John P. Wiles

My Blog

There’s no room in the life of a believer for pesky squabbles with other believers. The Bible admonishes us in Rom. 12:18, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” We are supposed to do our sincere best to get along with as many people as possible.

Col. 3:13, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

The only way to be able to do such as thing is to exercise forgiveness and forbearance. While the two subjects are closely related, they are not the same. If you understand forgiveness, for the most part you will understand forbearance. One thing is for sure, neither forgiveness nor forbearance are easy tasks. I don’t claim to be an expert on practicing both; in fact, I don’t think anyone would make that claim. Just because you may struggle in an area, doesn’t mean you are a hypocrite for trying and failing. That’s just being human. We’re all going to be inconsistent at times; we just need to make sure to never stop trying.

What is Forgiveness?

“Ceasing to feel angry toward or seek retribution against someone who has wronged you.”

Forgiveness and forbearance both deal with the heart. They both have to do with a person’s perceptions on an emotional level. Forgiveness is refusing to hold an action against someone who may have wronged you. It’s refusing to dwell upon their action, refusing to ruminate upon it, refusing to bring it up again in your mind again.

Eph. 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
[32] And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

These two verses place in a nutshell what it means to forgive:

1. Put away bitterness, wrath, and anger. This deals primarily with your heart towards the person that has offended you.

2. Put away clamour and evil speaking. This has to do with your tongue. If someone did something wrong to you, and you have forgiven him, that means you need to not go around telling other people about it.

3. Put away malice. Malice is feeling a need to see others suffer. It’s holding ill will towards someone. As a Christian, you should hope the best for people. Someone did you wrong, and you’ve supposedly forgiven them… but deep in your heart you hope they fall flat on their face? That’s not forgiveness.

4. Be kind and tenderhearted. Now that you do not hold resentment towards the other person, it’s important to be kind to them. Forgiveness makes no allowance for shunning the person who did you wrong.

With that being said, on an intellectual level, forgiveness does not mean you forget what happened. This is not a liberty to fall back into holding a grudge
against the person; it only means that on an intellectual level you can acknowledge what happened. An example of this would be if you were in a business relationship with a person, and they ripped you off. As a Christian, you are commanded to forgive them and not hold any resentment or ill will towards them. However, that doesn’t mean that you turn around and enter with them into another business relationship. Trust and forgiveness are two separate things.

I cannot stress enough the importance of making sure that a person does not use this as an excuse to not really forgive. Consistently bringing up the situation is refusing to forgive! Making it your cause in life to inform others of your unfortunate incident in the name of a prayer request or “…by the way, I Just thought you should know…” is being a talebearer, gossip, and it is not forgiving. Obviously, one has to use common sense in this area and there are extreme situations that are exceptions to this. Exceptions only prove the rule and in the end forgiveness always comes down to the condition of the person’s heart. Everyone seems to think their situation is the exception, when truth is told they are just being a melodramatic gossip.

Why Forgive?

As a Christian, we just need to realize that there is no excuse for not forgiving someone, ever. While it may not be easy, and many times it certainly isn’t easy, it is not optional in the life of a believer.

II Cor. 2:10-11, “To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
[11] Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

Col. 3:13, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

In these verses we see a few things, such as the basis for our forgiveness. Our forgiveness is not based upon the merits of the person asking for forgiveness. There is absolutely, never ever, any allowance made in Scripture for someone earning your forgiveness. Forgiveness is something that you give; it is not something that is purchased.

As a Christian, our reason to forgive is Jesus Christ. In Christ, we are to forgive others. Because of who Christ is, we are to forgive others. Because Christ forgave us, we are to forgive others. To refuse to forgive others is an offense to Christ personally and what He did for you.

Matt. 6:15, “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Refusing to forgive is not acceptable. You cannot expect to have a good relationship with God, while you are holding resentment in your heart towards another person. This is what it means to a Christian in the body of Christ when it says the Father will not forgive your trespasses if you do not forgive others. Your Father/son relationship with God is impeded while you hold resentment. This is Satan getting an advantage over you. Bitterness is a disease that will cut you off from God, twist and destroy you, and cause damage to everyone else you come in contact with.

When Do You Forgive?

The best answer to this is as soon as you possibly can.

