GOD
… Reconciling the world unto God …
The Scripture used throughout this study is quoted from the King James Version. Any explanatory insertions by the author within a Scripture verse are enclosed in brackets [ ]. |
© 1995 by Vincent C. Finnegan
P.O. Box 3098, Latham NY 12110, USA
| Chapter One | Three Forgiven Men David Manasseh Judas Iscariot |
| Chapter Two | Can God Forgive You? |
Chapter One — Three Forgiven Men
God's forgiveness is so big that for us to comprehend it with our finite minds is difficult. We are going to look at three men in the Word of God to get a glimpse of God's merciful forgiveness for man.
David
II Samuel 11:1:
And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
David stayed at home while Joab led his army against Ammon.
II Samuel 11:2-4:
And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
Perhaps David should have gone with his army. He did not use his time at home very wisely. As the king, David had the authority to do what he pleased in his kingdom. However, God is the One Who had given David the privilege of being king over God's people, Israel. Just as everyone else in Israel, David was required by God to keep His commandments — one of which was "thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife" and another of which was "thou shalt not commit adultery." David walked away from the will of God and was following his own lust and involving another person, Bathseheba, in his sin. If the story ended here it would have been bad enough, but we are just getting started!
II Samuel 11:5:
And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.
Now David had a real problem on his hands. This woman was pregnant. Her husband and everyone else would easily figure out Uriah was not the father because he was away at war. But David had a plan to cover his wrongdoing.
II Samuel 11:6-11:
And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.
And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.
And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.
But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.
And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?
And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.
How inviting would it be for a soldier to leave the trenches in the middle of a war with the king's permission and go home and sleep with his wife? How many men would do what Uriah did? He was a great man with impeccable character. He would not go down to his house because the ark of God was in the field and the rest of the army were in tents. Uriah was a rare man among men.
While this man had been fighting in David's army, protecting his kingdom, David had slept with his wife. Well, David's plan was foiled. He tried again.
II Samuel 11:12 and 13:
And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.
And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.
This time he made him drunk; yet Uriah maintained his integrity. I Chronicles 11 lists Uriah as one of the valiant men of the armies. Again, David's plans failed. So, he contrived another plan. Had what follows not been written in God's Word, I would never have imagined that this great man, David, would have allowed himself to go so far outside the will of God.
II Samuel 11:14-17:
And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.
And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
David had this honorable man carry his own death sentence to Joab. He did not have to worry about Uriah's reading it because he had such obvious integrity, loyalty, and honor. With this plan David showed no concern as to how he also was compromising the general, Joab. Mind you, Joab was the man in charge of the army. Having Joab participate in this sin not only compromised Joab, but put the whole army in jeopardy and, therefore, all of Israel.
What we have read is how David used his God-given authority as the king to commit adultery with the wife of one of the most honorable men in Israel. (We have not even considered how his actions caused Bathsheba to sin also, nor have we considered the mental pain she had to endure having become pregnant while her husband was at war, nor how she mourned after her husband died.) To cover his sin he tried to deceive Uriah into sleeping with his wife. When this plan failed, he arranged the murder of this great man by the hands of unbelievers. He compromised Joab, his army, and all of Israel.
God had Nathan confront David as is recorded in chapter 12. David repented for the evil he had done, mourned, and asked God for forgiveness. Read Psalm 51. David asked God to wash him throughly of his iniquity and to cleanse him from his sin. He asked God to "create in me a clean heart." Do you know what happened? God forgave David! He also gave him a clean heart. After this record, God's Word says David was a man after God's own heart! David is in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Can you imagine! Do you know who else is in the genealogy?
Matthew 1:6:
And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
Urias is Uriah. God did not forget him. Solomon was another son by Bathsheba.
God forgave David. Do you think He can forgive you? If you are not convinced yet, maybe the record of Manasseh will help.
Manasseh
Manasseh was the heir to the throne of Judah because Hezekiah was his father. The irony of this is that God added 15 years to Hezekiah's life when he humbled him-self and mourned his sin. During this 15 years, given because of God's forgiveness, Manasseh was born. He was only 12 years old when he began to reign.
II Kings 21:1-3:
Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
Baal is a pagan god. A grove is like a stockpile of gods. The host of heaven is referring to the stars and astrological worship. Remember the first commandment.
