Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases… Psalm 103:1-3.
Forgives, salach; Strong’s #5545. To forgive, pardon; spare someone; to lift off someone’s burden of his or her offense. This verb occurs 50 times in the OT. In every occurrence, God does the forgiving; never does salach represent a man’s forgiving anyone.
This brings awareness to the shock of Jesus’ listeners when they heard Him say, “Your sins are forgiven”(Luke 5:21). The scribes knew that forgiveness is God’s prerogative. In Isaiah 55:7, salach is intensified by a helping verb: “He will abundantly pardon.”
I rejoice in the abundance and eagerness of God’s promises to us. “I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.” Jeremiah 33:8.
Mar 18, 2013 @ 16:46:04
Another of my favorites. It was helpful when I went through a very difficult time.
To God be the glory for His unconditional love in times of trouble.
God’s blessings, my friend.
Mar 19, 2013 @ 15:14:11
The joy of forgiveness is like water to a man wandering in the desert with a swollen tongue.