The old, wicked, depraved human nature will tell you that you need to wait for an apology before you forgive. Furthermore, the sin nature will tell you that the apology “better be good”. Why, that person better crawl over crushed glass and hot coals, weeping and wailing for forgiveness before I, in my great abundant mercy, stoop so low as to forgive the errant wretch!

Mark 11:25, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

This verse shows that regardless of the actions of the other person, if you have ought against them you must forgive them. We must never forget what forgiveness is. It primarily takes place in the heart. Remember what the four points of forgiveness are! Nowhere in scripture are you required to have an apology to forgive someone, you are commanded to do it regardless of the actions of the other person.

Next time you refuse to let something go because someone hasn’t apologized, let me challenge you to consider a couple verses of Scripture.

Luke 23:34, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”

Acts 7:60, “And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Jesus, and the first martyr for Christ, Stephen, both died forgiving the people who were killing them. Over and over again in church history, you will read about saints who were tortured and burned at the stake, forgiving those who did the wicked acts to them.

In light of this, what was done to you that warrants you refusing to forgive?

Should We Ask For an Apology?

There is nothing wrong with asking for an apology from someone. If done in a spirit of meekness, this is a very good thing.

Matt. 5:23-24, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
[24] Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”

In these verses we see someone who is coming forward to do something for God. He is reminded that he has ought with a brother, and before he proceeds he is admonished here to reconcile with his brother. An extremely important thing to remember here is that it is the offended party who needs to go and ask for the apology. This idea, as much of the Scripture, flies smack in the face of our carnal natures. It is the complete opposite of “Well, I’m not going to talk to him about it, he just needs to come and apologize to me.”
Once again, nowhere in Scripture are you told to wait around expecting an apology. Expecting people to read your mind is foolish. If you want an apology, go and ask for it.

The wrong way to do it is to demand an apology. Nowhere in Scripture is there ever an allowance made for demanding an apology. You cannot refuse to be someone’s friend unless they apologize, and you cannot refuse to talk to someone unless they apologize. That sort of behavior is emotional manipulation, and it is never acceptable.

Now, asking for an apology in a spirit of meekness is a good thing. Many times, a brother or sister in Christ doesn’t know they’ve hurt you. If approached correctly, with the intent to reconcile (not debate), this can lead to peaceful resolution that is glorifying to God and can bring about a better end then simply forgiving the person in your heart without ever talking to them about it. It can create unity.

Ps. 113:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Once again, a good dose of common sense and spiritual maturity is required. Examine yourself, why are you asking for the apology? Is it because you feel indignant and believe you deserve it? No one deserves an apology, we all deserve hell. We’re all sinners, and by the grace of God we are saved sinners. Are you having a hard time forgiving someone, and you feel like it would be easier if they asked for forgiveness? That is a much more humble approach and perhaps a valid reason to ask for an apology. Do you feel as though there’s not the sense of unity that you had before and you want to restore it? Then by all means, humbly ask for an apology. Remember, it always comes down to the heart.

Along these same lines, there’s also nothing wrong with going out of your way to tell someone that you’ve forgiven them for something, or asking them to forgive you for something. Once again, you need to examine your heart and ask yourself “Why am I telling them this?”

How can I put this the best way to you… don’t be stupid. I’ve heard of people asking other people to forgive them for things they had no idea about. This can cause huge problems. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I’ve heard of men going to other men, asking their forgiveness because they were lusting after the other man’s wife. That’s ridiculous, and it’s confessing a secret sin to another man. You’re only supposed to confess sin to God!

The same idea applies to going out of your way to tell someone you’ve forgiven them of something. What if the person had no clue about it? What are you accomplishing by telling them you’ve forgiven them for something they had no idea about? “Please forgive me for secretly hating you.” – When the person had no idea you hated them! Again, you’ve just confessed a secret sin to someone under the guise of asking for forgiveness, and you may have just exasperated things. Why not just forgive them in your heart and move on?

When approaching other people about things like this, over and over again I can’t emphasis the importance of prayer and examining the purpose for doing what you’re about to do.

What is Forbearance?

“Showing patient and unruffled self-control and restraint under adversity; slow to retaliate or express resentment.”

