Hebraic Musing – Are we successful at Repenting?
Do most of us
believers have a day during the year when the focus is on repenting for
sin. On October 1st this year, the Jews had a day called Yom
Kippur, the most solemn and holiest of Jewish holidays when Jews seek
to expiate their sins and achieve reconciliation with God. Why should we do that? Because the Lord told us to. The Lord told Moses “Also the tenth day of
this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a
holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering
made by fire to the LORD. And you
shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement,
to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. … 31 You shall do no manner of work;
it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your
dwellings.” Leviticus 23:26-31 NKJV
Thus, we have been
called to be humble and to acknowledge and repent of our sins. The
Israelites did it via an animal sacrifice, while today they usually fast and
repent. If we are trying to observe the Biblical Calendar, can we admit that
all too often nothing significant happens during this day of repentance?
I have yet to hear of any one actually repenting for their sins on Yom Kippur
or any other time.
Have you ever
“woke up and realized” that you were holding a grudge? And the Holy Spirit would not let it go!
What’s going
on?!!?! When we are wounded we are so
hurt we just retreat and try to ignore the rejection. We ignore the person and deal with offenses by
trying to forget them. Yet we all remember the message in the popular
Lord’s prayer. “And forgive us our
debts, As we forgive our debtors”…. “For if you forgive
men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew
6:12, 14-15 NKJV This passage should
remind us that we will not be forgiven unless we forgive others.
We are warned in 1
John 2:9 “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is
still in the darkness.” Yet we’ve
been clearly told what needs to be done. “If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify
us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 NIV
Peter came to Jesus
and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive
him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I
do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
Matthew 18:21-22 And Jesus had a further warning in v 35. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you,
from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” That’s a pretty serious warning!
Jesus had a
solution. “And whenever
you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your
Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you
do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
Mark 11:25-26 Is this also the way to get prayers answered?
Is “holding
grudges” like “Judging” others? What did
Jesus say? “Judge
not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
Luke 6:37
Forgiving others
appears to be the foundation of our faith. Joseph was so hated by his
brothers that they sold him into slavery. Yet Joseph was able to forgive
his bothers and reconcile with them. The
consequences for lack of forgiveness are for eternity. Yes, we
are to Repent for our Sins and Forgive!
Points
to Ponder
Might
we need an annual day of Repentance?
Or a week, or a daily
habit, or a Spirit of Repentance?
How
long are the rewards for forgiveness? And
for non-forgiveness?
How
does the command to “love your neighbor” apply here?
♫ Create in me a clean heart, oh God, And renew a right
spirit within me. Create in me a clean
heart, oh God, And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, oh Lord,
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore
unto me the joy of Thy salvation. And renew a right spirit within me. ♫
Yosef a.k.a. Joe
Brusherd
November 4,
2025
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our
faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)” Weekly “Hebraic
Musings”
Note – Inspired by
Johanna Hocker’s “Repenting for Sin!”
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