…Forgive…
Part Two
Bitter-Sweet:
The Nature of Forgiveness
Luke
6:27–49 (NET)[1]
6:27 “But I
say to you who are listening: Love your enemies,91 do good to those who
hate you, 6:28 bless those who curse you, pray for those
who mistreat92 you. 6:29 To the person who
strikes you on the cheek,93 offer the other as well,94
and from the person who takes away your coat,95 do not withhold your
tunic96
either.97
6:30 Give to everyone who asks you,98 and do not ask
for your possessions99 back100 from the person who
takes them away. 6:31 Treat others101 in the same
way that you would want them to treat you.102
6:32 “If103
you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners104
love those who love them.105 6:33 And106
if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even107
sinners108
do the same. 6:34 And if you lend to those from whom you
hope to be repaid,109 what credit is that to you? Even
sinners110
lend to sinners, so that they may be repaid in full.111 6:35 But
love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back.112
Then113
your reward will be great, and you will be sons114 of the Most High,115
because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people.116 6:36 Be
merciful,117 just as your Father is merciful. 6:37 “Do118
not judge,119 and you will not be judged;120 do not
condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive,121 and you will be
forgiven. 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: A good
measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over,122 will be
poured123
into your lap. For the measure you use will be the measure you receive.”124
6:39 He also
told them a parable: “Someone who is blind cannot lead another who is blind,
can he?125
Won’t they both fall126 into a pit? 6:40 A
disciple127 is not greater than128 his teacher, but
everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher. 6:41 Why129
do you see the speck130 in your brother’s eye, but fail to
see131
the beam of wood132 in your own? 6:42 How can
you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck from your eye,’
while you yourself don’t see the beam in your own? You hypocrite! First remove
the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck
from your brother’s eye.
6:43 “For133
no good tree bears bad134 fruit, nor again135
does a bad tree bear good fruit, 6:44 for each tree is
known136
by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered137 from thorns, nor
are grapes picked138 from brambles.139 6:45 The
good person out of the good treasury of his140 heart141
produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury142 produces
evil, for his mouth speaks143 from what fills144
his heart.
6:47 “Everyone
who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into practice148—I
will show you what he is like: 6:48 He is like a man149
building a house, who dug down deep,150 and laid the
foundation on bedrock. When151 a flood came, the river152
burst against that house but153 could not shake it, because it had
been well built.154 6:49 But the person who
hears and does not put my words into practice155 is like a man who
built a house on the ground without a foundation. When156 the river
burst against that house,157 it collapsed immediately, and was
utterly destroyed!”158 [2] [3]
I'd like to tell you a tale, but first a disclaimer: it involves a family that had a dark side to their history, one that those of us who love the Jewish people would find repugnant. But this is an epistle that hopes to transcend hurt and hate; for to speak of forgiveness we must be able to forgive. A friend of mine that served with
me in the military came from an unusual background. His father was a tank
commander in World War II under Patton. His mother was a German citizen with a
family legacy – her father was associated with the regime of Adolf Hilter.[4] I
saw the photos, heard the stories, touched the memorabilia that the family had
saved of the memories of those times – bitter sweet times for them.
Such a legacy could not be
ignored. What the family once was under the Nazi regime and what they were
reduced to under the treads of Patton’s tanks was evident in the mother’s
stories. Mrs. “M” (I won’t name her here, out of privacy concerns) stories
swung like that pendulum: from the once "proud" father who thought he served a noble cause until his too-late realization that he had followed a madman. Then the horror of the brutal war that had been wrought by those who believed in this madman finally broke him, and as a young girl she watched the utter destruction of her homeland under the cruelty of Hitler and the relentless bombing of
the Allied campaign designed to bring the rogue state of Germany under heel. She wept of the tales of the feasts she attended with the upper
echelons of German society to the begging for scraps of food as the American
and Russian Armies and tanks rolled through the ruins of her homeland. Her's were bitter-sweet memories, mostly bitter.
This story is not to paint any picture that dispels the truth of the evil that the Nazis were. It is just a back drop of one family and a lead into the story on forgiveness. Mrs. "M" was ashamed of her past, ashamed of the connection her family had to Hitler. She was reluctant to speak of it, and the mementos she had were kept locked away; I only found out because I was a military history buff, and inquired about the items Mr. "M" kept on display: his tanker patches and a faded picture of him and George Patton. The story came out in bits and pieces, and I watched as the anguish of the past still gripped her 40 odd years later. I wonder if anyone in all those forty-odd years ever offered her forgiveness - I wonder if she ever sought to be forgiven. Wounds of the body heal, but wounds of the soul will always be open, festering sores unless forgiveness can come in; may we remember that in our walk with God, that there are wounds you sometimes never see, and only kindness and love can breach the gap.
She had lived a life that had
swung from one extreme to the other. Of all that remained, of all the
memorabilia in their house, one thing stood out in my memory: an old
grandfather’s clock. It had been one of the few items that had been preserved
and transported back to America after the war, after the tanker had met and
fallen in love with the daughter of the maestro. This clock stood six foot
tall, its massive pendulum faithfully ticking off the seconds. It was this
pendulum I remember. If the clock was allowed to run down, then on restart the
pendulum would swing hard, knocking against the right side then the left of the
cabinet, till it would settle down into its rhythmic swing in the middle,
dutifully ticking off the seconds once more.
What does this all have to do with our topic today? We humans are like that old clock: we often start out in the middle, dutifully ticking away the seconds, but then we wind down and need to be restarted. Our pendulums swing right then left and after time we settle down to the middle, and a gentle arc takes over, and we count the seconds once more. We live our lives like this: swing hard and knocking against the walls that hem us in till we finally settle on a safer path in the middle – and count off the seconds of our lives. What is usually left ends up being bitter-sweet.
What does this all have to do with our topic today? We humans are like that old clock: we often start out in the middle, dutifully ticking away the seconds, but then we wind down and need to be restarted. Our pendulums swing right then left and after time we settle down to the middle, and a gentle arc takes over, and we count the seconds once more. We live our lives like this: swing hard and knocking against the walls that hem us in till we finally settle on a safer path in the middle – and count off the seconds of our lives. What is usually left ends up being bitter-sweet.
Take this season for example.
Christmas is celebrated and most have a good time – unless one has experienced
loss of a loved one, or some other calamity has shook your world; then this
season is just bitter-sweet. The bitterness comes in because you feel your loss
all over again, the pain as sharp as it ever was; the sweet comes in the
memories, but even these bring no real relief for they just remind you of the
bitter once more and what you had is not the same as what you have.
Christmas for me now is a holiday
for others. Since I have come to the truth of God’s word, I don’t celebrate it:
I can’t, because of what I have replaced it with and that is the Truth of Yeshua and the Torah.
Memories of Christmas’ past flood my mind though, but I know now all these
memories were built upon lies. Lies about the birthday of a Savior, lies about
a jolly fat man in a red suit and flying reindeer, lies about so many gifts
under a shiny tree that kept my parents in bondage for the debt they incurred
to put them there. Memories of a mother who would patch a father’s underwear so
they could afford to buy their children new ones… Bitter-sweet.
