{"id":1185,"date":"2025-11-13T19:43:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T19:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/?p=1185"},"modified":"2025-11-13T19:43:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T19:43:46","slug":"a-forgiving-god-psalm-2511-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/13\/a-forgiving-god-psalm-2511-12\/","title":{"rendered":"A Forgiving God – Psalm 25:11, 12"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Forgiveness \u2014 the pardon of sins \u2014 is a central issue in Christianity. Jesus has made it so \u2014 and has taught us to pray: “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, it is also such a difficult issue. When there is a deep wound, the pain is still there, and the anger still arises. In times like this, we wonder: do the words mean anything? When time and time again, you have to pray “Lord, give me the grace to forgive my enemy” you have to wonder if there is ever hope for you. There have been many times, when I have wondered this about myself. And, I know I’m not alone in having this problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those people who have done things that have caused wounds \u2014 especially those who have done it quite deliberately and knowingly \u2014 are hard to forgive. Many people have been treated unfairly and unjustly. People have been abused. And, the problem with forgiveness is that it seems to say that all that was okay. To let go of the anger and the outrage seems to give in to injustice \u2014 to give permission for the abusers to do it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

But, forgiveness is not approval. Forgiveness is letting go \u2014 letting go of our need to be avenged \u2014 leaving things in God’s hands. Forgiveness is not a sentence of acquittal \u2014 it is taking things to a higher court \u2014 and leaving it there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forgiveness, in that sense, is freeing and liberating \u2014 it means letting go so that the things that have been done to us do not shape us or distort our character. It means finding freedom. It is a wonderful thing, but by no means easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, there is also another level upon which forgiveness is difficult. It is hard to forgive ourselves. We disappoint ourselves. We don’t live up to our own highest ideals. Our errors and our sins and our obsessions and our addictions are an embarrassment even to ourselves. What is the point of even trying to walk the path of holiness when we are clearly so bad at it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, forgiveness is problematic in every way. We talk about it freely \u2014 and can hardly help it since it is such a central theme in the Christian faith \u2014 but living it is difficult. We go about the business of our lives, only to find that our wounds and resentments and frustrations rise up in our minds quite unbidden. I think we can only travel down the road of forgiveness when we trust in a forgiving God.<\/strong> It is the character of the God we trust that shapes our character. We learn to forgive by following Jesus Christ \u2014 who lived out the life of forgiveness and trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is this line of thought that makes verses 11 & 12 of Psalm 25 so remarkable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verse 11:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b7\u05bd\u05e2\u05b7\u05df\u05be\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u05a5 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u0591\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05bd\u05e1\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05d7\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05a5 \u05dc\u05b7\u059d\u05e2\u05b2\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u0597\u05d9 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05a3\u05d9 \u05e8\u05b7\u05d1\u05be\u05d4\u05bd\u05d5\u05bc\u05d0\u05c3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“For your name\u2019s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.”<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the basis of God’s forgiveness? Nothing but God’s own character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The psalmist (David<\/a>?) is open and vulnerable before God \u2014 there is no pretense or denial. His guilt is great. Actually, that’s one of the reasons it is nice to imagine this psalm as spoken by David. The Old Testament tells us not only of David’s accomplishments but also of his sins and failures. We see the human side of the Biblical characters \u2014 and with David this is especially true. The man after God’s own heart was also a sinner. And, what reason could a sinner have for thinking that God would forgive?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only appeal here is “for your name’s sake, O YHWH.”<\/em> Here God’s name (\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u05a5) refers to God’s reputation. The word \u05e9\u05c1\u05b5\u05dd can mean renown or fame. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think the Old Testament writers often took a step back from talking about God per se<\/em> to talking about God’s name<\/strong> \u2014 that is, what they knew of God. So, to some degree “name” can refer to God’s character \u2014 what was known of God. The Hebrews display a certain reticence in speaking of God. Instead of saying, “glory to God,” for example, they will say instead “glory to God’s name.” They knew that God was greater than their ideas of God. And, their words could never fully capture the full reality of who God is. But, God had given them a name (\u05e9\u05c1\u05b5\u05dd) \u2014 and by this name they knew God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were things they could say about YHWH \u2014 the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob \u2014 about God’s faithfulness, and justice and love \u2014 which experience had shown to be true. One thing they could say is spoken in verse 8: “Good and upright is YHWH.”<\/em> It is God’s essential character to display a never-gives-up love that takes sinners back and restores them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should God forgive? For the sake of his own reputation. God forgives because it is in God’s nature to forgive. There is no further level of explanation than this. Why does a mother love her son? It is in her nature \u2014 it is a matter of who she is and who he is. Why does God love and forgive? Because God is God \u2014 and because we are the people with whom God seeks relationship. That’s it. That’s all the explanation there is. So, in our guilt and sin we come to this God and say: “For your name\u2019s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verse 12:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05be\u05d6\u05b6\u05a3\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b8\u05ad\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05a3\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u0591\u05d4 \u05d9\u059d\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b6\u0597\u05e0\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b6\u05a3\u05e8\u05b6\u05da\u05b0 \u05d9\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05bd\u05e8\u05c3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Who are they that fear the LORD? He will teach them the way that they should choose.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

God meets us where we are \u2014 even in our sin and guilt \u2014 to lead us on into the life of righteousness and peace. As preachers often say: God meets us where we are, but God does not leave us where we are. As verse 8 says: “[God] instructs sinners in the way.”<\/em> Those who have respect for God are taught how to choose correctly. God leads us forward into the way of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus states it in the Gospel of John in terms of love rather than fear: he says, “if you love me you will keep my commandments.” We are in need of being taught. We are not purely instinctive creatures \u2014 knowing from birth our role and place in life. We require instruction. We look to God to teach us the way. And, in Scripture and in prayer and in the community of faith and in the experience of life we gain wisdom that, then, guides our choices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The God we meet in Scripture is a God who forgives and teaches. The only hope we have of finding and living in the life of forgiveness is to be met and forgiven and instructed by this God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A PRAYER.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O Lord God,
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
God of King David,
Whom we know through Jesus Christ, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet us in our sin and hurt and confusion, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We open our hearts to You without pretense, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pardon our guilt, for it is great; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And teach us the way of forgiveness,
To let go of our resentments and anger,
To trust that Your ways are good and just
To believe that you know and see. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teach us Your ways.
And, when we stumble
Grant us grace
That we might seek you again
And find our way onto Your Path of grace and life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We pray this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Forgiveness is not approval. Forgiveness is letting go \u2014 letting go of our need to be avenged \u2014 leaving things in God’s hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,26],"tags":[45,447,82,499,224,554,556,212,304,65,66,340,555],"class_list":["post-1185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-praying-the-psalms","tag-bible","tag-david","tag-faith","tag-faithfulness","tag-forgiveness","tag-gods-character","tag-gods-name","tag-guilt","tag-justice","tag-prayer","tag-praying-the-psalms","tag-trust","tag-555"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1185"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1191,"href":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1185\/revisions\/1191"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.craigladams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}