Preschool
Whither thou goest, I will go (Ruth 1:16).
The Beauty of Forgiveness
Memory Verses
Primary
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go (Ruth 1:16).
Junior
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God (Ruth 1:16).
Background Scripture: Genesis 32-33
Lesson Scripture: Genesis 33:1-11
Introduction
Forgiveness is a beautiful choice. It is a gift we give our fellowmen and is also one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. By choosing and accepting forgiveness, the way to heaven opens to us. In Luke 6:31 we read, “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” To be forgiven or to extend forgiveness means that we cannot personally prescribe any conditions or exceptions. Casting ourselves at the feet of mercy is fundamentally a part of a pardon. We must forgive freely in order to receive God’s forgiveness.
Key Verse
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you (Eph. 4:32).
Lesson Scripture
Genesis 33:1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.
6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.
9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.
10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.
Studying the Lesson
The account in our lesson scripture is one that aptly portrays the beauty of forgiveness. Jacob and Esau are meeting each other for the first time in many years. There is no direct mention of Jacob asking for forgiveness nor of Esau granting it, but it can be readily perceived that forgiveness was asked for and given.
Jacob portrayed some key attributes when meeting Esau. He bowed himself before his brother, signaling humility. He had sent a gift before meeting Esau, which would indicate a desire to make reparations. Although there was no way to put a value on the stolen birthright and blessing, Jacob was willing to give.
Jacob did not know what to expect at the hands of Esau, especially when he heard about the four hundred men accompanying him. Jacob spent a night wrestling with an angel and finally asked to be blessed. What this night of wrestling signified we may not fully know. Jacob became different after this night and walked with a limp. God changed his name from Jacob, the supplanter, to Israel, one who has power with God and men.
Esau had gained many possessions and had many servants. No doubt the four hundred men who accompanied him were trained warriors. Jacob was at a great disadvantage with Esau and his four hundred men. Quite likely they could have destroyed Jacob and his group with very few, if any, casualties.
Esau was moved with compassion toward his brother and family. He questioned the drove of animals that he had met while coming to meet Jacob. He said he had enough, but Jacob urged him to accept this as a token of finding favor in his sight.
God must have softened Esau’s heart. Would there be any other reason for him to accept Jacob? When Jacob fled from his family, Esau had declared that he was going to kill Jacob after Isaac died. The Scripture also says that Esau hated his brother. These are likely the last things Jacob knew about Esau. The time Jacob was gone may have had a softening effect on Esau, but surely God did a work in his heart. Instead of hating Jacob, Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, kissed him, and they wept together. Jacob’s humility and willingness to make restitution moved Esau. Esau’s humility and willingness to accept Jacob and his gift brought them together. Forgiveness was complete. The brothers were at peace again.
Practical Truths for Today
Forgiveness opens our way to God, but it is conditional. If we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven. “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12) clearly explains the prerequisite needed for God to forgive us. The parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35 is a clear explanation in Jesus’s words of what happens when we do not forgive.
In a certain sense, forgiveness is something done for oneself. Forgiveness does not concern the other party as much as our own heart. When we forgive, we release the guilty and grant ourselves freedom. Forgiveness changes nothing about the situation or the character and attitude of the offending individual; it only frees us from the bondage of a grudge and hurt feelings. We no longer have to keep thinking about what was done by assigning fault but can move on with a clear mind and a clean conscience.
All acts of forgiveness are based on the forgiveness of God through Christ; his atonement for sin and wrong is the foundation of all forgiveness. In order for our forgiveness to be genuine, we must experience the power of God’s forgiveness in a personal way. Our need to be forgiven far exceeds the forgiveness we will ever need to extend to another fellow human. We cannot completely forgive by our own willpower alone, but with the help of the Holy Spirit and the life of Christ abiding within, we can forgive and forget. God is honored when we acknowledge that our forgiveness is empowered by the work of Jesus in the heart. Then the forgiveness we extend to others can be true, sincere, and long-lasting. Nevertheless, forgiveness is a choice. It is an act of the will, involving the spirit and the mind.
I may have been falsely accused or severely wronged. Does this ever give me a right to not forgive? Jesus was misused far more than any one of us ever have been. His words, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34), resound as the perfect example of forgiveness. Can we do less than follow Him?
The beauty of forgiveness lies in deliverance and reconciliation. Perhaps the infraction we perceive as so outstanding has only been magnified by the devil through a wounded spirit and an impure imagination. The so-called guilty may not even remember or be aware of the issue, and possibly God may not be charging the incident to their account either. We have, by our own doing, become a prisoner by being unforgiving.
Forgiveness sets us free—free to serve God, free to love our fellowman, free to enjoy the beauty of a new day, and the rest of having all the old accounts settled.
We must accept God’s forgiveness. Often this is what we mean by the term “forgiving ourselves.” The imperative of having to admit failure, or recognizing our inability to deserve forgiveness, is a difficult thing to do. Accepting forgiveness constitutes the end of making excuses and the inferior spirit of not being good enough. We will never be good enough to earn God’s forgiveness; it is completely unmerited. When we receive forgiveness, the blessings of peace and the absence of condemnation are not self-generated. This enables us to live at peace with all men. Is it correct to say that until we accept and receive God’s forgiveness, we cannot forgive others?
With forgiveness comes the ability to love. In true love we find we do not have nearly as much to forgive. “Charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8), and before things even become a problem, I will be able to tell the devil, “Get thee behind me,” when he tries to urge me into thinking ill of someone for what they did. We can tell the devil, “I’ve already forgiven, and I love my brother.” Love should motivate me to forgive before I become offended and to forgive before being asked.
We appreciate the good feeling of being forgiven. Should we not desire to give our fellowmen that same feeling by forgiving them? How wonderful it is when the mutual understanding of goodwill exists between family, friends, church brethren, and those we have to do with.
Questions
- How many of today’s relationship difficulties are directly related to unforgiveness?
- If we truly love, is there ever a need to forgive?
- How can we get a better understanding of the freedom forgiveness brings?
- Do we ever deserve forgiveness, or is it always a favor that is granted?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).