Scripture tells us of such a time
where we’ll understand the bitter-sweet again:
From the ends of the earth and say,
20 Can man make gods for himself?
21 “Therefore behold, I am going to make them
know—
This is where I came too: I
followed nothing but lies till I found Truth. But even then, there is a
bitter-sweetness to this. Those that had taught me lies did not for the most
part do so out of malice – only ignorance. They had been taught lies, by those
who had been taught lies by those who had believed lies… On and on it has gone
for almost 2000 years. It is bitter because what we should have known was built
upon lies, yet sweet, because what we did learn had just enough truth in it to
keep us searching because our souls yearned for more. So it is with the nature
of forgiveness: bitter-sweet.
Do any of us understand the
emotions we go through every day? When I lost my parents, first my mother to
Alzheimer’s and then my father to his complications, I was angry – angry at
myself for not being there, for not being a good enough son, for not telling
them while they were alive how much they meant to me – and angry because they
were gone. How dare they die before I could unburden my soul with all the junk
that I wanted to be rid of! How dare they leave me! I still need – I still NEED
them – even at my age I still need them. I was angry at a God who would take
from me that which I needed, and wanted. My emotions have swung like that
grandfather’s clock’s pendulum: hit the cabinet hard on the right, swing hard
left – bang! bang! – till I’m spent… My energy is drained… and I count off the
seconds once more… Do you feel this way? Can any other understand? When my
sisters suffered their losses, of the passing of husbands and son, the pendulum
swung again… O why did I waste forty years in the wilderness! Why wasn’t I a
better brother! Why didn’t I get to know my family better! Why! Why! Why! Why
God did you do it again! And Again! And Again!
…Right – left – right
– left – center – tick, tock…
The pendulum swings because I did not understand the Hands
that wind the clock in the first place. I did not understand the greatest power
in the universe: forgiveness. I did not understand the strength required to
forgive. I did not understand…
Daniel 10:8-12 (NKJV)
8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my 4vigor was turned to 5frailty in me, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my 4vigor was turned to 5frailty in me, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
10 eSuddenly,
a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of
my hands. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, fman greatly
beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I
have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood
trembling.
12
Then he said to me,
g“Do not fear, Daniel, for from the
first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before
your God, hyour words were heard; and I have
come because of your words. [6]
I had
to set my heart to understand, and to humble myself before Elohi so as to be heard;
the cry of a wounded heart He does not ignore… So bear with me now and let us
explore this, the highest, most profound attribute of God.
The Three Fold
Sequence[7]
In God’s world, in
His economy there is a pattern to all things.
·
While I do not hold to the Trinity or the theory
of God being a “triune unity”, I do believe He has revealed Himself to us in
three ways: as Father Elohi; with the power and manifestation of His Spirit
(His presence); and with His only begotten Son, Yeshua our Messiah.
Many other Three Fold
Truths emerge in His word if we look close enough:
- The fact that He created us in His image, Spirit, Soul, and Body
- As seen in His Holy Temple/Tabernacle: Outer Court, Inner Court and the Holy of Holies (Most Holy Place)
- We are commanded to meet with Him Three Times a year:
o Exodus
23:14-17 (NET) 23:14
“Three times32 in
the year you must make a pilgrim feast33 to me. 23:15 You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread;
seven days34 you
must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of
the month of Abib, for at that time35 you
came out of Egypt. No one may appear before36 me empty-handed. 23:16 “You are also to
observe37 the
Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you have sown in the
field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year38 when you
have gathered in39
your harvest40 out
of the field. 23:17 At41 three times
in the year all your males will appear before the Lord God.42 [8]
o Deu
16:16-17
"Three times a year all your men are to appear in the presence of
Adonai your God in the place which he will choose - at the festival of matzah,
at the festival of Shavu`ot and at the festival of Sukkot. They are not to show
up before Adonai empty-handed, (17) but every
man is to give what he can, in accordance with the blessing Adonai your God has
given you. [9]
In the Book of Proverbs, it also speaks of this pattern:
Of counsels and knowledge,
Here,
the Hebrew word for “excellent” gives
us a deeper understanding of the three fold sequence:
“…excellent: shaw-loshe’;
or ‘shalosh
-
Original: שׁלשׁ שׁלושׁ שׁלישׁo
- Transliteration: Shaliysh
- Phonetic: shaw-leesh'
- Definition:
1. third part
a. name of a measure
2.
a musical instrument
a. maybe three-stringed, triangular
shape, or three-barred
b. perhaps a sistrum or triangle
3.
shield carrier, adjutant, officer, captain
- TWOT entry: 2403e,2403f,2403g
- Part(s) of speech: Noun Masculine
- Strong's: (The second form used in 1Ch_11:11 1Ch_11:12
1Ch_11:18; the third form used in 2Sa_23:13); from H7969; a triple that is (as a
musical instrument) a triangle (or perhaps rather three stringed
lute); also (as an indefinitely great quantity) a three fold measure (perhaps a treble ephah);
also (as an officer) a general of the third rank (upward that is the
highest): - captain instrument of musick (great) lord (great) measure
prince three [from the margin]…”[11]
The idea for “excellence” is “great measure”. Yahvey expects
us to meet Him in three realms, to encounter Him in mind, soul and body. We see
this in the Shema:
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (NKJV)
4 g“Hear, O
Israel: 2The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 hYou shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, iwith all your soul, and with all your strength. [12]
As with the Feasts, the progression of revelatory knowledge
of Yahvey is sequential; we are meant to move into these different levels of
understanding as we learn. [13] These encounters have to be experienced:
there is no other way to move into their knowledge. This isn’t gnostic
knowledge, some secret knowledge held only by those “elite” enough to “get it”;
this is knowledge imparted to us by Elohi’s Spirit as we position our hearts to
learn and understand.
Our understanding comes in the way we conduct our lives
through our ministries; this in turn alters our destinies. A wise man once said
“…if our faith isn’t strong enough to change our behavior, it isn’t strong enough
to alter our destiny…” [14]
We are not to appear before God “empty handed” – this means that in the
meetings we have with God we are not to come unprepared. We are to come ready
to meet Him. And that means we need a clean heart…
Matthew 5:21-24 (NASB95)
21 “aYou have heard that 1the ancients were told, ‘bYou shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder
shall be 2liable to cthe court.’
22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be 1guilty
before athe court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘2You
good-for-nothing,’ shall be 1guilty before 3bthe
supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be 1guilty
enough to go into the 4cfiery
hell.
23 “Therefore if you are apresenting your 1offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something
against you,
24 leave your 1offering there before the altar and go; first be areconciled
to your brother, and then come and present your 1offering. [15]
In Another translation, these same verses are translated like this:
Mat 5:21-24 “… [You*] hear for
[It] is spoken [to] the [men] ancient not [You] will murder Who but ever may
murder Obligated will be [to] the judgment
(22)
I but say [to] you* for Every The [Man] Being Enraged [with] the brother
[of] him Obligated will be [to] the judgment Who but ever may say [to] the
brother [of] him raka Obligated will be [to] the council Who but ever may say
[Man] Foolish Obligated will be to the hell [of] the fire (23) if so [You] may present the gift [of] you to the
altar (and) there [You] may be reminded for The Brother [of] you has something
against you (24)
release! there the gift [of] you before the altar and go! firstly be reconciled! [to] the brother [of] you and then
Coming present! the gift [of] you…”[16]
Notice the word “release!” This is forgiveness at its core. But, as with everything in life,
there is a process. So, let us take a look at this.
