How Far God Has Forgiven

I was awestruck. While reading the following verses from Psalm 103:8-14

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.”

I viewed the patience of God. I’ve been reading these verses (and the entire chapter itself in fact) for many, many times already but it was on one of those blessed mornings spending in the Word of God, that I was able for the first time, to take to heart with deeper sobriety what it means to be forgiven by God, or rather how far He has forgiven us. I’ve also known the  forgiving character of God and His patience.  Let me discuss to you some points that caught me:

1. Verses 8-10: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”

It talks about the quality and kind of mercy God has. He is not easily angered by our shortcomings as the phrase says, “slow to anger.” While meditating on this, I was able to put the picture in my mind that God is not hot-tempered as we are sometimes. Reflecting on this, I felt guilty at those times when I am easily irked by honest mistakes people commit around me. Yes, I do. I’m ashamed at my reactions when I’m just a sinner too, redeemed of that ‘punishment’ due to me also if not because of Jesus Christ. God in His loving kindness and mercy, is considerate of us -even in shortcomings that we repeatedly commit, not to mention sometimes intentionally, even in our unrighteousness. I, then, have no right to be inconsiderate.

In verse 9, it continues “He will not always chide.” Let me use the synonym “lambaste” and “lecture” for the word “chide”. Have you remembered those times when you’ve committed a fault and somebody was irritated of your mistake, nagged to the top of his lungs with you while you ran covering your ears trying to dodge  from that lambasting, lecturing voice, because you want to save your ‘eardrums’? Familiar, right? We don’t like that, right? That’s what we get here in the world when we’ve done a wrong thing or at fault—condemnation. But God says, “He will not always chide.” So different and so far from what we experience here on earth with people. God is so loving that He doesn’t do that to us. He’s not that clanging, grumpy, obnoxious ‘watchdog’ who’s at your guard of every mistake that you commit. In fact, He remembers your sin no more, He keeps no record of wrongs. This is spoken in the continuing verse “neither will He keep His anger forever.”

The following verse 10 continues with “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”  For me, this is a very powerful message. God has not run after our sins anymore nor avenges our sins. Isn’t that gracious? Where and who could you ever think of who does that? As humans, we easily seek revenge when somebody has wronged us. We throw back at those who erred us. God is truly amazing because He is the only one who can perfectly forget our sins without sowing bitterness in the heart!

(First of three parts)