgiveness, for the enemy is constantly trying to get us to carry the burden of our past sins and history.

Moving onto some reflection verses, here are some interesting verses from David's Psalm 86:1-6,15-17 NIV:

[1] "Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
[2] Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;
[3] have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.
[4] Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.
[5] You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.
[6] Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy."

[15] "But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
[16] Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did.
[17] Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me."

As I was reading through these, it seemed that David was almost reminding the Lord of what He said in Exodus 34.  He is bringing to mind all of the key attributes and character of God, and depending upon them.  It is really a good exercise for us to do the same.  One of my favorite authors, A.W. Tozer believes that reflecting on and thinking about the character of God is one of the most important things that we can do, and I humbly agree.

In line with the theme of today, David calls the Lord "forgiving and good, abounding in love" (verse 5). It is interesting that the NASB translates verse 5 as "ready to forgive" and the original Hebrew word means exacflty that.  God is ready to forgive, and willing to forgive and has paid the price for all our sin, but the application of this is applied when we ask. Thus, as we reflect on God's nature, we see that He is forgiving (Ex 34:7) and willing to forgive (Ps 86:5), covering our past, present and future with forgiveness.  I like the sound of that!

Finally, one note I hadn't seen before was that David credits his mother with leading him to his relationship and service before the Lord (ver 16).  He refers to  this again in Psalm 116:16 NASB: "O LORD, surely I am Your servant, I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid, You have loosed my bonds."  I used the NASB translation, as it refers to his mother's role as a handmaiden of the Lord.  David learned from her and entered into one of the most beautiful and transparent relationships with the Lord we see in scripture, because of what she showed him.  I am so grateful for the witness of my family in my life of faith, and while my relationship with the Lord is my own, it was definitely influenced by the testimony of my parents.

So this Holy week, I am choosing to reflect on the character of God, and how His character is revealed in and through the Passion of Christ Jesus.  I am filled with awe as I reflect on His mercy, His compassion, His love, His faithfulness and His forgiveness!  And I am grateful for the witness of family in my life of faith.

Amen and Amen!