In Hebrew, there are three words[17]
related to “forgiveness”, much like there are three words related to “grace”. I
bring up “grace” because it is important to our understanding of forgiveness.
Allow me to do a quick review of the concept of “grace” and then tie in all
together.
The three levels of grace are
found in God’s name that He spoke unto Moshe in the wilderness:
Exodus
34:5-8
6)
Then the Lord
passed by in front of him and proclaimed,
“The
Lord, the Lord God, acompassionate and
gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness and 1truth;
7)
who akeeps lovingkindness
for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He bwill
by no means leave the guilty unpunished,
cvisiting
the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third
and fourth generations.”
We have three words here:
- . Compassionate
- Gracious
- . Loving-kindness
These translate to three Hebrew
words:
1. Compassionate (or in some
translations merciful) is the word “racham”…
“…-
Original: רחוּם
- Transliteration: Rachuwm
- Phonetic: rakh-oom'
- Definition:
1. compassionate
a. always of God with one possible exception
- TWOT entry: 2146c
- Part(s) of speech: Adjective
Total KJV Occurrences: 13
• compassion, 5
Psa_78:38; Psa_86:15; Psa_111:4;
Psa_112:4; Psa_145:8
• merciful, 8
2. Gracious is the word “chanan”…
“…-
Original: חנּוּן
- Transliteration: Channuwn
- Phonetic: khan-noon'
- Definition:
1. gracious
- TWOT entry: TWOT- 694d
- Part(s) of speech: Adjective
Total KJV Occurrences: 13
• gracious, 13
Exo_22:27; Exo_34:6; 2Ch_30:9;
Neh_9:17; Neh_9:31;
Psa_86:15; Psa_103:8;
Psa_111:4; Psa_112:4;
Psa_116:5; Psa_145:8;
Joe_2:13; Jon_4:2…”
[20]
3. Loving-kindness is the word “chesed” though it is closely tied with
“abounding” or “abundant” and is spoken as “rav (or rab) chesed”…
“…-
Original: חסד
- Transliteration: Checed
- Phonetic: kheh'-sed
- Definition:
1. goodness, kindness, faithfulness
2. a reproach, shame
- TWOT entry: 698a,699a
- Part(s) of speech: Noun Masculine
- Strong's: From H2616; kindness;
by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opprobrium) reproof
or (subjectively) beauty: - favour good deed (-liness -ness)
kindly (loving-) kindness merciful (kindness) mercy pity reproach wicked thing.
Total KJV Occurrences: 247
• away, 1
1Ch_17:13
• deeds, 1
Neh_13:14
• favor, 3
Est_2:17; Job_10:12; Dan_1:9
• goodliness, 1
Isa_40:6
• goodness, 12
Exo_34:6; 2Ch_32:32; 2Ch_35:26;
Psa_33:5; Psa_52:1;
Psa_107:8; Psa_107:15;
Psa_107:21; Psa_107:31;
Psa_144:2; Pro_20:6;
Hos_6:4
Rav
or rab:
“…-
Original: רב
- Transliteration: Rab
- Phonetic: rab
- Definition: adj
1. much, many, great
a. much
b. many
c. abounding in
d. more numerous than
e. abundant, enough
f. great
g. strong
h. greater than adv
i. much, exceedingly n m
2. captain, chief
- TWOT entry: 2099a,2099b
- Part(s) of speech:
- Strong's: By contraction from H7231; abundant
(in quantity size age number rank quality): - (in) abound (-undance -ant
-antly) captain elder enough exceedingly full great (-ly man one) increase long
(enough [time]) (do have) many (-ifold things a time) ([ship-]) master mighty
more (too very) much multiply (-tude) officer often [-times] plenteous populous
prince process [of time] suffice (-ient).
Total KJV Occurrences: 458…” [22]
These three words represent the
three fold pattern of “grace”; they have an order of progression as well:
a) Rav chesed
b) Chanan
c) Racham
Remember I said the Bible was a
legal document? Here in the progression of “grace” we begin to see how that
plays into what God does for us, and how it all ties into forgiveness.
In “rav chesed”, we find
mercy. Ever wonder where the phrase “throw yourself on the mercy of the court”
comes from? It comes from the concept of “rav chesed”. What is mercy? When
someone shows us mercy, he is giving you a pass on what you deserve to actually
get. We have sinned and transgressed God’s holy law, trampled upon His holy
word: what do we deserve? Judgment and death. Yet, as the Supreme Judge, He
gives us a pass. Why? Because He is long-suffering. He delays His anger and
judgment in order that we might repent. In calling upon Yahvey in “rav chesed” we ask for mercy, and in His grace He grants
it. This is the power, true power; it is the power to forgive when it is His
right to judge. When we recite this Name/attribute of God it’s as
if we are asking him to not judge us alone by our free will choices but through
His abundant kindness would He please take some of the responsibility tip the
balance of justice in our favor. In essence we are saying to Him “I was bad,
Daddy; but please, no matter how bad I was, O God, you create evil… O please
shoulder a part of this, my evil, for me… help me…”[23]
The
next progression of “grace” is where most believers walk; they think it is the
“unmerited favor” of God, yet “chanan” is actually just a bit
different. Here, in “chanan” the Supreme Judge has
already delayed His anger by showing us “rav chesed”; but we still have not
fully repented of our deeds and words – the sentence of death still hangs over
us. In “chanan”, Yahvey takes pity on us, still not desiring that we
die, it is His pity, His heart that once again delays the righteous judgment
that He should meet out to us. When a person cries out to God to declare
His name of “chanan”, they are crying out “There is nothing or no one to
justify or comfort me, but please Daddy,
Father, it hurts; help me.” The Father’s heart is moved with
pity and He allows more time to repent.
The final progression of “grace” is where we should all
be. It is “racham”. It is here when a person declares God’s name “Racham”,
we are crying out “ PLEASE look at the mitigating circumstances!” We have
thrown ourselves on the mercy of the court. We aren’t making excuses for our actions,
but realize that sometimes things get beyond our ability to contain them - this is what we are asking God to remember,
and to show us mercy in our mistakes, in our regrets, in our sorrow. We have
come to repentance, we have made t’shuvah back to God, and we now come
willfully under His command. “Racham” means that we understand
that we need to walk in obedience to His ways, to His Torah, and He gives us
the ability to obey. No longer are we walking in mercy, or pity. We now walk
because we have been pardoned, the Supreme Judge has declared us acquitted of
our crimes. Notice I did not say “not guilty”, for guilty we are, but He has
acquitted us of our transgressions. Webster’s dictionary says this:
“…ACQUIT', v.t. [L. cedo.]
To set free; to release or
discharge from an obligation, accusation, guilt, censure, suspicion, or
whatever lies upon a person as a charge or duty; as, the jury acquitted the
prisoner; we acquit a man of evil intentions. It is
followed by of before the object; to acquit from is obsolete. In a reciprocal
sense, as, the soldier acquitted himself well in battle, the word has a like
sense, implying the discharge of a duty or obligation. Hence its use in
expressing excellence in performance; as the orator acquitted himself well,
that is, in a manner that his situation and public expectation demanded…” [24]
We
are set free. Released.
