God created us to have a perfect relationship with Him. But sometimes we build walls between us and our Heavenly Father. We conveniently forget that when we do not follow the rules that God has given us and sin, we are not only hurting someone else, we are hurting God. Sins against others are sins against God.
No sacrifice or good deed on our part can make up for this transgression. But there is hope. Because the Bible tells us that God loves us out of a deep well and that the boundaries are infinite. And God forgives us when we sin and not only admit our sins, but when we sincerely repent and try to do what is right. He will wash us clean and we can start again. In return, God tells us that when others have wronged us, we must do the same.
The concept of forgiveness permeates throughout Scripture, especially the psalms where David and other psalmists cry out for forgiveness and teach important lessons in the process.
Here are six psalms that teach us about forgiveness.
Important poem: Psalm 32:5, “Then I confessed my sin to you, and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I confess my sin to the Lord.’ And you have forgiven me the sin of my sin. ”
Sin is defined as disobeying God’s commands. When we lie to other human beings or want what they have, we are either God’s command not to lie or want, or that we have broken. It is not only unfair to other human beings, but more importantly, it is unfair to God.
When we sin, the first step is to understand that our wrongdoing not only affects ourselves and others involved, but it hurts God.
And by hurting God, we create boundaries between us and our Creator. Understanding this allows us to acknowledge our sins as wrong and see the greater consequences of our disobedience.
So the first step to forgiveness is to admit that you have sinned. It is important to admit this openly.
Psalm 32 deal with this. It begins by noting how blessed those who are forgiven are, and how wretched it was when the psalmist “remained silent” (verse 3) and did not admit his sin. But then, as he points out in a key verse, “I confessed my sins to you, and did not cover up my iniquity. I confess to the Lord.” And you have forgiven me the sin of my sin” (verse 5).
In essence, the psalmist confessed his wrongdoings to the Lord and suddenly his burden was lifted. By acknowledging his sin and repenting from his heart, he received forgiveness. God restored his joy and again became his refuge, his “hidden place” (v. 7).
That is what this psalm teaches us. When we confess our sins to the Lord and don’t pretend it didn’t happen or try to get away from Him, and when we turn our lives back to His ways, God will help us. gives a tremendous gift to It is the freedom of forgiveness. .
And when someone has wronged us, we need to remember that gift we received from God and try to forgive that person.
Important clause: Psalm 40:2-3, He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mud. He put my feet on the rocks and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth. It’s a hymn to our God. Many will see the Lord and fear him and put their trust in him. ”
We are told to forgive others as we have been forgiven of our own sins. After teaching his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus emphasized the importance of forgiveness. But your Father will not forgive your sins unless you forgive others. ”Matthew 6:14-15). Later, before telling the parable of the ruthless servant, Jesus asked his disciple Peter: Up to seven times? ‘ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times’ (Matthew 18:21-22).
When God forgives us, we have a new start. That’s what the psalmist David seems to be talking about. Psalm 40, which is a psalm of both praise and lamentation. Here David remembers the time when he was in the depths of grief and guilt, waiting for God to deliver him. But then God raised him out of the “slimy pit,” put his feet on solid ground, and put a new song into his mouth (vv. 2-3).
This new song is a song of joy and relief. He needed to forsake his sins and reenter a restored relationship with his Lord when he was forgiven by God. When God forgives us, we get new songs too. Likewise, we must forgive those who have sinned against us and give them this new song.
Important poem: Psalm 103:12, “God has removed our transgression from us, as the east is far from the west.”
In essence, this psalm is a love psalm, expressing deep love, gratitude and gratitude to God. God is like a caring Father who rules over the earth (v. 13), good and merciful, always watching over us from the bottomless. well of love God is great and loves us so much that His love is “high as the heavens are above the earth” (v. 11), says the psalmist. And because of His love, our Father God fully forgives our sins and actually removes them from us “as long as the East is far from the West.”
When God forgives us, it’s done. His forgiveness is certain. Our transgressions have been removed from far and wide. And as Jesus told us, we must do the same for others in return (Mark 11:25).
Important poem: Psalm 25:11, “Lord, for your name’s sake, forgive my sins, even if they are great sins.”
Sometimes the mistakes we make are too big or too bad for God to forgive. This psalm is believed to have been written by David and first extolls God’s great faithfulness, mercy and love, expressing David’s intention to walk in God’s ways and obey God’s commandments. He then pleads with the Lord to forgive him for his unrighteousness, or wickedness, “that is a great deal”.
David knows that God need not do this, but he also knows that apart from God he is nothing. His hope is in God and God alone (verse 21). God is always good (v.7), and he is the only refuge and source of salvation (v.20).
We are the same. Anything that goes against God’s commands is a sin. It is not only sins against others or against oneself. it is a sin against God. When we are forced to face our sins, our only option is to confess it to the Father, to admit that we have sinned against him, and to be in obedience and righteousness with him. Our sins may be great, but God is a good and loving Father. As this psalm teaches, we can receive comfort.
Important clause: Psalm 51:6-7, You don’t like sacrifices. You don’t like burnt offerings. God, my sacrifice is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise. ”
This psalm was written when King David, after having an affair with the beautiful Bathsheba, slept with the wife of his friend Uriah, impregnated him, and tried to have Uriah killed in battle to cover up David’s wrongdoing. It is considered But soon the prophet Nathan confronted David about his grave sin.
David immediately admitted his sin and began the process of repentance.of Psalm 51, David takes ownership of his sinful choices and begs God for forgiveness and mercy. “Wash away all my unrighteousness and cleanse me from my sins,” he begs God in verse 2, saying that he is fully aware of his wrongdoing and cannot escape the bitter consequences. .
In verse 4 he admits that his sin is greater than hurting Bathsheba and Uriah. In fact, disobedience is a direct violation of God’s commands and therefore a sin against God. He begs God with a pure heart and begs God not to forsake him. He makes no sacrifices. He must truly repent and rely on God’s mercy, and God alone, to obtain his forgiveness.
This psalm teaches that sinning hurts God. But when we ask God for forgiveness and try to turn our lives around by obedience to Him, God grants us mercy out of His deep love for us. Similarly, if someone else has wronged us, it is good to remember that the sin was against God, not against us. If they repent and feel secure that God will forgive them, we need to do the same. All sin is against God, and God forgives all when, as David writes, we approach God with a “broken and repentant heart” (v. 7).
Important clause: Psalm 130:3-4“Lord, if you keep a record of your sins, Lord, who can stand? increase.”
When we do something wrong and ask God for forgiveness, we are finally on the path to oneness with Him. We must stand and worship and praise God. It can be difficult and upsetting to know that our sins have left us with an ugly stain of shame. I want to stand before you.
This psalm is a reminder that when God forgives us, he offers love in return. We still have a place to be with him. Instead of running away from God in fear and shame, we stand humbly before Him, knowing that His great mercy makes a fresh start possible.
These psalms are a great resource for understanding how to open your heart to the mistakes you have made and navigate your way back to the Lord. Thankfully we serve a good father.
sauce:
- NIV Biblical Theological Study Bible. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
- An essential biblical companion to the Psalms. Copyright © 2010 Brian Webster and David Beach.
- Halley’s Bible Handbook with New International Version, Copyright © 2000 by Halley’s Bible Handbook, Inc.
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