Forbearance is what you forgot to do when the person you just yelled at looked at you with a sincerely shocked face and says, “I didn’t mean it that way.”

If you were to sum up the act of forbearing in one word, I would think it would be restraint. It’s when everything in you says to do, say, or even feel something sinful, but instead you forbear. Forbearance isn’t just words and actions; it’s also what you choose to think. We have control over what we choose to think and believe, we can indeed “help it”.

When Should We Show Forbearance?

Daily.

Eph. 4:2-3, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
[3] Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

In order to maintain unity, you have to be able to forbear on a daily basis. What this means is that we need to do our best to assume the innocence of other believers. We are not called to be independent; we’re called to be interdependent. There’s no way we can have that kind of unity if we’re always suspecting each other of things and always taking things the wrong way.

Example:

“Hi, what are you doing here?”

That can be taken three ways:

One, it could be taken as though the person is suspicious of you.

Two, it could be taken as though the person is being sarcastic and doesn’t want you around.

Three, and imagine this - it could be taken at face value.

What? You mean the person could actually just be curious as to why I’m here? Yes!

When a person jumps to conclusions and automatically assumes the worst about someone else, they’re doing everyone a great disservice. First of all, they’re already showing resentment in their own heart, something they’ll have to change sooner or later. Secondly, they just cut someone off at the knees without legitimately giving them a chance. Thirdly, they just threw a big rock at the glass house of brotherly love and unity.

If within you, you feel the knee-jerk reaction to assume the worst about someone, do one thing first:

Ask.

That’s right, ask them what they meant by that. “Well, it’s very clear what they meant by that!” Maybe to you, but maybe you’re not looking at it right. Give them to opportunity to explain themselves. That doesn’t mean, once again, demanding an explanation. Just ask something like, “Do you mind if I ask what you meant by that?” If they did mean something that was wrong, they’ll either paint themselves into a corner or they’ll quickly change their minds. No harm, no foul, no melodrama.

Titus 2:8, “Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.”

By taking this approach, you are operating with discernment and exercising sound speech. If you are in fact locked into an unfriendly confrontation with someone, using sound speech will leave you coming out smelling like a rose and they will, as the Bible says here, be ashamed. Being hasty in judgment, jumping to conclusions, and overreacting do not exactly fall under the description of sound speech.

As believers, we need to show grace and dignity towards each other and try to assume the best. That doesn’t mean we need to be naive, but we need to maintain a clean heart of fellowship and friendliness towards each other. This must be done on a daily basis.

Does Forbearance Have Anything to Do With Arguments?

Yes.

Col. 3:13, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

We’ve just gone full circle on that one verse in the Bible. The reason why is because it talks about forgiveness and forbearance. The context of the verse is demonstrating forbearance when there is a quarrel.

A quarrel is an argument, a disagreement, a fight, whatever you want to call it. In quarrels we’re supposed to show forbearance. Don’t bring up ancient history in a fight; if you’re going to fight you have to fight fair. Forbearance is restraint. To say believers are never going to get in disagreements is wishful thinking, but there’s no reason why disagreements have to become emotionally charged arguments. Christians need to say where they’re coming from, why, and what their problem is in a reasonable and rational manner. That’s forbearance. What it’s not is a debate.

Rom. 1:29, “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,”

When two people come to a disagreement, much of the time they reach what’s called an impasse. The definition of an impasse is “…deadlock: a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible…”

When an impasse is reached amongst believers, they need to agree to disagree, and peaceably move on. Once again, we are looking at the heart. When two disagreeing parties mutually embrace forbearance, there is no room for bitterness or resentment.

What If Someone Really, Really Deserves It?

There are going to be times when someone really deserves it. They really did you wrong or said something wrong and deserve big-time retaliation.

Is it ok, at that point, to really give it to them? Is there a nice way to give it to them?

Nope, unfortunately not.

Eph. 6:8-10, “Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
[9] And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
[10] Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”

You don’t have the right to threaten people, to verbally abuse people, to swear at people, or to retaliate in selfish anger at all. “Be ye angry, and sin not…” is one of the most abused passages in the Bible. There is no excuse for fostering and maintaining selfish anger. If you want to be angry because the Pharisees are selling animals in the temple, then go right ahead, but I don’t think your anger really has anything to do with real biblical righteous indignation.

