Psalm 130:3-4 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
    Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

The Japanese here includes something that I think is an interpolation, but it’s not unreasonable. It says, “who could stand before You.” It is certainly true that if God had not created a mechanism through the sacrifice of His Son for the forgiveness of sins that no one could come into His presence, because absolute holiness cannot tolerate sin. I often use the illustration of matter and antimatter, but in that case, both are destroyed by the contact. In the case of sinful beings and absolute holiness, it is only the sinful beings that are destroyed. The Psalmist here didn’t know just how God would provide absolution, but he knew that it was real, and he rejoiced by faith. It is interesting that he says, “Therefore You are feared.” (This latest iteration of the NIV changes that a bit.) At first glance, fear might seem to be a strange response to forgiveness, but that just shows our limited grasp of “the fear of the Lord.” This is an awareness of His power, certainly, and that we deserve destruction, but it is both deeper and broader than that. It includes a level of respect and honor that is sadly lacking in modern society in general. American culture in general is so focused on equality that we tend to think we are equal with God! People have widely different levels of ability, responsibility, and authority, but all of that becomes totally insignificant when compared to God. That God is able to forgive sin, to erase it from the record, is a sign of His power and authority that nothing else can equal.

I remember once having a Japanese person be terribly offended by my telling them I forgave them. In their view, that meant I was placing myself on a much higher plane than them, to dispense forgive­ness. The New Testament blows that out of the water in many places, with Jesus explicitly saying that if we don’t forgive one another, we won’t be forgiven by God. (Matthew 6:14-15) I deal with forgiveness a great deal in marriage counseling, understandably, I think. Several years ago I heard a snippet of a podcast, from Focus on the Family, I think, where a guest mentioned something very briefly, because of time restraints, and that has stayed with me and become a pillar of my marriage counseling. I wish I had some idea of who it was, but all I remember is that it was a woman. They said that the four levels of the foundation of a good marriage were, in turn, Commitment, Respect, Intimacy, and Forgiveness. Meditating on that, the Lord has greatly expanded it, and I have included it in a booklet I wrote that I use in marital counseling, calling it Successful Marriage, but I wish I knew whom to attribute it to! In any case, forgiveness is absolutely essential, not only for marriage but for all of life. And of course, all human forgiveness is based on the reality that God is a forgiving God, and His forgiveness is essential to every one of us.

Father, thank You for this reminder. This passage has struck me before, but Your Word keeps giving me fresh insight! Help me rejoice in Your forgiveness and extend it to others, so that they too may repent and believe for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!