Seventh Forgiveness Saying
- The Seventh Forgiveness Saying
- How to pray
- What does it mean to forgive others from the heart?
- It is impossible for a true child of God to possess an unforgiving Spirit
- The heart problem of the unregenerate Jew and Gentile
- The regenerate person always forgives others from his or her heart
- It takes a long time to mature from spiritual infancy to maturity
- A great struggle follows after one has received the gift of the Father
- Our spiritual development is a lifelong process
- The sin-remainder is like a parasite within that opposes our new nature – the Host
- The overthrow of the rule of the enemy within
- The old false-self is like an invading parasite, bacterium, virus, or tumor
- The narrative of Zipporah the wife of Moses helps our understanding…
- The meaning of the names in the Zipporah Torah circumcision narrative
- The circumcision of Zipporah represents God’s gift to us of a New Heart:
The Seventh Forgiveness Saying:
Mattai 6:7-15
וּבְהִתְפַּלֶּלְכֶם אַל־תְּפַטְפְּטוּ כַּגּוֹיִם הָאֹמְרִים בִּלְבָבָם בְּרֹב דְּבָרֵינוּ נִשָׁמֵעַ׃ וְאַתֶּם אַל־תִּדַּמּוּ לָהֶם כִּי יוֹדֵעַ אֲבִיכֶם כָּל־צָרְכְּכֶם בְּטֶרֶם תִּשְׁאֲלוּ מִמֶּנּוּ׃ לָכֵן כֹּה תִתְפַּלָּלוּ אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָׁמַיִם יִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֶךָ׃ תָּבֹּא מַלְכוּתֶךָ יֵעָשֶׂה רְצוֹנְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר בַּשָׁמַיִם גַּם בָּאָרֶץ׃ אֶת־לֶחֶם חֻקֵּנוּ תֵּן־לָנוּ הַיּוֹם׃ וּמְחַל־לָנוּ עַל־חֹבוֹתֵינוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר מָחַלְנוּ גַּם־אֲנַחְנוּ לְחַיָּבֵינוּ׃ וְאַל־תְּבִיאֵנוּ לִידֵי נִסָּיוֹן כִּי אִם־תְּחַלְּצֵנוּ מִן־הָרָע כִּי לְךָ הַמַּמְלָכָה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת לְעוֹלְמֵי עוֹלָמִים אָמֵן׃ כִּי אִם־תִּמְחֲלוּ לִבְנֵי־אָדָם עַל־חַטֹּאתָם יִמְחַל גַּם־לָכֶם אֲבִיכֶם שֶׁבַּשָׁמָיִם׃ וְאִם לֹא תִמְחֲלוּ לִבְנֵי אָדָם גַּם־אֲבִיכֶם לֹא־יִמְחַל לְחַטֹּאתֵיכֶם׃
Markos 11:24-26
עַל־כֵּן אֲנִי אֹמֵר לָכֶם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁאֲלוּ בִתְפִלַּתְכֶם הַאֲמִינוּ כִּי תִקָּחוּ וִיהִי לָכֶם׃ וְכִי תַעַמְדוּ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל תִּמְחֲלוּ לְכָל־אִישׁ אֵת אֲשֶׁר בִּלְבַבְכֶם עָלָיו לְמַעַן יִסְלַח אֲבִיכֶם שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם גַּם־הוּא לְפִשְׁעֵיכֶם׃ וְאַתֶּם אִם־לֹא תִמְחֲלוּ אַף־אֲבִיכֶם שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם לֹא־יִסְלַח לְפִשְׁעֵיכֶם׃
Lukas 11:2-4
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם כִּי תִתְפַּלֲלוּ אִמְרוּ אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם יִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֶךָ תָּבוֹא מַלְכוּתֶךָ יֵעָשֶׂה רְצוֹנְךָ כְּמוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם כֵּן בָּאָרֶץ׃ אֶת־לֶחֶם חֻקֵּנוּ תֶּן־לָנוּ יוֹם יוֹם׃וּמְחַל־נָא עַל־חַטֹּאתֵנוּ כִּי מֹחְלִים גַּם־אֲנַחְנוּ לְכֹל הַחַיָּב לָנוּ וְאַל־תְּבִיאֵנוּ לִידֵי נִסָּיוֹן כִּי אִם־הַצִּילֵנוּ מִן־הָרָע׃
How to pray:
And when you pray, do not babble like the Gentiles who say in their heart, “By the abundance of our words we will be heard.” But as for you, do not imitate them, because your Father knows all of your needs before you ask of Him. “Therefore, I say to you, all that you ask in your prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be so for you. When you pray, say:
“Avinu Shebashamayim,
May your Name be sanctified.
