The Jewish Roots of Forgiveness in the Hebrew Bible

The Jewish Roots of Forgiveness in the Hebrew Bible.

“Who is a God like you, who pardons (“nasa”) sin and forgives (“waober”) the rebellious acts of his special people? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will trample our sins underfoot and hurl all our wrongdoings into the bottom of the sea.”  (Micah 7:18-19).

There are four Hebrew words in the Hebrew Bible that are translated as “forgive:”

1. “nasah” = to pardon; to lift up and take away; to forgive; to carry away a burden; to remove the consequences of a wrongdoing. “Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: “Forgive (“nasah”) all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.” (Hosea 14:2).
2. “waober” = to forgive; to pass over; to overlook; to carry over. (the only time it is used is in that Micah 7:18 passage above).
3. “kaphar” = to forgive; to cover over; to take away; to pardon; to reconcile; to atone. “Yet He was merciful and forgave (“kaphar”) their sins, and did not destroy them. Many times, He held back his anger and did not unleash his fury!” ( 78:38).
4. “salah” = to restore through God’s favor; to forgive through God’s pardon. “He said, ‘If I’ve found favor in your sight, LORD, please, LORD, walk among us. Certainly this is an obstinate people, but pardon (“salah”) our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your own inheritance.” (Exodus 34:9).

THE FIRST ACT OF FORGIVENESS IN THE HEBREW BIBLE

1. The Back Story: The monumental, unpredictable story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50 provides the first and perhaps the best demonstration of forgiveness in the Old Testament. Joseph’s story in Scripture is one you couldn’t make up… the immature and spoiled son of the patriarch Jacob, the eleventh son who was daddy’s favorite and granted the birthright supposedly reserved for the first-born; the jealous and resentful brothers who wanted to ruthlessly kill Joseph out of spite but instead sold him to traveling Egyptian slave traders; the unsuccessful sexual advances of his first Egyptian employer’s wife and then being thrown into jail as the innocent party; the two year stint as a prisoner after the false accusation, and being completely forgotten until Joseph successfully interpreted a couple of Pharaoh’s dreams; Joseph appointed Prime Minister of Egypt while only thirty years of age, and thus managing all of Egypt’s domestic affairs; his wise strategies to guide Egypt through a severe world famine; Joseph’s brothers ironically coming to Egypt to ask for food so that Jacob and his clan would survive the famine.
2. The Unexpected Family Reunion: When Josephs brothers approached him in his royal chambers to ask for food, they didn’t recognize him, since it was twenty years since they had last seen each other. By this time, Joseph looked Egyptian, probably complete with traditional Egyptian makeup and clothing, he spoke in the Egyptian dialect, and he was treated by all around him as highly exalted royalty. Never in their wildest dreams would his brothers have expected this governor of Egypt to be their long-lost brother. But Joseph recognized his brothers immediately, and in a magnanimous gesture forgave them in his heart for having sold him to the slave traders so long ago. Joseph sent them back to Canaan with food for Jacob’s family, without identifying himself to his brothers. But the famine continued, and soon enough the brothers of Joseph returned to Egypt to ask for more food. Joseph once again received them warmly and even prepared a lavish banquet for them in the prince’s palace. After some interesting examples of Joseph toying with their minds, Joseph could no longer contain himself. He wept aloud and finally revealed himself to his brothers. Some scholars claim that Joseph revealed himself by literally revealing himself, exposing his circumcised private part to them.
3. The Beginnings of Forgiveness: Joseph proceeded to tell his shocked and mortified brothers that they should not feel guilty for their earlier mistreatment of him, that they should not be disgusted with themselves for doing such a callous thing to their own flesh and blood. And in one of the most moving scenes in all of Scripture: “Joseph couldn’t hold himself in any longer, keeping up a front before all his attendants. He cried out, ‘Leave! Clear out – everyone leave!” So there was no one with Joseph when he identified himself to his brothers. But his sobbing was so violent that the Egyptians couldn’t help but hear him… ‘Come closer to me,’ Joseph said to his brothers. They came closer. ‘I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t feel badly, don’t blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives… God sent me on ahead of you to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance. So you see, it wasn’t you who sent me here but God.” (Genesis 45:4-8).
4. Complete Forgiveness: Joseph then fleshed out his initial forgiveness by arranging for the whole clan of Jacob, all seventy of them, to move to the choices piece of real estate in Egypt, the rich and fertile land of Goshen. God had confirmed this big move by telling Jacob, “It is there I will make you into a great nation.” (46:3). After seventeen years in Egypt, Jacob died at 147 years of age. Now that father Jacob had died, the brothers of Joseph wondered if Joseph’s earlier kindness to them was merely for the sake of their father. They were terrified that Joseph would finally exact revenge. And now comes one more amazing act of forgiveness… Joseph forgave his brothers from his heart as he wept once again, his brothers literally lying prostrate before him in their fear for their lives. Now that father Jacob had died, the brothers of Joseph wondered if Joseph’s earlier kindness to them was merely for the sake of their father. They were terrified that Joseph would finally exact revenge. And now comes one of those monumental events in the Bible, the beginning of the idea of forgiveness. This is the first mention of forgiveness in Scripture, and it is memorable for sure. Joseph forgave his brothers from his heart as he wept, his brothers literally lying prostrate before him in their fear for their lives. “We plead of you, we beg of you, forgive the cruel sins of your brothers and the suffering that they caused you. We beg that you forgive our crime, for we are the servants of the God of your father!” (50:17). Joseph graciously declared to them, ”Don’t be afraid! Even though you planned evil against me, God produced good from it.  God turned into good what you meant for evil. God made it turn out for the best so that our families would be saved! So don’t be afraid – I will provide for you and your children.”(50:17-21). Scripture reports that “In this way, Joseph comforted them, speaking with great kindness to them.” (50:21).
5. Lift Up the Offense and Carry It Away: The Hebrew word used for this first mention of forgiveness is “Nasa,” which is a word used literally hundreds of times in the Hebrew Bible. As mentioned above, “nasa’” has three possible meanings: to lift up; to carry; to take away. In this context of forgiveness, the scholars agree that to forgive meant to: lift the charges; to spare judgment; to bear with; to take away the offense; to carry away the resentment; to sweep away the wrongdoing; to take away all claim to retaliation. Forgiveness, thy name is Joseph.

