Four images of forgiveness

March 19, 2021 (Friday)

 

Throughout the Psalms we constantly read about God’s “steadfast love.” When we move into the New Testament our focus tends to be on God’s grace. In some ways, these are similar. I’ll get back to that.

 

Maybe the best example trusting God’s steadfast love can be found in Psalm 51. Realizing his sin and its cost, David throws himself on the mercy of God. It begins, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” [Psalm 51:1 ESV] If you have listened to my sermons you know a “meme” (item transmitted by repetition) I regularly use is “Grace is getting what we do not deserve. Mercy is NOT getting what we do deserve.”

 

David deserved death on several accounts according to the Old Testament Law. He had committed adultery with Bathsheba and he conspired to kill her husband, one of his close friends. David cries out for mercy. This cry is based on two things: steadfast love and abundant mercy. He asks God to “blot out” his transgressions (“rebellion”).

 

David is going to pray several images, requests he wants God to do with those sins. The first is “blot out.” It is thought this image is one of erasing, like erasing a mistake when writing. The second image is “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” [Psalm 51:2 ESV] Notice the “double cure” (Rock of Ages) David seeks.

 

In 1 John 1:19 we see this double cure, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [ESV] John was writing to the church. Christian theology features forgiveness of sins. But what good is forgiveness if the pollution continues to haunt us? Forgiveness is like removing the refrigerator, but that only exposes the mess underneath. Cleansing of the mess is necessary.

 

David continues to express his utter helplessness against sin. “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” [Psalm 51:3 ESV] So far we have transgression (rebellion), iniquity (perversity, depravity) [verse 2], and now we have “sin” (offense with a penalty). Sometimes I wonder if we deal with sin like it was a mistake. These images for sin give strong impression of willfulness.

 

The third image David uses for what he wants God to do with his sin and guilt is, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” [Psalm 51:7 ESV] Hyssop was used to put the blood on the doorposts at Passover. It was also used to sprinkle people healed from leprosy, or defiled by a corpse, allowing them to return to society. It was also the stick the sponge was attached to when the Roman solders offered Jesus vinegar on the cross.

 

The act of purging is a violent image. In fact, the word is closely related to “sin.” It’s a s if David is asking God to meet his sin with an “equal and opposite reaction.” The image of wash is equally violent. The idea here is that of “trampling.”

 

Image number four: While David admitted his sins were always in his life and memory (see verse 3), He pleads for God to “Hide your face from my sins.” [Psalm 51:9a ESV] Let’s take another word picture to get a handle on just how completely God forgiveness.

 

“As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” [Psalm 103:12 ESV] Think about this one: if you travel north there will be a point where you start traveling south (and vice versa). However, if you travel east (or west) you will never arrive at a point where you begin to travel the other direction. The east/west image is that of infinity.

 

When we genuinely repent (change our mind and behavior) of our sin, God’s forgiveness is infinite. What are the chances God’s steadfast love and abundant mercy are infinite?