May your kingdom come.
As your will is done in heaven, may it also be on earth.
Give us the bread that is our allotment today,
And pardon (forgive) us our debts,
As we also have pardoned those who are indebted to us.
And do not bring us into the hands of testing (temptation),
But rescue (deliver) us from what is evil (from the evil one).
For yours is the kingdom,
And the power,
And the majesty (glory) forever and ever. Amen.”
“And when you stand to pray, pardon everyone for what is in your heart against them, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive your transgressions. For if you pardon the sons of men for their sins against you, your Father in heaven will also pardon you. But as for you, if you do not pardon, your Father will not pardon (forgive) your sins.”
Rabbi Yeshua is clearly telling us here that if we do not forgive others from our hearts our Father in heaven will not forgive us. “If, then” is a familiar legal formula in the Torah. “If, then” clauses are always clear and precise and therefore, as a rule, are to be interpreted in a concrete manner; not subjectively or abstractly.
What does it mean to forgive others from the heart?
Since the Forgiving One is the LORD our God any errant decision that we make to the contrary of His rule will be overruled by Him. This means that after we are indwelt by His Spirit our illegitimate, sinful, petty desire to not forgive others will never again have the final say about whether we opt to forgive or not.
The Spirit who is the Master of our body, mind, soul, and spirit will have the final say of what we think and how we behave. Only the Forgiving One has the right to decide what is best for us. This is so because our freedom from the bondage of sin has been purchased by God. This means we have become His property. We are His companion for all eternity. Our life is now one of obedience to God.
We are imperfect now but the gift of the indwelling presence of the Spirit of the Holy One within us is our guarantee that we will be made perfect at a time appointed by God. Later, after the day of our resurrection has come, we will reign with Messiah in glory both in the golden age of Israel and the eternal age to come; when the LORD our God “makes all things new.”
It is impossible for a true child of God to possess an unforgiving Spirit:
Prior to when we accepted God’s generous offer to redeem us we were slaves to sin.
After we accepted His offer the Holy One took possession of us by taking up permanent residence in our spirits (hearts). For this to be possible Messiah had to have already made atonement for all our sins – past, present, and future. Because of the redemptive ministry of Messiah and the Holy Spirit we now belong one hundred per cent to God; we have been bought and paid for in full; our eternal destiny is now sealed.
In this Way (Ha-Derech) the Spirit knows of our temporary internal weaknesses that at present war against Him in our imperfect bodies and our imperfect brains. Thankfully, our LORD the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. He even overrules us when our consciousness deviates from His will. It is the overruling sovereignty of the Spirit who resides within us that enables us at all times to continuously forgive the sins of those who have trespassed against us.
The Spirit of God is our Sovereign.
In our false and invalid consciousness we may think the thought and have the disobedient feeling that we refuse to forgive. Nevertheless when the Spirit of the Holy One, who is the rightful ruler of our spirit, soul, mind, brain and body overrules and says His “no.” Then His no stands! And if He says “yes,” then His yes stands!
Our final disposition is always defined by our gracious Father in heaven who is our Sovereign forever and ever.
Therefore, since God says His overruling “no” to all of our unforgiveness and His “yes” to all of our forgiveness it is absolutely impossible for any true believer to possess an unloving, unforgiving spirit. For the Forgiving One is our Spirit! Therefore it is written:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
The heart problem of the unregenerate Jew and Gentile:
The Forgiving One is the Holy Spirit!
Therefore, any person who possesses an unloving, unforgiving spirit is unregenerate and can never, so long as he remains possessed by an unforgiving spirit, receive forgiveness from God. Such a person lives a life of two lies: lie one that they are without sin and therefore do not need the help of the Redeemer; and lie two that they need not *forgive (pardon) all those who sin against them.
*In God’s new creation all sin must be forgiven and forgotten; erased.
The regenerate person always forgives others from his or her heart:
All believers, whether consciously aware of it or not always forgive from our Heart.
This is so because without exception there is only One Spirit who resides in the hearts of believers, the Holy Spirit. We live a life of two great truths: truth one, we have repented of our sins and received the eternal, irreversible forgiveness that comes through faith in the Messiah; and truth two, because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit as LORD we always forgive from our HEART all who have sinned against us.
This is so because the Holy Spirit is our unfailing HEART. Nothing is impossible for HIM. For now He helps us in our weaknesses. HE is gradually changing us from the Inside-out. Later HE will perfect us according to HIS will, on the day of our resurrection.
