In Matthew 18, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep. Then in verse 21, Simon Peter has a question that I’m guessing many of us have asked before. “Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven’” (Matthew 18:21-22)! Of course, this is not a math problem. Jesus does not mean 490 times and then on the 491st time we are free not to forgive. No, sevens have a specific symbolic meaning in Judaism. Seven is the number of completeness. God created the universe and everything that in it in six days and rested on the seventh because it was complete. There are seven pairs of each clean animal on the ark. Seven stems on the tabernacle’s lampstand. Seven qualities of the Messiah in Isaiah 11. Seven signs in John’s Gospel. Seven things the Lord hates in Proverbs 6:16. Seven parables in Matthew 13. In Revelation, the number 7 is used more than fifty times in a variety of contexts. There are seven letters to seven churches in Asia and seven spirits before God’s throne. Seven golden lampstands. Seven stars in Christ’s right hand. Seven seals of God’s judgment. Seven angels with seven trumpets, etc. I could go on but I’m sure you get the point. The number seven has deeper meaning than just a mathematical object used to count or measure.
The same holds here. Seventy times seven means we are to forgive “as many times as it takes.” We expect that kind of mercy from the LORD. Likewise, God expects us to offer it to others as well. Besides, we certainly would hope others would forgive us and what’s the golden rule? “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you” (Matthew 7:12).
I mention this because I was in Proverbs the other day and chapter 14 says, “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones” (Proverbs 14:30).
Anger, bitterness, resentment, jealousy, are all emotions that are far more toxic for those who hold them than for those at whom they are directed. What I mean is that if someone has hurt you and you become bitter and resentful, they don’t know that. What’s more. They probably don’t care. They’re going about their day blissfully unaware of how you are feeling. The anger is killing you inside – not them. Anger, bitterness, resentment, and jealousy are like cancer. They eat away at us from the inside.
When we forgive. When we leave vengeance or retribution to the LORD. When we trust that God will hold all of us accountable for our actions – including whoever hurt you – then it is as if a weight has been lifted. We find ourselves at peace. And “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body.”
Forgiveness is not about excusing someone from having done wrong. They will answer for it. God promised that. His word says, “…we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Do we not believe Him? Trust Him?
You see, forgiving is as much about us as it is those who have wronged us. When we forgive, we are set free. Free from bitterness, anger, jealousy, resentment, all those toxic things that do nothing but destroy us internally.
If there is someone who has hurt you, forgive them. Leave it to God and be free. It’s not only good for your body. It’s good for your soul.
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