“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord Yahweh.’ (Leviticus 19:18).

The God of Forgiveness. When at the base of Mt. Sinai, Moses asked God if he could see God’s glory. (Exodus 33:19). The Lord Yahweh responded by saying that He would pass before Moses, but he would not be allowed to see His “face,” only His backside. The Glory is too overwhelming for humans who are not equipped to experience a consuming fire quite yet. Yahweh told Moses that He will cause all His “goodness” to pass before Moses, and that in Moses’ presence He will pronounce His holy Name. Goodness is usually a synonym for mercy, because God’s goodness is revealed through His mercy. So Moses ascended Mt. Sinai to meet God at the top, and Yahweh descended in a cloud and stood there with Moses. Only God can accurately name Himself, and here we see the Lord pronouncing His sacred Name… “God passed before Moses and proclaimed, “I AM Yahweh! I AM Yahweh! A God who is compassionate and gracious, longsuffering and slow to anger, abounding in mercy and truth, preserving mercy for thousands of generations, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin, but by no means clearing the guilty or allowing sin to go unpunished.” (Exodus 34:6-7). What a singular moment! The Almighty God, the Great I AM, describes His Name, His identity. He is revealing to Moses how He sees Himself in His Essence. What a turning point in history! The Lord of the universe chooses to reveal Himself in utter transparency to a human being! ‘You want to know what I am made of, Moses, the Lord is saying, then this is how I describe my character, these are my core attributes. Yes, I am the great LORD, and this is Me in a nutshell… rich in mercy, compassion, grace, forgiveness. That is truly who I am, Moses!’ At the very end of this historical self-description, God reminds Moses (and all of us) that He is Lord of a moral universe, that there is such a thing as right and wrong, and He has established an ultimate system of justice. God’s statement about justice and moral accountability, interestingly enough, seems to have been made in the context of mercy and forgiveness, of compassion and grace. So it appears that if God’s will springs out of God’s core character, His will must be merciful forgiveness.

“And Moses entreated the Lord, ‘I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as you have spoken, saying, The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and sin; but He by no means clears the guilty… Pardon the sins of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.’ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I have pardoned, according to your request; but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.”” (Numbers 14:17-21).