It takes a long time to mature from spiritual infancy to maturity:
As for the observable inconsistencies that exist between a follower’s avowed intent to walk in the Spirit of Messiah and his or her ridiculous present thought life and behavioral life, this is due to the long period of time it takes for a follower of the Messiah to mature from spiritual infancy to adulthood. In our maturity we change. We learn to hear, understand, obey the Spirit.
Therefore, forgiveness is a developmental challenge.
Once the Holy Spirit indwells a follower of Messiah he or she becomes a “new creation.” He or she receives God’s perfect divine nature, as his or her own new nature. Nevertheless it takes time for what is new (real self), to overthrow and replace what is old (false self).
A great struggle follows after one has received the gift of the Father:
God’s *DNA indwells all those who are sincere followers of the Messiah. From the point of our receiving the seed of His Spirit into our hearts our new self needs time to develop and successfully go to war with and overcome our old worldly self.
Zera’ Elohim – זֶרַע אֱלֹהִים.
The old worldly conditioned self is the enemy that presently resides in the upper-room of our brain. This enemy within is the sin that remains from our old life that existed before we accepted the gift of God’s Spirit to indwell our hearts, souls, and minds. This sin remainder is physically, mentally, and behaviorally hard to conquer. However for those who persevere the saying is true: “Those who go forth sowing their seed in tears will return bearing their sheaves with shouts of joy!”
Our spiritual development is a lifelong process:
Spiritual maturation is not easy and it takes a long time.
So what is being said here: Spiritual maturation is not easy and it takes a long time. It is a lifetime project! The Forgiving One must first be received into the believer’s spirit. Then, over time, the believer is empowered to get control of his or her thoughts, feelings, and behavioral life.
The sin-remainder is like a parasite within that opposes our new nature – the Host:
Authentic true believers always forgive from their hearts.
It is the sin-remainder—unwanted false, socially conditioned self-life—residing in our bodies and brains that is oppositional. This old self life is an antagonist. It is like a cancerous tumor that threatens the life of the host. It lives parasitically in our bodies and brains. The Invalid Thoughts (IT) that it generates are destructive and deadly to us. As is the case in immunology there is self and nonself (not self). The not self and its destructive invalid thoughts, feelings, and behavioral life is an enemy to our true self. For this reason:
“It” never forgives.
‘It’ wars against our new self-life that loves others as one’s self. The self-worshiping nature of the ‘It’ is committed to self-love alone. While ‘It’ resides in the believer’s body (brain), in the form of sinful memory, mood, and desires ‘It’ will never be successfully rehabilitated or reformed. This invalid thinking entity from within must be constantly cut off from our conscious life: our intellect, will, emotions, behavior, and relational life. Only a constant, relentless, dedicated, abiding life in the Spirit of the LORD is sufficient to overpower the *Goliath-like powers of the enemy within.
*The yetzer ha-ra – יצר הרע.
Therefore, only a warrior-like effort can lead to the successful overthrow of the desires of the invalid old false-self and its dominance over the valid conscious choosing (*good instinct), behavior, and relational life of our God-given true self!
*The yetzer ha-tov – יצר הטוב.
The overthrow of the rule of the enemy within:
A relentless, abiding warrior-like effort will lead to the permanent overthrow of the enemy within.
When the victory is won, then the dominance of our false socially conditioned self-life will be permanently overthrown. Immediately thereafter the territorial rule over our thoughts, feelings and memories that the sin-remainder – yetzer ha-ra (flesh) – once enjoyed will be permanently dispossessed.
At this developmental point in time our real self within, formed in us by the Spirit of God, will finally be able to rule over – be stronger than – all of our mental, emotional, and behavioral life that previously was controlled by our old false-self.
This developmental process is metaphorically and practically outlined in the Book of Joshua in the Tanakh and thoroughly explained by Saul (Paul) in his “Letter to the Assembly at Ephesus” (אגרת שאול אל האפסים) in the Brit HaChadashah.
The old false-self is like an invading parasite, bacterium, virus, or tumor:
If this invalid thought (IT) entity were a person and it is not, the false self would always hate anyone who offended him; and it would always seek deadly vengeance. Fortunately, with God’s help the fierce combative nature of the IT can be “circumcised” from our hearts (spirit). However, its influence remains a powerful oppositional resident in our bodies and brains (flesh) until the day when we shall receive a new glorified body; on the day of our resurrection.
This IT entity needs to be differentiated from our true self. IT is non-self. IT is an illegitimate, deadly socially conditioned self that is composed of unwanted, invalid thoughts, feelings, and negative memories that reside in our mortal bodies until death. This temporal imperfection is hurtful to us and causes great suffering for us. However, these imperfections do not permanently define us. Thanks be to God:
Only our heavenly Father defines us!