I John 3: 14-16, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
[15] Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
[16] Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

These verses show how God feels about this subject. No one said forbearance and forgiveness is easy. Jesus Christ laid down His life for us, and in verse 16 He expects us to do that same thing for the brethren.

How are we to love each other as God would have us to, if we can’t even forgive and forbear?

You may notice a new look today on my IFB KJV blogs. I updated all the templates using the new custom ones available. They are really nice, and it was easier than I thought. What I think I like the best is being able to customize your column widths. It might take up to two days for everything to function as it used to. Please let me know if anything looks “off” to you with a comment below.

I also finally purchased a domain (all my blogs used to cost me nothing but time). Through Blogger it was ten dollars a year. The new domain is IFBKJV.com which brings you to this blog roll. Don’t worry, the old address will continue to point here as well.

• We know that music can be used for the good and the uplifting of people – 1 Samuel 16:15-16; Ephesians 5:19 
• We also know that music can be used for evil and idol worship – Daniel 3:5

• Psalms – Songs that are sung TO God.
• Hymns – Songs that are sung ABOUT God.
• Spiritual Songs – Songs that are sung about OUR relationship with God, our Christian testimony, etc.

Welcome friends, today we begin a 5-part series: Abraham’s altars. I recently listened to a message that was preached about 20 years ago by Bro. James Lockee, and he dealt with how Lot lost his tent, altar, and couple other things when he went to Sodom. He showed that by losing those things, it was all downhill for Lot.

I am curious about what an altar is and what it’s for. Consider this: how would Lot have known that using an altar was important? Who would have taught him its significance? Here’s the answer:

Uncle Abraham. Scripture records Abraham built 4 altars, and we’ll take a look at each one in this series. Each altar has significance to us today, and by understanding the function of each, we can better understand how to invoke more of God and God’s power in our lives throughout our lives.

We don’t kindle fire and kill animals for burnt offerings unto the Lord Old Testament-style nowadays. But by understanding the significance and function of an altar, it will be shown that God’s people today need an altar that they can go to just as much now as the heroes of the faith did back then.

The four altars of Abraham that we will consider are:

1. The altar at the plains of Moreh
2. The altar east of Bethel
3. The altar at Mamre
4. The altar upon Jehovah-jireh

NOTE: While his name is technically Abram at points throughout this series, we’ll just refer to him as Abraham to keep it simple. Easy, right?

One facet in our study of Abraham’s altars is that we will consider the surrounding events when Abraham built each altar. This can give us some clues about its significance. We begin by considering Abraham’s first altar, the one at the plains of Moreh.

Our story begins in Genesis 12, when God calls Abraham out from the house of his father, Terah who at that time resided in Haran. Abraham (at age 75) and everyone in his home travel to Canaan, and there he sets up camp at the plains of Moreh. God appears to him when he gets there, confirms that he’ll give the land to his children, and Abraham builds an altar.

And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. – Genesis 12:7 (KJV)

There are 3 things that involve the altar at the plains of Moreh:

1. Its purpose was thanksgiving and worship
2. It was to be used regularly
3. It was Abraham’s first altar

1. Its Purpose Was Thanksgiving and Worship

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. – Hebrews 13:15 (KJV)

In Genesis 12:7, God appeared to Abraham; this in and of itself is a reason to be exceedingly thankful. And if that weren’t enough, consider what happens next: God confirms his promise that he intends to give this land to Abraham and his children.

If God appeared to you, and then he gave you something that goes far beyond your mortal life, there’s a great deal to be thankful for! And I submit to you that if you are saved and reading this, God has done both of these things for you, just as he did for Abraham in the plains of Moreh.

How? He appeared to you – his Holy Spirit showed you in your heart the need of salvation, and directed you to Christ. Then, based on your decision to be saved, he promised to give you something that would last far past what your physical life could encompass – eternal life. God appeared and gave a lasting promise to Abraham, and if he saved your soul, he did it for you too.

As with Abraham, it is fitting that we prepare an altar “unto the Lord, who appeared to us”. What happens on an altar? Sacrifice. And based on the above verse from Hebrews, we are exhorted by Paul to offer the “sacrifice of praise to God continually”. Abraham’s altar was to offer thanks for what God had done for him, and it is altogether fitting that we should do the same. Ask God for the details, and he’ll give you an altar at which you can offer praise and thanks for what he’s done for you.