Now
let us see how this ties in with forgiveness.
The
three Hebrew words used for forgiveness are:
- Selichah
- Mechilah
- Kapparah
1.
Selichah:
“…-Original:
סליחה
- Transliteration: s’liychah
- Phonetic: sel-ee-khaw'
- Definition:
1. forgiveness
- TWOT entry: 1505b
- Part(s) of speech: Noun Feminine
Total KJV Occurrences: 3
• forgiveness, 1
Psa_130:4
• forgivenesses, 1
Dan_9:9
• pardon, 1
This word is used of YHVH’s
forgiving nature. Look at Psalm 130:1-4:
Psalm 130:1-4 (NASB95)
A Song of Ascents.
A Song of Ascents.
The psalmist write that if God
chose to record sin, who could stand? But the nature of God is to forgive, not
excuse or condone, but to pardon, to release. There is a process though; the
party that has committed the wrong has to seek forgiveness through repentance.
This has to accomplished by seeking to address the wrong we did, whether
against God or man. Asking to be forgiven must be rooted in the love and fear
of God, and love for our fellow man. [27]
One has to be able to see the truth of their own flaws and seek the
reconciliation that is required. The process of t’shuvah, the return to God,
also requires us to take inventory of our lives. Why do we want to be forgiven?
Is it just to ease our guilt, or is there a deeper motivation, one that says
“My hurt doesn’t belong to me – it belongs to someone else, someone whom I can
help because I know their pain.” If we only seek to be forgiven because it
eases our pain, what has been accomplished? Is the world repaired by our
selfishness?
"If your brother has wronged you in your property,
forget it at once even if he has not asked you to do so; what he took was not
yours, and he did not take anything from you. Where injury has been done to
your person or honour, be easily appeased as soon as your brother asks for
forgiveness and desires to be reconciled. He who soon forgives is soon
forgiven. If you are really good, if humility is one of your qualities, you
will forget hurts and insults without pardon being asked of you; like the well
known chasid, you will never lie down to sleep without being reconciled with
the whole world, all of which God covers with the wings of His peace." Samson Raphael Hirsch from Horeb. [28]
God knows everything about us,
our Lashon Ha’Rah (evil tongue), our Lashon Kodesh (sacred tongue), our Yetzer
Tov (the inclination to do good) and our Yetzet Ha’Rah (the inclination to do
evil). Our goal is to understand this and act accordingly. If you know you are
being watched and weighed, would not you alter your behavior? In contrast to
all we have been taught in Christianity, we are not born in sin; our soul was
pure from God. It is the actions and directions we take in our life that chain
us to the sinful life; unforgiveness chains us to bitterness, bitterness chains
us to despair; despair chains us to anger, anger to hate and on and on it goes.
Our disobedience to God lays the path for our mistreatment of one another.
Kepha (Peter) said this:
2 Peter 3:9 (NRSV)
9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you,b not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. [29]
9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you,b not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. [29]
God’s
nature leads Him to forgive; we are created in His image, thus we have the same
capacity. May we use it. This seeking forgiveness opens the door to be
forgiven… It is here we need also to walk in rav chesed toward those
who have hurt us, and to seek chesed from those we have wronged.
2.
The
second step in the process of forgiveness is “mechilah”. We can
translate this word as “wiping away”.
“…-
Original: מחה
- Transliteration: Machah (or mechilah)
- Phonetic: maw-khaw'
- Definition:
1. to wipe, wipe out
a. (Qal)
1. to wipe
2. to blot out, obliterate
3. to blot out, exterminate
b. (Niphal)
1. to be wiped out
2. to be blotted out
3. to be exterminated
c. (Hiphil) to blot out (from memory)
2. (Qal) to strike
3. (Pual) full of marrow (participle)
- Origin: a primitive root
- TWOT entry: 1178,1179,1181c
- Part(s) of speech: Verb
- Strong's: A primitive root; properly to stroke or rub;
by implication to erase; also to smooth (as if with oil) that is grease
or make fat; also to touch that is reach to: - abolish blot out
destroy full of marrow put out reach unto X utterly wipe (away out)…” [30]
The Theological Wordbook of the
Old Testament says this:
1178 מָחָה (māḥâ) I,
wipe, wipe out.
“…Almost
all of the thirty-three occurrences of this verb are theologically significant.
It is first found in the flood narrative. Every living thing on the face of the
earth that breathed was blotted out (Gen 7:22–23) including all human beings,
except eight. māḥâ figures prominently in the prayer in which Moses
begged God to forgive the sin Israel incurred when they worshiped the golden
calf. “If not, blot me out of your book,” prays Moses (Ex 32:32–33). It had
been God’s intention to blot out Israel’s name from under heaven (Deut 9:14),
as repeated in Deut 29:20 [H 19] (see also Ps 69:28 [H 29]). Whether he regards
it thus as a stain (as in Ps 51:3, 11) or a debt in a ledger (as in Col 2:14)
is not known with certainty. But he was willing, as was the apostle Paul, to be
accursed for the sake of his brethren.
Note
that erasures in ancient leather scrolls were made by washing or sponging off’
the ink rather than blotting. “Wipe out” is therefore more accurate for the
idea of expunge.
When
God did move in judgment, he wiped Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and
turning it upside down (II Kgs 21:13). During the time of the judges, the
entire tribe of Benjamin was almost blotted out (Jud 21:17).
The
sinner prays as David did that God will blot out, i.e. erase his transgressions
and iniquities (Ps 51:1 [H 3], 9 [H 11]). God does so for his own sake and
remembers those sins no longer (Isa 43:25). Thus sins which loomed as a thick
cloud were blotted out (Isa 44:22). While God is omniscient, these sins he
deliberately remembers against us no longer.
The reverse action can be seen in Ps 109:14, and Neh 4:5 [H 3:37]. māḥâ
is also used to describe the lifestyle of an adulterous woman who eats, wipes
her mouth, and protestingly claims that she has done no wrong (Prov 30:20).
Then
there is the case of the jealous husband who suspected his wife of adultery. As
part of the psychological ordeal to which she was subjected in the presence of
the Lord, the woman had to drink bitter water into which curses written on a
scroll had been wiped in order to determine her innocence or guilt. (Num 5:23).
Finally,
Isa 25:8 proclaims that God will wipe away tears from all faces…” [31]
The idea is that in our guide to
forgiveness, we want to right the wrong we did to another; the inverse is the
same. We should be able to wipe away the wrongs someone has done to us if they
come and seek forgiveness. Our response to this is not easy, but well within
the power God has imparted to us. Giving forgiveness is a requirement at this
point in our process and chanan should be the level of grace
we exercise here.
3.
The
third phase of our journey into forgiveness rests in “kapparah” or atonement.
Here at the highest level of
forgiveness is where its true power lies. In kapparah, there is not
just remorse over a hurtful act, there is genuine repentance for the act. It is
defined as:
“…-
Original: כּפר
- Transliteration: Kaphar
- Phonetic: kaw-far'
- Definition:
1. to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation,
cover over with pitch
a. (Qal) to coat or cover with pitch
b. (Piel)
1. to cover over, pacify, propitiate
2. to cover over, atone for sin, make atonement for
3. to cover over, atone for sin and persons by legal rites
c. (Pual)
1. to be covered over
2. to make atonement for
d. (Hithpael) to be covered
- Origin: a primitive root
- TWOT entry: 1023,1024,1025,1026
- Part(s) of speech: Verb
- Strong's: A primitive root; to cover (specifically
with bitumen); figuratively to expiate or condone to placate
or cancel: - appease make (an) atonement cleanse disannul forgive
be merciful pacify pardon to pitch purge (away) put off (make) reconcile
(-liation).