Our heavenly Father has already cleansed us of all our sin and placed His own holy and righteous Spirit in us. Our struggles with sin continue at the present time but on the day of our resurrection we will be made perfect; even as our heavenly Father is perfect!
The narrative of Zipporah the wife of Moses helps our understanding:
Zipporah (צִפֹּרָה), the wife of Moses helps our understanding regarding the requirement that we must forgive others from the heart or the Father will not forgive us. In Exodus 4:24- 26 we read:
וַיְהִי בַדֶּרֶךְ בַּמָּלֹון וַיִּפְגְּשֵׁהוּ ה’ וַיְבַקֵּשׁ הֲמִיתֹֽו׃ וַתִּקַּח צִפֹּרָה צֹר וַתִּכְרֹת אֶת־עָרְלַת בְּנָהּ וַתַּגַּע לְרַגְלָיו וַתֹּאמֶר כִּי חֲתַן־דָּמִים אַתָּה לִֽי׃ וַיִּרֶף מִמֶּנּוּ אָז אָֽמְרָה חֲתַן דָּמִים לַמּוּלֹֽת׃
Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that God met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.” So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood—because of the circumcision.”
Meaning #1. Zipporah’s name in Hebrew means the “Little bird.” In the symbolic language of the Tanakh there are three types of creatures and there are three spheres of life. Each creature, therefore, is assigned its own unique domain according to its type. In order of importance and meaning these are:
A. Creatures of the air. Birds of the air are a symbol of our spirit.
B. Creatures of the sea. The fishes of the sea are a symbol of our soul.
C. Creatures of the land. The animals of the land are a symbol of our body (physical being).
Meaning #2. Together these three creatures and the domains they live in represent one Divinely appointed unified reality. Adam-Humankind exists, therefore, as an indivisible unity of living spirit, soul, and body. Of these three parts the life of the spirit is of the utmost importance.
A. Domain of the Spirit. In the blueprint of the Temple the domain of the spirit is represented in the two chambers of the Holy of Holies (spirit) and the Holy Place (mind). These two chambers are most holy and serve as the heart of the Temple complex.
B. Domain of the Soul. The realm of the soul is illustrated in the configuration of the treasure house with its many chambers that immediately adjoin the Holy of Holies and the Most Holy Place.
C. Domain of the Body. The physical realm of the body is symbolized in the areas that surround the Holy of Holies, the Most Holy Place, and the treasure house. These include the Temple courtyards, storage chambers, walls, and gates. The “gates” are where all the governance of the Temple complex is transacted. The walls separate and defend the entire sacred realm of the Temple from the outside secular world. The gates and walls represent the highest functions of our physical being, the governance and interface of both the life of the Temple and the life of our existence in the outside world. Therefore, in the Temple blueprint we discover: The Spirit rules over the mind; the mind rules over the brain; and the brain rules over the body.
The meaning of the names in the Zipporah Torah circumcision narrative:
There are four names that are principally involved in the circumcision narrative of Zipporah (צִפֹּרָה), Moses (מֹשֶׁה), Gershom (גֵּרְשֹׁם), and Eliezer (אֱלִיעֶזֶר). The literal meanings of these four names are:
Proper Name #1. Zipporah’s very special name means “Little bird.” As just indicated above her name symbolizes the realm of the Spirit.
Proper Name #2. Moses’ name possesses an absolutely incredible messianic double meaning. In Hebrew Moses’ name means the “Drawn Out One” (from the Nile); and in Egyptian his name means the “Son.” The name of Moses bears witness to the narrative of The Messiah. He is the Suffering Servant who has been “drawn out” of death unto life and who has become the preeminent Prince, the ruling “Son” who has been adopted by the Gentile World.
Moses’ name also bears witness to his being the promised Jewish Deliverer (Messiah) who has yet to be recognized by his own people; who is our Sar Shalom (שר שלום), Melekh HaiYehudim (מלך היהודים), and Melekh Yisrael (מלך ישראל).
Like Moses, at a time of God’s choosing – we believe in the near future – the Messiah will return from heaven to earth to profess himself only to be the Deliverer of Israel. In that near future time Messiah will conquer Israel’s enemies. He will rule over all the nations of the world as the King of Israel, our promised one, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Proper Names #3 & #4. Moses and Zipporah had two sons Gershom and Eliezer. Taking into account who their father is and what their mother does, it can be said that these two sons are born both of the “Law” (Moses) and of the “Spirit” (Zipporah).