Exodus 20:3-5:
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, ...
When the king is worshipping other gods what do you think the people in the kingdom are doing?
This is God's kingdom, His throne, and Manasseh is using it to worship other gods and is leading God's people to embrace the same.
II Kings 21:4 and 5:
And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.
And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.
To do this in the house of the Lord is unthinkable. This is similar to a wife having sex with another man in her husband's bed in front of him. Manasseh did this to God!
II Kings21: 6:
And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
All of these things are an abomination to the Lord. According to the law given to Moses capital punishment was the consequence for such iniquities — specifically stoning.
II Kings 21:7-9:
And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.
But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.
The king should have been reconciling his people back to God, rather he seduced them to do more evil.
II Kings 21:10-16:
And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying,
Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:
Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.
And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.
And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.
Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.
Manasseh was responsible for shedding much innocent blood — the blood of God's people!
II Chronicles 33 has the corresponding record.
II Chronicles 33:11-13:
Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,
And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.
This man destroyed all his father, Hezekiah, had accomplished in the kingdom. God had cast the heathen out of the land so His people could live there. Manasseh brought in more evil and idolatry than those heathen. He built altars in the house of the Lord. He seduced God's people to great evil. He shed innocent blood very much till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another. Because of him the kingdom was taken away into captivity. Yet, when he humbled himself and mourned his sin, God forgave him.
God brought him out of captivity back to Jerusalem, and he did that which was right in the sight of God.
God forgave Manasseh. Let me ask you a question. Have you done the things this man did? I doubt it. But even if you have and you humble yourself and ask God for forgiveness, He will give it to you. He forgave Manasseh. Do you think He can forgive you? If you are not convinced yet, maybe the record of Judas Iscariot will help.
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was ordained by our lord to be an apostle. Of all the people who were alive during the ministry of our lord, Judas was selected as one of 12 to be intimately involved in the life of God's only begotten son, our savior, Jesus Christ. The lord's public ministry was less than a year. By the latter part of Jesus Christ's ministry, Judas had already given himself over to sin. God trusted this man with the responsibility of being an apostle, and yet he exercised this privilege only for a matter of months.
John 12:1-6:
Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.
There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,
Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
Judas objected to the loving act of Mary because he was a thief. Of the 12 apostles, Jesus Christ trusted Judas to be their treasurer. Judas abused his trust to steal from the lord. He stole from the lord! Can you imagine the audacity — to make an accusation against Mary and Jesus Christ for his own selfish desire of stealing!
In a later similar, but not identical, record the lord once again reproved Judas and the others when they criticized the woman anointing his head. Judas, having been reproved again, allowed his pride to turn him against Jesus. He went and made arrangements to betray the son of God.
Matthew 26:14-16:
Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
Judas arranged with the lord's enemies for a mere thirty pieces of silver to betray him. Later at the last supper Jesus, knowing Judas' intentions, gave him many opportunities to change. He lovingly washed his feet. He honored him by giving him the sop, and much more. Yet Judas still betrayed him. The lord was taken, tortured for approximately 40 hours, and crucified. After he was raised from the dead, according to the scriptures he made no mention at all of the evil Judas did. Jesus never even told the other apostles of Judas' actions. The book of Acts gives a record that takes our breath away.
Acts 1:1-3:
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
The Word of God is accurate in minute detail. When it says "the apostles whom he had chosen", it means the 12 including Judas. If Judas had already killed himself, it would have stated the exception of Judas. Jesus showed himself to Judas during those 40 days. He taught Judas also.
On the day of the ascension he spoke the words that follow, and Judas was present.
Acts 1:4 and 5:
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Judas was offered the promise of the Father which is to be baptized with the holy spirit that which we now know to be the new birth. God offered to this man the privilege of becoming His son and of living eternally! Did God forgive Judas?
Acts 1:8 and 9:
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
He told Judas he would receive power and be a witness unto the lord.
Acts 1:10:
And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
If you closely observe the pronouns from verses 2-9, you will see they relate to the apostles the lord had chosen, including Judas. All twelve, including Judas, witnessed the ascension.