Total KJV Occurrences: 102
• appease, 1
Gen_32:20
• atonement, 71
Exo_29:36; Exo_29:37; Exo_30:10(2);
Exo_30:15; Exo_30:16;
Exo_32:30; Lev_1:4;
Lev_4:20; Lev_4:26;
Lev_4:31; Lev_4:35;
Lev_5:6; Lev_5:10;
Lev_5:13; Lev_5:16;
Lev_5:18; Lev_6:7;
Lev_7:7; Lev_8:34;
Lev_9:7(2); Lev_10:17;
Lev_12:7; Lev_12:8;
Lev_14:18; Lev_14:19;
Lev_14:20; Lev_14:21;
Lev_14:29; Lev_14:31;
Lev_14:53; Lev_15:15;
Lev_15:30; Lev_16:6;
Lev_16:10; Lev_16:11;
Lev_16:16; Lev_16:17(2);
Lev_16:18; Lev_16:24;
Lev_16:27; Lev_16:30;
Lev_16:32; Lev_16:33(3);
Lev_16:34; Lev_17:11(2);
Lev_19:22; Lev_23:28;
Num_6:11; Num_8:12;
Num_8:19; Num_8:21;
Num_15:25; Num_15:28(2);
Num_16:46; Num_16:47;
Num_25:13; Num_28:22;
Num_28:30; Num_29:5;
Num_31:50; 2Sa_21:3;
1Ch_6:49; 2Ch_29:24;
Neh_10:33…” [32]
Kapparah is seen in the narrative
concerning Noach and the ark and is also linked with the Day of Atonement, Yom
Kippur:
“…Gen 6:14 Make6213 thee an ark8392
of gopher1613 wood;6086 rooms7064
shalt thou make6213 (853) in the ark,8392
and shalt pitch3722 it within4480, 1004 and without4480, 2351 with pitch.3724”
Noah’s
Ark:
“pitch it
within” :
·
“pitch” : H3722 כּפר
kâphar kaw-far'
A
primitive root; to cover (specifically with
bitumen)…
“within”
: H1004
בּית bayith bah'-yith
·
“without” : H2351 חץ חוּץ
chûts chûts
khoots, khoots
(Both
forms feminine in the plural); from an unused root meaning to sever; properly separate by a wall, that is,
outside, outdoors: - abroad,
field, forth, highway, more, out (-side, -ward), street, without.
·
“pitch” : H3724 כּפר
kôpher ko'-fer
From
H3722; properly a cover, that is, (literally) a village
(as covered in); (specifically) bitumen (as used for coating), and the henna plant (as used for dyeing); figuratively a redemption price: - bribe, camphire,
pitch, ransom, satisfaction, sum of money, village.
On the Day of Atonement, (10th
day of the 7th month, the month of Tishri, our Sept.-Oct), the High Priest would enter into the Holy
of Holies and sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice upon the Mercy Seat of the
Ark, the כּפּרת kappôreth.
This covering of the blood is the word “kapparah” (the sprinkling of the blood):
Leviticus
23:26-28 (NASB95)
26 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
26 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
27 “On exactly athe tenth day of
this seventh month is bthe day of
atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you,
and you shall humble your souls and present an offering
by fire to the Lord.
28 “You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a aday of atonement, bto make atonement on your behalf before the Lord
your God. [33]
Kapparah is a cover, a cover for our
sins, for our transgressions against God. The first indication of kapparah
is found in the narrative in Genesis 4:
Genesis 4:1-7
(Tanakh)
4) Now the man knewa his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gainedb a male child with the help of the Lord.” 2She then bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil. 3In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the soil; 4and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock. The Lord paid heed to Abel and his offering, 5but to Cain and his offering He paid no heed. Cain was much distressed and his face fell. 6And the Lord said to Cain,
4) Now the man knewa his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gainedb a male child with the help of the Lord.” 2She then bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil. 3In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the soil; 4and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock. The Lord paid heed to Abel and his offering, 5but to Cain and his offering He paid no heed. Cain was much distressed and his face fell. 6And the Lord said to Cain,
“Why are you distressed,
And why is your face fallen?
There is uplift.
But if you do not do right
Sin couches at the door;
Its urge is toward you,
The idea here is that “…"If you shall do better," God admonishes Cain, "the
punishment will be carried over," and if you do not, "sin
(punishment) crouches at the opening..." [35]
All
of our actions, our deeds, can have the effect of polluting our souls with sin.
Sin is clearly defined in the word as the transgression of Yahvey’s Torah (1
John 3:4). John also tells us that we must seek to purify ourselves from this
sin (1 John 3:2-3). It is by the means
of t’shuvah
(repentance) and kapparah (cover and/or acquittal) that God is able to put into
place a barrier between man and the punishment for his sin.
“…According to Rashi, the words "kapparah" (acquittal) and"kofer" (indemnity payment) are derived from the same
Hebrew root ["kfr”] and have a common signification. Punishment is not a self‑negating
phenomenon--an indemnity must be offered and paid in order to withdraw the
liability claim. That indemnity payment is made through teshuvah(repentance)
itself. Kapparah (acquittal) is the result of the payment of this
"ransom" which releases and redeems man from punishment…” [36]
Does anyone begin to see the
significance of all this? Rabbi Soloveitchik has identified salvation, whether
or not that was his intention. The “kophar”, the indemnity payment, had
to be offered up: Yeshua on the cross. T’shuvah, had to be made: our act of
genuine repentance before God. I am reminded of what Rabbi Sha’ul (Paul) says
in 2 Corinthians…
2 Corinthians 7:9-11 (NET)
7:9 Now I rejoice, not because you
were made sad,27 but
because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as
God intended,28 so
that you were not harmed29 in
any way by us. 7:10 For
sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation,
leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death. 7:11
For see what this very thing, this sadness30 as God intended, has produced
in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves,31 what
indignation,32
what alarm, what longing, what deep concern,33 what punishment!34 In
everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. [37]
The King James Bible describes
this “sadness” as “Godly sorrow”, a more accurate description of how the weight
of our sin should make us feel. This then leads to “kapparah”; though this
level of forgiveness cannot be achieved by any human means; only God can come
in and “wipe out” or “release” one’s soul from the bondage of sin, of guilt, of
remorse, of anger, of hurt, of pain, of bitterness, of addictions, of loss; it
is only through God that comfort can enter our hearts and give us rest. This is
why I love the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Throughout the year, my
soul is afflicted; wound piled upon wound – some self-inflicted, other caused
from without. All year long, no matter what I do, I have the nagging weight of
baggage that I drag around. I’m not saying that the blessed atoning death and resurrection
of Yeshua isn’t enough: it truly is, but God in His wisdom is bringing
believers in Messiah back to His Feasts – and Yom Kippur. Just as sin and unforgiveness pollutes us, so
has God made a way to cleanse us again. Our Kohen Gadol (High Priest), Yeshua
Ha’Machiach, has sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat to purify us of the
pollution we have perpetrated upon ourselves, and we are purified (taharah)
from the liability of our transgressions. T’shuvah, kapparah, taharah… the three
fold sequence appears once again…
In
the legal concept of the covenant God has made with His people, Israel and Judah
(and of those of us who have had ourselves
attached to the Commonwealth of Israel through the faith in Yeshua the Messiah),
kapparah
has issued a writ of withdrawal of claim – the claim of just punishment for our
sins. This is what I was calling the true power of God: to punish requires
little power – all one has to do is execute judgment. But to forgive – ah, here
is great power, to withhold righteous judgment and exchange it with mercy. This
requires God to put His nature as Supreme Judge back on the shelf and look upon
us and declare us “not guilty” even the preponderance of evidence is against
us. The power of God lies in His power to forgive; thus it is the same with us.