2. It Was To Be Used Regularly

I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. – 1 Corinthians 15:31 (KJV)

Just as God is in the process of continually helping and taking care of us, we should be in the continual habit of maintaining our walk with him. What would hinder perpetual and uninterrupted fellowship with the Lord? Our flesh, and the intrinsic sin nature that every saved person still has.

This is the reason that Paul declared that on a daily basis, he needed to “die”, or mortify sin inside himself. It is inevitable that there will be sin that needs confession, that’s a foregone conclusion. But allowing that sin to go unconfessed for long periods of time can nurture some deep-rooted weeds, if you know what I mean. In other words, unconfessed sin can lead to bigger and worse problems if allowed to fester and grow – that’s why our spiritual lives need to be weeded regularly.

And just as important as it is for us to spend the energy to keep things on the up-and-up with God, we ought to be thanking him for the things he does for us all the time. Question(s): when was the last time you thanked God for your health? How about your home? How about your spouse? Your kids? Your family? How about your church? For you pastor? Assistant pastor? Deacons? Sunday School teacher? When was the last time you thanked God for saving you? How about the help he’s been to you at your job? How about keeping your home safe at night while you slept?

It’s better to thank the Lord for those things while you have them, rather than learn to appreciate them when the Lord decides you don’t appreciate them enough and takes them away. The worst feeling I have is when my kids don’t appreciate my generosity to them; in the same respect, imagine how God feels when we take his blessings for granted.

Abraham was moved to the plains of Moreh, and the Scripture doesn’t say how long the Lord told him to be there, if God even gave him a time frame. It’s likely Abraham packed up from the plains of Moreh and moved to Bethel (Abraham’s next stop) at the moment God told him to, and that God didn’t tell him how long he had before the next move.

This much is obvious: Abraham built an altar at the plains of Moreh and several other places, with the intent of living godly the entire time he was tied to a place. The single exception is the altar upon Jehovah-jireh, as the purpose of that altar was a special sacrifice, in the ordeal of offering Isaac. In other words, Abraham’s “residential” altars didn’t get used once and that’s it, they were used repeatedly. Interestingly, Abraham doesn’t build an altar in Egypt – I wander why?

What about your altar? Will you use it once and be done, or will you use it continually, ever giving thanks and praise to the Lord? The decision is yours, and if you’re like Abraham, you’ll use your altar as often as you can.

3. It Was Abraham’s First Altar

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. – James 4:17 (KJV)

The gist of this verse really leaves nowhere to hide. Basically it means if a person knows better, they’re accountable to follow what they know is the right thing.

Suppose I just got married. I forgot to tell my wife that I was going to hang out at Bro. So-and-so’s after bowling one night. I don’t even call and come home at midnight, and my newlywed wife’s not happy. Easy enough mistake; we’ll fight, apologize for getting mad at each other, and then assume that we’ve seen the last of Adam’s random doing-whatever-he-feels-like. Why? Because I should now be aware that this is something that doesn’t thrill my wife, and a husband should respect his wife enough to easily accommodate this kind of thing.

Now suppose 9 years down the road (man this is sounding really familiar), I’m still doing the same thing that started easily avoidable fights 9 years ago. One would assume I should know better, right? Right. At this point, it could no longer be construed as accidental, and I couldn’t plead ignorance. It is now a situation of “I should now better”.

There came a point in time that if Abraham’s life was to properly honor God, Abraham was going to need an altar. If Abraham had ignored God’s leadership, what would God be able to do with Abraham? That’s right – nothing.

If God is telling you to have an altar for you and/or your family at which you can lift up your thanks, you’ll make one of two decisions: 1) you’ll establish that prayer altar and get using it (it could be as simple as kneeling at a couch), or 2) you’ll keep things just like they are, even though God has told you to get using your altar.

Abraham had to learn individual altar worship sometime, and he started at the plains of Moreh by building his first altar. Consider yourself: are you in need of a first altar? If you are, what are you going to do?

Conclusion

In review, we considered three things about Abraham’s first altar at the plains of Moreh. We saw that its purpose was thanksgiving and worship, his altar was for regular use, and it was Abraham’s first altar.