A. Gershom is the name of Moses’ firstborn son. His name means “Alien” or “Sojourner.” This suggests that God’s people are sojourners here on earth. We are in the world but not of it. Those who follow the teaching of Rabbi Yeshua need to know, especially young believers, that our hearts are pure (circumcised) because through the atonement sacrifice of our Messiah the Holy Spirit has subtracted (asaph-אָסַף) all our sins from our hearts, our reproach (חֶרְפָּה), and in its place God has added (yosef- יוֹסֵף) His own righteousness; the gift of the indwelling presence of His Spirit. This gift of God’s righteousness (forever) indwelling our spirits means that we are present in the world but we are no longer members of it.
Due to the regenerating work of the Spirit our citizenship is now in heaven!
By the Spirit of God we have been born from above. We have received the new Heart that never fails. So we pray to our Father who dwells in heaven, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it (already) is in Heaven.”
B. Eliezer is the name of Moses’ second born son. His name means the “Almighty is My Helper.” Like his older brother Gershom, Eliezer was born and raised in the Sinai desert. Later through his one son Rehabiah, “the LORD has Enlarged” (רְחַבְיָה), he was blessed with many sons (grandchildren).
וַיִּֽהְיוּ בְנֵי־אֱלִיעֶזֶר רְחַבְיָה הָרֹאשׁ וְלֹא־הָיָה לֶאֱלִיעֶזֶר בָּנִים אֲחֵרִים וּבְנֵי רְחַבְיָה רָבוּ לְמָֽעְלָה׃
The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.
Proper Name #5. The name of Eliezer’s son Rehabiah means “the LORD Enlarges,” God makes an ample space. The root word that is used in the son’s name is rachav (רָחַב):
The personal name Rehabiah means to enlarge, elongate, grow, make spacious.
Since the central issue of the Zipporah narrative is the circumcision of the heart, then the Divine-initiative of the Helper [the Spirit of the Holy One] involves a lot more than just the physical act of producing many sons. Specifically, it is The Helper’s will to produce sons whose hearts are enlarged, elongated, spacious, and blessed with ample (spiritual) growth.
The circumcision of Zipporah represents God’s gift to us of a New Heart:
From the narrative of Zipporah we learn that it is the will of the Holy One that His children who are born of both the Law and the Spirit become a line of many sons and daughters who possess very Big Hearts. This Divine-imperative involves more than physical circumcision.
For us to be circumcised in our spirit we must also be reborn from above.
We must undergo a procedure of separation from sin unto life that cannot be affected by physical hands. For no person can circumcise the heart-spirit of another. Only the Holy Spirit can circumcise our spirits and thereby make of our hearts a fit place for the presence of the Spirit of God to dwell. Those who are of the true circumcision, who worship the Spirit of God, are:
Born of both the Law of Moses and of the Spirit of *Zipporah.
*The Spirit of Grace (רוח החסד).
When we are accepted in the Beloved then and only then does the Spirit of the Holy One effect by His own Hand the circumcision of the heart. Moses and the prophet Jeremiah speak of this this when they prophesy:
וּמַלְתֶּם אֵת עָרְלַת לְבַבְכֶם וְעָרְפְּכֶם לֹא תַקְשׁוּ עֹֽוד׃
Prophecy #1. “So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer” (Deuteronomy 10:16).
וּמָל ה’ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ וְאֶת־לְבַב זַרְעֶךָ לְאַהֲבָה אֶת־ה’ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ לְמַעַן חַיֶּֽיךָ׃
Prophecy #2. “Moreover the LORD our God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6).
הִמֹּלוּ לַ ה’ וְהָסִרוּ עָרְלֹות לְבַבְכֶם אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם פֶּן־תֵּצֵא כָאֵשׁ חֲמָתִי וּבָעֲרָה וְאֵין מְכַבֶּה מִפְּנֵי רֹעַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶֽם׃
Prophecy #3. “Circumcise yourselves to the the LORD. And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds” (Jeremiah 4:4). Therefore, The only way we can forgive one another from the heart is for us to receive the circumcision of our hearts. Only then can we forgive one another as the Forgiving One desires us to forgive.
The outward circumcision of the flesh is not complete without the inward circumcision of the heart.
The outward circumcision is made by the letter of the Law (Moses). But the letter of the Law is not sufficient: For only the Spirit can administer the circumcision which is of the heart; which fulfills the purpose of the mitzvah (מִצְוָה) of the circumcision of the flesh. This means that those of us who have undergone the circumcision made by human hands will not be complete until we have also received the circumcision of the Spirit. Then and only then will we and our children’s children be a Spiritual House (Temple) fit for the Spirit of the Holy One to live in.