To be forgiven is to forgive, to wipe away, to blot out. With kapparah,
comes racham; the grace to walk it out.
We
spend an extraordinary time in the pursuit of how to “forgive ourselves” when nowhere
in the Scriptures does God every tell us to do so. We are told to forgive
others, so that God can then forgive us. This preoccupation we have with
ourselves is what keeps us from the comfort and rest God has promised us.
Yeshua said:
Matthew 6:19-33 (NKJV)
19 t“…Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 ubut lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
19 t“…Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 ubut lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 v
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is 7good,
your whole body will be full of light. 23 But
if your eye is 8bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that
is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 w“No one can serve two masters; for either he
will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and
despise the other. xYou cannot serve God and 9mammon.
25 “Therefore I say
to you, ydo not worry about your life,
what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will
put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 zLook
at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27
Which of you by worrying can add one 1cubit
to his 2stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of
the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was
not 3arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is,
and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe
you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or
‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your
heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But aseek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you…” [38]
We
serve two masters when we think about ourselves. We all go through pain, but
this pain is not for us – it is not for us to hold onto it, to smother
ourselves in it, to dwell on it, to nurture it because it is familiar – this pain
doesn’t belong to us. The unforgiveness, the bitterness, doesn’t belong to us.
God has given us this season so that we, in our pain, will have the ability to
recognize this same pain in others, and reach out to them in love. As we help
them ease their pain, ours is eased also. As we comfort, we are comforted. As we
forgive, we are forgiven.
Our
greatest obstacle to freedom is our inability to forgive the One that we need
forgiveness from. Yes, for all our troubles and trials, we tend to blame God.
Have you said to Him today through your tears “I forgive you God…”? Have you
said in your pain and fear “I forgive you God…”? He doesn’t need our
forgiveness, but we need to articulate ours – we need to taharah, to purify our
souls, for even if we try hard to not hold anything against God, are we really, really sure we don’t? He is so
easy to blame; I mean He doesn’t fight back. He just waits with patient
lovingkindness – rav chesed - and with pity for our pain – chanan – and waits, waits
for s to reach out to Him in racham, in obedience and humility.
It is
all bittersweet. The process takes us through astonishing changes as we begin
to shed the dead layers of our souls and expose the tender live layers to the
light of God. We are like an onion, peeling back dry layers to get to the
freshness underneath. That process brings tears to our eyes does it not? So
should the peeling back of our “armor”, the layers we have built up around our
hearts just “so we won’t hurt anymore.” That isn’t life: that is just a slow,
painful death as we dry up and wither away. We need the bitter to get the
sweet; there is no other way around it.
It
takes no power to hold onto pain and suffering. It takes power to forgive and
live again. God’s mighty power wants to come and walk with you through these
painful times; Yeshua wants to come and comfort you, to ease the storm in your
life. I know that this has been a long post, and I pray you have made it
through. If you have, my prayer is that you see the process and begin to work
out the things that beset you, and come into the fullness of life once more.
May He be forever exalted in all our lives.
…May the Lord richly bless you
this day, my beloved.. Hashem Yeshua, in the name of Yeshua, Amein…
[1] [Author’s
Note:] Throughout these studies I have
used the notes that come along with the passages I cite from the sources that I
cite: these need a bit of a disclaimer though. As in all things, not everything
that is footnoted is something that I necessarily agree with, especially if it contradicts
what I believe pertains to any matters of the Torah or the commandments
of God. I give you the notes as they are written by the authors
of the material I cite from, so that you can see the information
contained within them. It truly is not my place to edit or correct them; if
they state anything that is in opposition to what I teach, then so be it. I
will address these issues if requested, but for the sake of brevity (as if any
of these posts of mine are brief ☺ ) I
insert them and let them stand as they are. If I don’t agree with them, why do
I include them you might ask? I don’t believe in censuring anyone’s opinions;
as I would not want mine censured, so I will not do to that to another. As
Rabbi Hillel once stated, “What is hateful to you, do not do to another. That
is the whole Torah. Go and learn it.” Torah leads me to respect others,
even if I disagree; it leads me to present both sides of the coin, even if it
could mean I’d lose part of the argument. That is not to say I should not
challenge something I believe contradicts the truth of God’s word; that I will
do in the main body of my epistles; that is where my gentle dissent belongs.
Most (but not all) of the differences will come when I quote from the NET®
Bible; it has a decidedly Western/Greek mindset to it, but as a wise man once
said “How do you eat chicken? Swallow the meat and spit out the bones..”
·
[The
following notes are taken from the NET Bible® footnotes, copyright (c)
1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press
L.L.C. All rights reserved. Used by permission from www.bible.org, n.d.
Numbering system is unique to NET® Notes..]
91 sn
Love your enemies is the first of four short exhortations that call for
an unusual response to those who are persecuting disciples. Disciples are to
relate to hostility in a completely unprecedented manner.
92 tn
The substantival participle ἐπηρεαζόντων (epēreazontōn),
sometimes translated “those who abuse” (NRSV), is better rendered “those who
mistreat,” a more general term (see L&N 88.129).
93 sn
The phrase strikes you on the cheek probably pictures public rejection,
like the act that indicated expulsion from the synagogue.
94 sn
This command to offer the other cheek as well is often
misunderstood. It means that there is risk involved in reaching out to people
with God’s hope. But if one is struck down in rejection, the disciple is to
continue reaching out.
95 tn
Or “cloak.”
96 tn
See the note on the word “tunics” in 3:11.
97 sn
The command do not withhold your tunic either is again an image of
continually being totally at risk as one tries to keep contact with those who
are hostile to what Jesus and his disciples offer.
98 sn
Jesus advocates a generosity and a desire to meet those in dire need with the
command give to everyone who asks you. This may allude to begging;
giving alms was viewed highly in the ancient world (Matt 6:1–4; Deut 15:7–11).
99 tn
Grk “your things,” sometimes translated “what is yours” or “what belongs
to you.”
100 sn
Do not ask for your possessions back … is an example of showing
forgiveness. Paul’s remarks in 1 Cor 6:7 may reflect this principle.
102 sn
Jesus’ teaching as reflected in the phrase treat others in the same way you
would want them to treat you, known generally as the Golden Rule, is not
completely unique in the ancient world, but it is stated here in its most
emphatic, selfless form.