Acts 1:11:
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
With this verse we change to "Ye men of Galilee!" Judas was the only apostle who was not a Galilean. He was a Judean. "Iscariot" means "man of Kerioth", which was a town in Judea. This pinpoints the time Judas left the other 11. After having been with Jesus the past forty days, after having been forgiven by him and accepted in the fellowship with the apostles, after having been promised the power of the holy spirit, and finally, after having witnessed the ascension, Judas left to commit suicide. Did God forgive him? Yes, Yes, Yes!
He offered him sonship and eternal life. However, Judas just could not let go of the sin. He could not forgive himself. Sin consciousness, condemnation, and guilt drove him to end his life.
God forgave Judas! Do you think He can forgive you? For Judas not to accept God's forgiveness was foolish.
The issue is never God's forgiveness; the issue is man's willingness to accept it.
If you are still not convinced of God's forgiveness, you are a hard case. Then please consider the next chapter.
Can God Forgive You?
Psalms 103:8-12:
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
He will not always chide: neither will he keep his angerfor ever.
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.
These scriptures were written before Christ. David, Manasseh, and Judas were not Christians, because to be born again was not available until Jesus Christ had ascended and the holy spirit was given on Pentecost. Certainly God's forgiveness cannot be less for those who are born again.
Acts 2:38:
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
When a person repents and is baptized with holy spirit, he receives remission of sins. "Remission" means all the sin before he was born again is completely washed away in Christ. All the past sins are forgiven.
After we are born from above, we still sin, but forgiveness is always available.
I John 1:8 and 9:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God is faithful and just to forgive His children and to cleanse them. When we break fellowship with Him and ask with a genuine heart's concern for His forgiveness, God promises to provide. The matter is not one of His willingness because He is faithful and just to forgive. The matter is one of your willingness to accept it!
In David and Manasseh we saw a genuine heartfelt mourning for their sins and their acceptance of God's forgiveness. In Judas we saw someone who just could not accept God's forgiveness. We, too, should have a heartfelt mourning when we break fellowship with God and should immediately receive forgiveness and move on.
II Corinthians 7:9 and 10:
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
When we sin it should bother us, or else we would just keep on doing wrong. This disturbance of mind is called mourning. Godly sorrow is a result of godly mourning of the sin. The sorrow of the world is sin consciousness and guilt which leads to condemnation. Godly sorrow leads to repentance, a changing away from sin to reinstated fellowship with God.
II Corinthians 7:11:
For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
David and Manasseh had godly sorrow and, indeed, both did change. Judas had the sorrow of the world, which worketh death. In his case he literally took his own life.
As we have seen, God's forgiveness is readily available to His people. But God's providing forgiveness for broken fellowship with Him should never be used as a license to sin. How foolish!
Romans 6:15,16,20 and 21:
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
What is the fruit of sin? Why would we who are free from sin want back in? The life with God is so far superior to a life of sin.
A small-minded person might think these men got away with sinning. Did they? David and Bathsheba's child died. The sword never departed from his house. His other children provided much difficulty throughout his life. Nathan told him these things would happen because of his sin. Manasseh's sin caused him and the entire kingdom much harm. Judas committed suicide. Was God's forgiveness granted to them? Yes! However, they did suffer consequences for their wrongdoing.
The forgiveness of sins should not be confused with the consequences of sin. Nor should the consequences be confused with God's punishment. The things that happened to those men were not God's punishment, but the result of their own wrongdoing. If you ignored a traffic light and another car crashed into you, whose fault would it be? You would not accuse the other driver of punishing you; nor would you accuse the authorities for having the traffic light. You would understand the harm received was the consequence of your own wrongdoing.
Every time we sin we receive the immediate consequences of being out of fellowship with God, and often there are other consequences also. Should we sin because we are under grace? God forbid. What sense is there in going back to the very things from which we are saved? We should want to live to please God, not grieve Him.
For those who have eyes to see, the forgiveness of God is abundantly obvious. Accept it and move on. The consequences of sin will be a lot easier to handle when you are back in fellowship with God, than when you are on your own, dwelling in more sin.
There is one more aspect about forgiveness to mention here — forgiving others. In another writing, called Forgive and Live, I pursue the subject in more detail. In that we have received God's forgiveness, He fully expects us to be forgiving to others. What does it mean to be "godly"? To be godly means to behave as God does — to take upon yourself the character of God. God forgave you. You should forgive others also.
Ephesians 4:32:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
To be godly, forgive like God forgives you!
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Last changed: 01.01.1970