Throughout this post there has been a call for each of us to have his own altar. For the intent and purpose of this post, we’ll call an altar a literal, physical place where I can meet with God privately. In New Testament terms, this is the idea of a “closet”. If you already have one, that’s fantastic! Keep at it!

Some people use their family dinner table as an altar, some kneel at a living room couch, some at their bedside, some their personal study rooms, and others have others. Some I know use the vehicle they drive to work in as an altar – for a while that trip to work was my thanksgiving/prayer time, and my altar was my car.

On a personal note, my wife and I use our bedside as our shared altar, we use the living room couch as a family altar, and I have a pine shade in the country that is the most sacred place I know.

We have an old-fashioned altar at church, and that is just as useful an altar as any of the aforementioned. Don’t negate the use of the altar at your church. Us good Baptists see someone going to the altar and think the worst, but it’s time that we see someone using the altar and think more of that person rather than less.

In my case, that altar is 25 miles away, so its use for me is more specific to when I’m at church. It really is a personal preference, and the best thing a person who desires an altar can do is ask the Lord for a special place for you and him to meet. If you do that, I promise you he’ll give you one; and if you’ll use it, be prepared to hear some things you wouldn’t normally hear, and see God’s power in ways you never even dreamed of.

Today we find the function of the altar that the plains of Moreh was particularly Abraham’s thanksgiving. Next time we’ll consider Abraham’s next altar: east of Bethel.

For the rest of this series, come to The Servant’s Journal – POWER OF GOD Blog, with meaty and fresh content every Monday and Thursday. See you there!

“‘Your money, or your life.’ We know what to do when a burglar makes this demand of us, but not when God does.” – Mignon McLaughlin

“A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.” – C.H. Spurgeon http://baptistquips.blogspot.com/

In addition to the IFB KJV Blogroll, KJV Devos and various other online projects, I recently started a coupon and freebie blog to document my own progress, store my recipes and meal plans, and share information I found. Coupon Newbie just got it’s 100th fan on Facebook.

To celebrate, I am giving away your choice of one of three of the following books. To enter, become a fan on Facebook of Coupon Newbie HERE, and then comment on the Facebook photo HERE. Giveaway ends July 16, 2010.

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1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar” (Psalm 51:1-19).

The introduction to this Psalm tells us that it is written “To the chief Musician.” This is important in that this Psalm of confession and repentance was to be sung by the priests before the congregation of Israel. There is an absolute kind of acceptance of accountability and transparency in this introductory instruction. This is what is meant by verse 3, “For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” The eternal consequences of this particular chain of sins in David’s life would be a continual testimony of his transgression to all generations of mankind and into eternity. We will never know the impact of one moment of selfishness upon the lives of those we hurt, and those we lead astray by sin, until we see those results at the Judgment Seat of Christ. No one will possess genuine repentance until he can genuinely reflect upon the hurt caused to so many and the all encompassing eternal consequences.

“Have mercy upon me, O God”

David is not pleading his case before God or trying to justify his actions in any way. There is no blame-shifting or the devil made me do it cop-out. This is a defining characteristic of genuine repentance. There is no plea bargaining or talk of Bathsheba should not have been on that roof naked. David accepts the full responsibility for his sin and throws himself upon the mercy of God.

The request for “mercy” is asking for something not deserved. The plea of David for mercy goes beyond this in that he is asking for mercy in the place of what is deserved due to his monstrous chain of sin. David deserved to lose his position as king and he deserved to be stoned to death for his crime. His plea for mercy acknowledges his guilt and what he deserved. Sin under the Law is always viewed as a criminal offense deserving justice. David’s plea for mercy does not demand forgiveness. It is a plea that God be merciful toward him regarding his crimes and the administration of justice.

We should remember the circumstances surrounding David’s sin. God had rejected Saul as king of Israel. Saul was not God’s choice. Saul was the people’s choice. David was God chosen king. Yet, in the chain of event surrounding David’s sin, David has become a despotic monarch setting in his royal palace while his friends fight his battles. He had accepted a life of leisure. What is apparent in the account, and amazing, is that David has allowed himself to come to a place where he acts without any real cognizance of God. It is that man of injustice and self-centeredness that Nathan the prophet addresses in II Samuel 12:1-14. As we read Nathan’s confrontation of David in II Samuel 12:1-14, we notice that God does give David mercy in that his life is spared (II Samuel 12:13) and David is allowed to remain as king. Although David was forgiven, what God said He would allow to happen in David’s life in II Samuel 12:10-12 still happened.