103 tn
Grk “And if.” Here καί (kai)
has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
This is a first class condition, but the next two conditional clauses are third
class conditions, so that stylistic variation is probably at work.
104 sn
Here the term sinners may refer to people who had no concern for
observing the details of the Mosaic law; these were often treated as social
outcasts. See L&N 88.295.
105 sn
Jesus’ point in the statement even sinners love those who love them is
that disciples are to go farther than sinners do. The examples replay vv.
29–30.
106 tc
‡ Three key mss (𝔓75 א* B) have “for” here, but it is
unlikely that it was present originally. The addition of conjunctions,
especially to the beginning of a clause, are typically suspect because they fit
the pattern of Koine tendencies toward greater explicitness. NA27
has the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
107 tc
Most mss (A D L Θ Ξ Ψ f13 33 𝔐
lat) include γάρ
(gar, “for”) following καί (kai,
here translated “even”), but a few important mss
(א B W 700 892* 1241 pc)
lack the conjunction. The inclusion of the conjunction seems to be motivated by
clarity and should probably be considered inauthentic.
108 sn
See the note on the word sinners in v. 32.
109 tn
Grk “to receive”; but in context the repayment of the amount lent is
implied. Jesus was noting that utilitarian motives are the way of the world.
110 sn
See the note on the word sinners in v. 32.
111 tn
Grk “to receive as much again.”
112 tn
Or “in return.”
113 tn
Here καί
(kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the outcome or result.
Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was
started in the translation at this point.
114 sn
The character of these actions reflects the grace and kindness of God, bearing
witness to a “line of descent” or relationship of the individual to God (sons
of the Most High). There is to be a unique kind of ethic at work with
disciples. Jesus refers specifically to sons here because in the ancient
world sons had special privileges which were rarely accorded to daughters.
However, Jesus is most likely addressing both men and women in this context, so
women too would receive these same privileges.
115 sn
That is, “sons of God.”
116 tn
Or “to the ungrateful and immoral.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text,
but is implied.
117 sn
Merciful is a characteristic of God often noted in the OT: Exod 34:6;
Deut 4:31; Joel 2:31; Jonah 4:2; 2 Sam 24:14. This remark also echoes the more
common OT statements like Lev 19:2 or Deut 18:13: “you must be holy as I am
holy.”
118 tn
Grk “And do.” Here καί (kai)
has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
119 sn
As the Gospel makes clear, with the statement do not judge Jesus had in
mind making a judgment that caused one to cut oneself off from someone so that
they ceased to be reached out to (5:27–32; 15:1–32). Jesus himself did make
judgments about where people stand (11:37–54), but not in such a way that he
ceased to continue to offer them God’s grace.
120 sn
The point of the statement do not judge, and you will not be judged is
that the standards one applies to others God applies back. The passive verbs in
this verse look to God’s action.
121 sn
On forgive see Luke 11:4; 1 Pet 3:7.
122 sn
The background to the image pressed down, shaken together, running over
is pouring out grain for measure in the marketplace. One often poured the grain
into a container, shook it to level out the grain and then poured in some more.
Those who are generous have generosity running over for them.
123 tn
Grk “they will give”; that is, “pour.” The third person plural has been
replaced by the passive in the translation.
124 tn
Grk “by [the measure] with which you measure it will be measured back to
you.”
125 tn
Questions prefaced with μή (mē) in
Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a
“tag” at the end in English (here it is “can he?”).
126 sn
The picture of a blind man leading a blind man is a warning to
watch who one follows: Won’t they both fall into a pit? The sermon has
been about religious choices and reacting graciously to those who oppose the
followers of Jesus. Here Jesus’ point was to be careful who you follow and
where they are taking you.
127 tn
Or “student.”
128 tn
Or “significantly different.” The idea, as the next phrase shows, is that
teachers build followers who go the same direction they do.
130 sn
A speck (also twice in v. 42) refers to a small piece of wood, chaff, or
straw (L&N 3.66).
131 tn
Or “do not notice.”
132 sn
The beam of wood (also twice in v. 42) refers to a big piece of wood,
the main beam of a building, in contrast to the speck in the other’s eye
(L&N 7.78).
133 tn
The explanatory connective γάρ (gar) is
often dropped from translations, but the point of the passage is that one
should be self-corrective and be careful who one follows (vv. 41–42), because
such choices also reflect what the nature of the tree is and its product.
134 tn
Grk “rotten.” The word σαπρός, modifying both
“fruit” and “tree,” can also mean “diseased” (L&N 65.28).
135 tc
Most mss, especially later ones (A
C D Θ Ψ
33 𝔐 lat sy sa), lack the adverb πάλιν (palin, “again”) here. Its presence is
attested, however, by several good witnesses (𝔓75 א B L W Ξ f1, 13 579 892 1241
2542).
136 sn
The principle of the passage is that one produces what one is.
137 tn
Grk “they do not gather”; this has been simplified to the passive voice
in the translation since the subject “they” is not specified further in the
context.
138 tn
This is a different verb (τρυγῶσιν, trugōsin)
for gathering from the previous one (συλλέγουσιν, sullegousin).
139 tn
This is a different term (βάτος, batos)
for a thorn or bramble bush than the previous one (ἄκανθα,
akantha).sn The statement nor are grapes picked from brambles
illustrates the principle: That which cannot produce fruit, does not produce
fruit.
140 tn
Grk “the”; the Greek article has been translated here and in the
following clause (“out of the evil”) as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn
215).
141 sn
Mention of the heart shows that Jesus is not interested in what is done,
but why. Motives are more important than actions for him.
142 tn
The word “treasury” is not repeated in the Greek text at this point, but is
implied.
143 sn
What one utters from one’s mouth is especially singled out as the
example of this principle. James seems to have known this teaching (Jas 1:26;
3:1–12).
144 tn
Grk “for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
146 tn
The double use of the vocative is normally used in situations of high emotion
or emphasis. Even an emphatic confession without action means little.
147 sn
Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do what I tell you? Respect
is not a matter of mere words, but is reflected in obedient action. This short
saying, which is much simpler than its more developed conceptual parallel in
Matt 7:21–23, serves in this form to simply warn and issue a call to hear and
obey, as the last parable also does in vv. 47–49.
148 tn
Grk “and does them.”
149 tn
Here and in v. 49 the Greek text reads ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos),
while the parallel account in Matt 7:24–27 uses ἀνήρ
(anēr) in vv. 24 and 26.
150 tn
There are actually two different Greek verbs used here: “who dug (ἔσκαψεν, eskapsen) and dug deep (ἐβάθυνεν, ebathunen).” Jesus is placing emphasis on
the effort to which the man went to prepare his foundation.
152 sn
The picture here is of a river overflowing its banks and causing
flooding and chaos.
154 tc
Most mss, especially later ones (A
C D Θ Ψ f1, 13 𝔐
latt), read “because he built [it] on the rock” rather than because it had
been well built” (𝔓75vid א B L W Ξ
33 579 892 1241 2542 pc sa). The reading of the later mss seems to be a harmonization to Matt
7:25, rendering it most likely secondary.
155 tn
Grk “does not do [them].”
156 tn
Grk “against which”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek
sentence, the relative clause was converted to a temporal clause in the
translation and a new sentence started here.
