I will lift up my eyes to the hills- From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore. Psalm 121:1-8
The Lord who is the Lord can do anything but fail for His true ones. For those who trust in Him and look only to Him for Help. He is their Rock, Reward, Strength, Shield and more than enough for what ever they need. His word is true:
"The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the LORD has said. "And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. "The LORD will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you.
"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:3-6
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! Psalm 84:11-12
The Lord will not leave nor forsake His own for He is their sun and shield. He will give grace and glory and not good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. His own are to hold to their faith and trust in the Lord who is the Lord. He never let His own down as He is their loving and compassionate Father!
But the other side of the coin is that God wants His people to be compassionate but not stupid nor fools. God’s word records:
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.
"The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
"But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' "And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
"So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'
"And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." Matthew 18:21-35
Contrary to what many think and say, forgiveness for all sins is not an automatic thing to be done by God’s people. For God’s word states:
"Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Luke 17:3
So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." John 20:21-23
As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." Romans 9:13-15
Some sins are to be forgiven and other sins are to be retained. For the principle of the word of God is that if a brother sins he is to be rebuked. If he repents He is to be forgiven. Jesus gave to His own by the Holy Spirit the same power He had to forgive the sins of any and to retain the sins of any. God in His wisdom and love showed mercy and compassion on whomever He willed and it was not necessarily universal.
Forgiveness by God and by His true ones is a discretionary thing. God’s word clearly states that Jesus and His true ones would judge and act by the Spirit of the Lord and not by their own wisdom:
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. Isaiah 11:1-5
"For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13
Those who forgive people of sins that they have not repented off, will find themselves incurring the wrath of the Lord for condoning and accepting what God has not accepted. For God’s word is true:
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, "Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!' " Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. "Do not trust in these lying words, saying, 'The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.'
"For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, "if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, "then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
"Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. "Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, "and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all these abominations'? "Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it," says the LORD. Jeremiah 7:1-11
Those who say they are righteous must demonstrate righteousness and be righteous . They must thoroughly amend their ways and their doings. They must thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor. They must not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in God’s House or nor walk after other gods to their hurt.
But if they steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, walk after other gods and then come and stand before God in His house and say that they have done no wrong He will cast them out of His sight and close His ears to their prayers and to those who support and befriend them. The Lord shall not help, bless, preserve and prosper them but rather judge them for their sins and doings. For God’s word is true:
For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Hebrews 10:26-27
It is the behavior and real choices of God’s people which determine the resulting consequences for them both good and bad. As a result God’s word states:
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives."
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Hebrews 12:1-7
God has not changed and He does chastise and rebukes his true sons and daughters and it is not a pleasant thing but painful. God’s word records:
Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. Hebrews 12:11-17
Not all profit or benefit from being chastised and some fall short of the grace of God. Some do not purse peace with all people and holiness. Some allow the root of bitterness to spring up. Some become fornicators or profane persons who sell their birthright for them temporary things of the world.
But to others chastening yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Such as these are truly blessed and prosper and will see the Lord. For the LORD, shall do good to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.. But as for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity. As a result God’s word states:
Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning- Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. 130:7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities. Psalm 130:1-8
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