What Only God Can Do (1)

Were You, O Yah, to watch for wrongs, Master, who could endure?  For forgiveness is Yours, so that You may be feared. Psalm 130:3-4 Robert Alter

Forgiveness – “I’m sorry.  Please forgive me.”  How often those words are offered to another person!  And rightly so.  We all make mistakes and we all need forgiveness.  But Hebrew insists that we do not think of divine forgiveness in the same way.  This verse uses the Hebrew term

sĕlîḥâ.  It comes from the root sālaḥ, a verb that is used only of God, never of human beings.

This verb, together with a few others, such as bāraʾ “to create,” is used in Scripture solely of God. sālaḥ is used of God’s offer of pardon and forgiveness to the sinner. Never does this word in any of its forms refer to people forgiving each other.[1]

If God’s forgiveness is so unique that it takes a special verb, how is it different from human forgiveness?  First, let’s compare willingness.  We forgive, but not always eagerly.  Often our forgiveness comes after a certain reluctance while we push ourselves to get past the emotions of the offense.  God, on the other hand, is overjoyed to forgive.  With anxious anticipation, He waits for His children to turn to Him.  Forgiveness is a joyful experience for God.  That isn’t always the case with us.  Too often our forgiveness is an ethical technicality; something we should do even if we would rather not.

Secondly, God’s forgiveness is complete.  He tells us that once forgiven the offense is forgotten, removed from the continuing relationship as far as the East is from the West.  Our forgiveness should meet this standard, but too often it doesn’t.  We forgive—and remember.  We have a saying that supports our conditional forgiveness.  “Once bitten, twice shy.”  Our technical forgiveness clears the decks for the moment, but emotional forgiveness is often withheld.  The relationship changes.  The damage is done.  Not so with God.  Even after one thousand years of disappointment with Israel, God was willing to remove past dismay in a moment and re-establish a clean relationship.  His forgiveness has no carry-over.  He doesn’t keep score.

Finally, God doesn’t have to be convinced to forgive.  Human forgiveness often expects (or demands) certain acceptable behavioral changes by the offending party.  “I would like to forgive you, but first you need to demonstrate  . . .” as though forgiveness is a negotiated action.  God doesn’t seem to use the balance scales when He forgives.  Yes, of course, repentance precedes forgiveness, but God doesn’t actually demand it.  In Scripture we find God forgiving even when people don’t ask, and don’t necessarily show any signs of repentance.  In fact, God’s forgiveness is often proleptic, that is, it is intended to spur the offending party to ask rather than being offered after repentance.  Divine forgiveness is a motivator, not a response.  No wonder it takes a special verb.

Topical Index: forgiveness, sĕlîḥâ, sālaḥ, Psalm 130:3-4

[1] Kaiser, W. C. (1999). 1505 סָלַח. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 626). Chicago: Moody Press.

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Derek Satz

With forgiveness human being to human being, how does one forgive if the offending party never asked for forgiveness. Example: I offend you. You say (to yourself or to me) I forgive you. However, I’m not sorry. In fact, not only am I not sorry but I don’t even see it as I have done you wrong. I actually debate you that I was in the right.

I ask because you mention that God forgives when people didn’t ask or show repentance. Are we supposed to do that as well? And if so, is there something you can point to that shows how?

Richard Bridgan

“Truth” as it is articulated in the scriptures, the witness of Israel’s testimony, describes and conveys (to the one “seeing” and “hearing”) a peculiar and particular reality… a reality that is not realized by a human nature “commandeered” by the curse brought to bear on mankind through sin. (I don’t intend to appear presumptuous, Derek, but seeing this has helped me… and I trust it may be helpful to you as well.)

Richard Bridgan

Skip, thanks for the caution, with which I substantially agree. I don’t believe mankind has undergone an essential imposition of depravity, as if human nature has undergone an essential change of its inherent design/capacity, except by the sense(s) of perception, similar to when we look at certain images which allow an alternate image to be perceived depending on those factors that affect perception. However it may actually work, “reality” (that spiritual/”God-funded”) remains elusive for many except they have “eyes to see” or “ears to hear.” (cf.Deut. 29:4; Ezek. 12:2), and it is definitely associated with rebellion, stubbornness of heart, and various resistance to God’s self-revelation.

Derek Satz

Maybe I’m not following. Can you give an example? I’m not making the connection. Hypothetically, if someone were to lets say steal my car, I am supposed to take on the offense as if I was the car thief? Where I’m having trouble is I’m not the car thief though. Naturally I could draw more example with extreme and sensitive examples like: rape, emotional/physical abusers.

Richard Bridgan

Amen!… and emet. (Selah)