“1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: 3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. 4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. 5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: 6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. 7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die” (II Samuel 12:1-14).

God’s chastisement happens when He merely removes His providential hand of protective care and allows evil to run its natural course from its birth fountain. David’s chain of sin was the birth fountain of five outcomes that would impact his children and his household for generations.

1. “The sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me;” Amnon rapes his half sister Tamar and she is defiled before Israel. Her full brother is Absalom, who has his half brother, Amnon, killed (II Samuel 13)

2. “I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house;” Absalom would seek to overthrow his father’s throne through insurrection (II Samuel 15).

3. “I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun” (public ridicule and shame because ‘thou didst it secretly;” this was fulfilled by his own son Absalom who took his father’s concubines, II Samuel 16:21-22)

4. The sin “hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme”

5. “The child also that is born unto thee shall surely die”

“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3).

The emphasis of the statement is that of complete confession of his chain of sins. The word “transgressions” reveals this to refer to the specific chain of sin that began with David’s transgression in becoming a despotic monarch whose first failure was when he stayed at Jerusalem when the rest of the men of Israel went to war. The word “transgressions” refers to public confession and acknowledgement of the whole chain of sins involved in this matter and remorse for all levels of the impact of his moral turpitude.

The statement “my sin is ever before me” reveals that David could not escape the vision of the impact of his chain of sins upon the nation of Israel as a whole, thousands of people connected to the lives of those he had murdered to cover up his sin, and the generations of his own children that would be impacted by his terrible testimony. On top of all of this was the fact that the pagan nations were given opportunity to speak against the Name of God and blaspheme His character.

This conviction of sin literally weighed David down to the place he could do nothing else or think of nothing else. He just could not get away from the depth of the corrupting influence of his failures. His life was immersed in the agony of the sorrow in the lives that surrounded him, which sorrow was a flood caused by his chain of sins and God’s chastisement upon his life. His sins were like arrows that never stopped wounding souls. They would pass through one person’s life only to continue until they hit another, and another, and another, ad infinitum. Although David’s sin was forgiven by God, the consequences of that sin continued before David’s eyes for the rest of his life and into eternity.

The statement “my sin is ever before me” reflect more that remorse and tears for the trouble that had come into David’s life because of his selfishness. These words reflect a mourning that comes from the very depth of his soul. David was mourning for all the hurt he had caused in the lives of so many people and all the hurt that the river of consequences would carry forward into future generations.

The depth of David’s repentance is conditioned upon his understanding of the overwhelming spiritual corruption that his own failures had injected into the lives of all those even remotely connected to his life. This chain of sins was not an accident. This chain of sins was on purpose, but without any consideration of anything beyond the moment of the sin. That is the very nature of selfishness. Therefore, genuine repentance is no longer about the person who committed the sin and started the chain of catastrophic events that would hurt, maimed, and destroy thousands of lives. Genuine repentance is the overwhelming burden that understands all of that hurt and destruction and mourns for those that are injured. There is a loathing of sin and the selfishness of that sin in this kind of repentance. It is not just tears of remorse. Genuine repentance looks into the eyes of those injured by the sin and sees the pain and spiritual anguish caused by the sin and take the full load of the ongoing corruption onto one’s own shoulders acknowledging one’s self as the fountain of that corruption.

The concept of mourning in genuine repentance is not mourning regarding the sin itself. Mourning has to do with the losses regarding the consequences of sin. For instance, when a loved one dies, the more we love that person and the more intimate our relationship was with him, the deeper we mourn over the loss. The more we love someone the more we mourn over the hurt we cause him by our sin. The deeper we love someone generates a depth of mourning and the length of time of that mourning. The sense of loss is always with us. Selfish people reflect a repentance that is more about them than about those they have hurt. This is not genuine repentance.

“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest” (Psalm 51:4).