157 tn
Grk “it”; the referent (that house) has been specified in the
translation for clarity.
158 tn
Grk “and its crash was great.”sn The extra phrase at the end of
this description (and was utterly destroyed) portrays the great
disappointment that the destruction of the house caused as it crashed and was
swept away.
·
End
“NET®” notes
[2] Biblical
Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET
Bible.; The NET Bible (Lk 6:27–49). Biblical Studies Press.
[3] Biblical Studies Press: The NET Bible
First Edition Notes; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible : Biblical
Studies Press, ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press
[4] This story has a point, but I want to make it clear: I do not, will
not, ever uphold the Nazi’s as anything other than what they were – evil. Every
picture tells a story, every heart has one too. The story of Mrs. “M” is just
one of those that illustrates the point I am trying to make.
[5] New American Standard Bible : 1995 update.
1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6] The New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[7] With thanks to Peter McArthur of The
Issachar Ministry for the lead and inspiration of this timely truth…
See www.issacharministry.org.au
[The following notes are taken from the NET Bible®
footnotes, copyright (c) 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press L.L.C. All rights
reserved. Used by permission from www.bible.org, n.d. Numbering system is
unique to NET® Notes..]
32 tn The
expression rendered “three times” is really “three feet,” or “three
foot-beats.” The expression occurs only a few times in the Law. The expressing
is an adverbial accusative.
33 tn This is the word תָּחֹג
(takhog) from the root חָגַג (khagag); it describes a feast that was accompanied by a
pilgrimage. It was first used by Moses in his appeal that Israel go three days
into the desert to hold such a feast.
36 tn The verb
is a Niphal imperfect; the nuance of
permission works well here – no one is permitted to appear before God empty (Heb “and they will not appear before me
empty”).
37 tn The words
“you are also to observe” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the
translation for stylistic reasons.
38 tn An
infinitive construct with a preposition and a pronominal suffix is used to make
a temporal clause: “in the going in of the year.” The word “year” is the
subjective genitive, the subject of the clause.
39 tn An
infinitive construct with a preposition and a pronominal suffix is used to make
a temporal clause: “in the ingathering of you.”
40 tn Heb “gathered in your labors.” This is a
metonymy of cause put for the effect. “Labors” are not gathered in, but what
the labors produced – the harvest.
42 tn Here the
divine Name reads in Hebrew הָאָדֹן יְהוָה (ha’adon yéhvah), which if rendered according to the traditional scheme
of “Lord” for “Yahweh” would
result in “Lord Lord.” A number of
English versions therefore render this phrase “Lord God,” and that convention has been followed here.
·
End
“NET®” notes
[8] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English.
NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.
[9] Stern, David H. The Complete Jewish Bible. ©Jewish
New Testament Publications, 1998. Electronic
Edition, e-Sword v. 10.2.1. Copyright ©2000-2013 by Rick Meyers
[11] F. Brown, S. Driver, C. Briggs; J. Strong; J.H. Thayer. Brown
Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, and the Strong’s King
James Concordance. Electronic Edition, © 2000–2013 e-Sword v 10.2.1 by Rick
Meyers, n.d.
[12] The New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[13]
See “The Third Way”, The Issachar Ministry, ©Peter McArthur 1997, 2003
b Matt 10:17; 26:59;
Mark 13:9; 14:55; 15:1; Luke 22:66; John 11:47; Acts 4:15; 5:21; 6:12; 22:30;
23:1; 24:20
[16] Harness, Mark D. Accurate New Testament First Edition.
First Edition. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2009.
[17] There is that “three fold
sequence” again…
a Ex 19:9; 33:9
1 Or he called out with the name of the Lord
a Num 14:18; Deut
4:31; Neh 9:17; Ps 86:15; 103:8; 108:4; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Rom 2:4
1 Or faithfulness
a Ex 20:5, 6;
Deut 5:10; 7:9; Ps 103:3; 130:3, 4; 1 John 1:9
b Ex 23:7; Deut
7:10; Job 10:14; Nah 1:3
c Deut 5:9
1 Lit and bowed...worshiped
a Ex 4:31
[18] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update.
(1995). (Ex 34:5–8). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[19] F. Brown, S. Driver, C. Briggs; J. Strong; J.H. Thayer. Brown
Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, and the Strong’s King
James Concordance. Electronic Edition, © 2000–2013 e-Sword v 10.2.1 by Rick
Meyers, n.d.
[20]
…Ibid…
[21] F. Brown, S. Driver, C. Briggs; J. Strong; J.H. Thayer. Brown
Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, and the Strong’s King
James Concordance. Electronic Edition, © 2000–2013 e-Sword v 10.2.1 by Rick
Meyers, n.d.
[22]
…Ibid…
[23]
See http://davidseedofabraham.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-widows-mite.html
for a fuller explanation.
[24] Webster, Noah. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of American
English. Foundation for American Christian Education, 1828. Electronic
edition, theWORD software ©2003-2012 by Costas Stergiou, version 4.0.0.1342.
[25] F.
Brown, S. Driver, C. Briggs; J. Strong; J.H. Thayer. Brown Driver Briggs
Hebrew Lexicon, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, and the Strong’s King James
Concordance. Electronic Edition, © 2000–2013 e-Sword v 10.2.1 by Rick
Meyers, n.d.
[27] http://www.mesora.org/forgiveness-selichos.html
by Rivka Olenick
[28] Horeb: A Philosophy of Jewish Laws and Observances, by Rabbi Samson
Raphel Hirch Soncino Pr Ltd; 7th
edition (January 1, 2002)
[30] F.
Brown, S. Driver, C. Briggs; J. Strong; J.H. Thayer. Brown Driver Briggs
Hebrew Lexicon, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, and the Strong’s King James Concordance.
Electronic Edition, © 2000–2013 e-Sword v 10.2.1 by Rick Meyers, n.d.
[31]Harris, R. L.,
Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., & Waltke, B. K. (1999, c1980). Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed.) (498). Chicago: Moody Press.
[32] F.
Brown, S. Driver, C. Briggs; J. Strong; J.H. Thayer. Brown Driver Briggs
Hebrew Lexicon, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, and the Strong’s King James
Concordance. Electronic Edition, © 2000–2013 e-Sword v 10.2.1 by Rick
Meyers, n.d.
[34] Jewish
Publication Society. (1997, c1985). Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures : A new
translation of the Holy Scriptures according to the traditional Hebrew text.
Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.
[35] From the article “The Double Purpose of Yom Kippur - We must be cleansed from the polluting
effects of sin” By Rabbi Joseph
B. Soloveitchik (http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Yom_Kippur/Themes_and_Theology/Repentance/Attitudes_Towards_Repentance/Cleansed_from_Sin.shtml?p=2)
·
[The following notes are taken from the
NET Bible® footnotes, copyright (c) 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press L.L.C.
All rights reserved. Used by permission from www.bible.org, n.d. Numbering
system is unique to NET® Notes..]
[36] …Ibid…
28 tn Grk “corresponding to God,” that is,
corresponding to God’s will (κατὰ θεόν, kata theon). The same
phrase occurs in vv. 10 and 11.
34 sn That is, punishment for the offender.
·
End
“NET®” notes
[37] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The
NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible.
Biblical Studies Press.
[38] The New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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