The Mercy Seat as the Lid of Forgiveness. It is telling that God instructed Moses to make the gold lid on the Ark of the Covenant to be called the Mercy Seat, the “Kaporet” from the Hebrew word for forgive, “Kaphar.”  The “Kaporet,” the “Atonement Cover,” is situated between two cherubim in the Holy of Holies (Numbers 7:89). Yahweh demanded that the cloud and fire of His Presence be identified with His mercy and forgiveness. The weight of God’s glory rested on the Mercy Seat, where it always rests. The kaporet was the lid over the Ark of the Covenant, God’s Testimony. The Mercy Seat was in the center of the Holiest Place, which was in the center of their camp, and so the Mercy Seat was literally the center of everything in the wilderness journey. The Mercy Seat was the center of everyone’s attention, and mercy was the very point of the center. When God revealed His mercy, whether through manna, quail, permanent clothing, or during the Day of Atonement (Yom-Kippur), it is like the king in all His glory. “Once a year on Yom-Kippur, in the Tabernacle’s most sacred place, the Holy of Holies, the high priest would enter and drench the Mercy Seat with the blood of the animal sacrificed to make atonement for the people. This is the physical place where Yahweh met the high priest and where He forgave the sins of the people of Israel. The Mercy Seat prefigures the eternal mercy, grace and hope that alone came through Jesus the Messiah, through His shed blood, making atonement once and for all, placing the weight of humanity’s sins on Him.” (notes from the Complete Jewish Bible, Dr. David Stern). Directly above the Mercy Seat, God chose to present Himself, letting His voice be heard by Moses or the high priest. He identified Himself with merciful forgiveness by His choice of resting place, sitting on His royal throne of Mercy. The kaporet was not an impressive royal throne of power. Yahweh’s power was exercised in His mercy. God’s mercy was what His power looked like, and His glory is reflected in His will of forgiveness. In so many ways, the Mercy Seat was a foreshadowing of the Cross, drenched in the blood of the sacrifice of Jesus to cover over, to conceal, to atone for the sins of the people. On His Cross, we see Jesus on our Day of Atonement. The Mercy Seat and the Cross revealed a judgment of mercy. St. Paul brought this together in his letter to the Romans, “God put Yeshua (Jesus) forward as the kapparah for sin through His faithfulness in respect to His bloody sacrificial death…” (Romans 3:25-26).

Forgiveness Through Blood Sacrifice. “According to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22).

1. Blood is sacred, says the Lord. Blood is holy, set apart from other aspects of creation. In the eyes of God, blood represents life. Life itself depends on blood. In fact, “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” (17:11). Blood is a life principle flowing into the very structure of created life. Since the Fall in the Garden, the world has had a disastrous problem: sin. The result of sin is death. And the result of blood is life. So it naturally follows that blood is somehow the remedy for sin. Blood has to be involved if forgiveness is to happen, if life proves victorious over death. In God’s plan of redemption, His universal solvent is blood, it dissolves the presence and authority of sin.
2. The Blood of the Sacrifice. “Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.” (Hebrews 9:13-14). God designed a blood sacrifice system in the Old Covenant that atoned for, that covered over, the sins of the Chosen People. As a God of justice and righteousness, He demanded a punishment for sin, and the blood of an animal sacrifice was put in place to satisfy that demand. Pure blood from unblemished and utterly innocent animals. Innocent blood was the only answer to the guilt of sin. But this sacrificial system was not meant to be permanently in place. It was ultimately an incomplete system in many ways. It required ongoing sacrifices; it was only a temporary atonement until the person sinned again; it was merely for external purposes, making the person ceremonially clean; it didn’t necessarily change the heart of the person making the offering. So the Mosaic system was adequate and God-ordained for a time. But it was only a shadow, a hint of a better system coming along in God’s perfect timing. It was a necessary beginning to what turned out to be a perfect end. In the Old Covenant, the Mosaic sacrifice was necessary but insufficient. The best was yet to come in the fullness of time.

Forgiveness and the Letting Go of Hate. “Do not hate an Edomite, because he is your brother. Do not hate an Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land. (Deuteronomy 23:8).

Live with the past, but not in the past. One of the last words of Moses to the chosen people before they entered the promised land is that they had to let go of hate. They were not to remain resentful or spiteful towards their enemies of the past. They were not in any way to seek revenge for how they were treated. God did not want them to be imprisoned by their past in any way. They were not to allow their former enemies define who they were as they established their own new identity in Him. As Rabbi Jonathon Sacks said,  “Resentment, rage, humiliation, a sense of injustice, the desire to restore honor by inflicting injury on your former persecutors – these are conditions of a profound lack of freedom. You must live with the past, implies Moses, but not in the past. Those who are held captive by anger against their former persecutors are captive still.” In your new land of freedom, Moses is telling them, do not be held in the prison of unforgiveness or bitterness. So Moses advises the Israelites to let go of any feelings of antagonism, of grievance, leave all that behind as you start your new life. As Rabbi Sacks said, before you settle the new land, make sure you have ‘’narrative closure.” Those are surely words of wisdom as we seek each day to live a life of freedom from the past through the acts of forgiveness.