Every “born again” believer is an artistic masterpiece of God in process. Sin is only against the Master Creator. Sin is like graffiti on God’s masterpieces. Sin defaces God’s masterpieces. However, spiritually shallow people see their sin like a smudge upon the glass that covers and protects the masterpiece. They think that forgiveness simply wipes away the smudge and it is never seen again. The fact is that sin mars the masterpiece. Yes, God can rework the masterpiece so the mar is fixed. However, that is the wonder of God’s masterpieces. The mars become part of the masterpiece in process. The mars are an eternal reminder of our selfishness and carelessness. Sadly, the mars of our sin do not merely impact our own lives, but thousands of other lives directly and indirectly touched by our influences. Genuine repentance mourns over those mars on the lives of all others.

Genuine repentance does not want the sin to be forgotten. Yes, it wants the penalty to be removed and the consequences to be minimal, but genuine repentance wants a monument of remembrance erected to the infamy as a warning to all those that follow. Genuine repentance erects this monument of remembrance saying “do not travel this pathway.” That is the purpose of David in Psalm 51. False repentance demands that the offenses of the sin are never brought up or remembered again. That is not the nature of forgiveness. Forgiveness GIVES the sinner a new beginning, but does not necessarily restore the trust that existed in the relationship prior to the sin. The genuinely repentant sinner wants the forgiveness and the new beginning in the process of restoring trust, but he purposely establishes a monument of remembrance to protect those he loves and to remind himself of his own spiritual frailties.

When David says, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,” he is not saying that the consequences of his sin did not affect thousands of others for many generations. He is acknowledging that all of the consequences of his sin were conceived in the womb of wickedness when he began to take God’s grace for granted. His sin took place the moment he forgot God and it blossomed into almost unimaginable destruction from that moment in time.

“13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:13-15).

When David says “and done this evil in thy sight,” he is speaking in judicial terms. He had committed his sins in the presence of God and before God’s eyes. This reflects his understanding of the degree to which his mind had sunk in the view of himself as a despotic monarch. In this view, there was no one above him or to which he needed to be accountable. In this view, his personal choices were above and beyond questioning. In this statement, David acknowledges a Sovereignty above his own and accepts accountability to that Sovereign One. He offers no defense or excuse. God saw, knows, and understands absolutely. Therefore, genuine repentance accepts whatever justice the Sovereign One administers for the punishment of the crime. Yes, David had requested mercy, but he accepts God’s judgment as just regardless of what that judgment might be. The gift of forgiveness does not necessarily mean there will be no consequences for the transgression that was committed. People with disingenuous repentance want forgiveness without providing any kind of accountability or retribution for the damages they have caused. This kind of attitude creates contempt towards the sinner by those he has offended with his moral turpitude. That is because his counterfeit repentance is actually ridiculous. Genuine repentance appeals to those offended and injured for forgiveness and restoration receiving as just any form of continued relationship and taking upon himself the complete responsibility for the restoration of broken fellowship.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

The emphasis here is the inward realities that must precede outward expressions of desire for restoration. There are two broken necessities to genuine repentance.

1. A broken into many pieces or crushed spirit; the idea seems to be that of disassembly. God has taken this person apart. A person with a broken spirit sees himself as having been broken down at the very core of his essence regarding ambitions, desires, and will. In this condition, his only hope is in complete dependence upon God.

2. A broken (or shattered) and contrite (collapsed) heart; this implies a sense of sorrow and remorse that is so deep that the flow of life seems to almost stop. Whatever flows is just more bitterness and sorrow. The person with a broken heart is bleeding to death spiritually and nothing can stop the flow but genuine repentance and humility. That is the picture before us in the “contrite” or collapsed heart. There is nothing of one’s selfishness left. All the putrid vileness of selfishness has been emptied through the broken heart. Until this becomes apparent in the sinner’s speech, emotions, and thoughts, genuine repentance is not yet present.

If you would like this study in PDF or Word, send e-mail to: LanceKetchum@msn.com
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Anonymous comments will not be allowed.Numerous studies and series are available free of charge for local churches at:http://www.disciplemakerministries.org/Dr. Lance Ketchum serves the Lord as a Church Planter, Evangelist/Revivalist.He has served the Lord for over 40 years.