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His Name is Forgiveness

He’s the God who forgives. 

Three Confirmations that He is the God that Forgives.

Nehemiah 9:17 NKJV

17 They refused to obey,

And they were not mindful of Your wonders

That You did among them.

But they hardened their necks,

And in their rebellion

They appointed a leader

To return to their bondage.

But You are God,

Ready to pardon,

Gracious and merciful,

Slow to anger,

Abundant in kindness,

And did not forsake them

Nehemiah was speaking here of the people of God who were disobedient. Even in their rebellion against God and His Word, the Lord didn’t forsake His people. Listen to what the scripture declares here.

Nehemiah 9:17 NKJV

17 They refused to obey,

And they were not mindful of Your wonders

That You did among them.

But they hardened their necks,

And in their rebellion

They appointed a leader

To return to their bondage.

But You are God,

Ready to pardon,

Gracious and merciful,

Slow to anger,

Abundant in kindness,

And did not forsake them

Nehemiah confirmed that He is the God who forgives! 

The proper translation of “a God ready to pardon” would be a God of propitiation or a God of forgiveness!

Amid the rebellion of His people, God, by His actions, declares, the people are disobedient, but my nature is to pardon. In other words forgiving isn’t what I do; it’s who I am!

Moses confirmed that He is the God who forgives! 

Moses, in the tent of the meeting, asked for a revelation of the Glory of God.

Exodus 33:18-19

18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

The Lord said, you can’t see me and live, but here is what I will do,

There is a place by me, and you shall stand on the Rock! I will hide you in the cleft of the Rock.

A cleft is a split or a divide in the Rock.

The scripture reveals that Jesus is the Rock –

I Corinthians 10:4

And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

Listen to what God says; you can’t handle all of me, but I will reveal my name to you, and the only way you can be in my presence is if you are hidden in the Rock. 

The Old Testament is the schoolmaster leading us to Jesus Christ. 

A bride (Eve) was pulled out of the side of Adam, and soon after, disaster struck. 

Jesus – which the bible says there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. 

Acts 4:12

12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Jesus is hanging on the cross, and just after He has said It is Finished, He’s now already dead; a Roman soldier then pierces the side of Jesus. Why? He’s already dead! 

Here’s why I believe it happened. 

The only way that we can handle seeing God’s glory and His face is to be hidden in the cleft of the Rock. Thus, the spear created the split or the opening for us to enter. 

Adam’s bride was pulled out of His side, the Bride of Christ enters through His side the divide, the split, where water and blood gushed forth, as we enter in, the water and the blood allow us to be a part of the Body of Christ. 

Moses isn’t the only one nor the last one because of the cleft in the Rock to be able to be in the presence of God. 

We stand in the cleft of the Rock, knowing like Moses discovered that His name is forgiveness. 

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His Name is… Jehovah Raah (Shepherd)

Isaiah 52:6 NLT – But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.”

Psalm 23:1-6 The Lord is My Shepherd; I shall not want

Isaiah 40:11 NKJV

  1. The reality of the flock (Isaiah 40:11 ; Psalm 23:2 NKJV

We see and envision the peaceful all is well tranquil flock. The reality is that within the flock of the Lord, there are weak, anemic, frail, bruised, battered, wounded, sick, and struggling sheep. There are also healthy and fulfilled, but the reality is that all of this is happening not in a peaceful scene without the presence of an enemy. It’s prepared for you in the presence of your enemy. 

This tells me that this text isn’t talking about eternity, our enemy will not be present in Heaven, this is for the here and the now. Right, where we are and where you are. 

Jesus didn’t come to tend only to the healthy sheep. He came to tend to those that were bruised, battered, and broken. 

There was a strong rebuke to those who ignored the needs of the broken, bruised and battered. 

Ezekiel 34:4,6; Jeremiah 34:6; Isaiah 53:6 

Isaiah said we all… like sheep have gone astray. This isn’t to some of us, it’s for all of us. We all have gone! 

However, we are still called the sheep of His pasture, we are still in the fold! Why? The Lord is my Shepherd. He cares for the bruised, battered, and broken. He looks for the sheep that has gone astray.  (Ezekiel 34:11-15)

Here is what David said in Psalm 23:1 – The Lord (Jehovah) is my Shepherd.

The self-revealing one (Jehovah) is my Shepherd. 

Shepherd in the Hebrew is Ra’ah or Rohi = to tend, pasture or shepherd. 

The Lord tends to me and I shall not want. 

The Hebrew Word that David uses for want here indicates a meaning of lack. The reality of what David says is this… “The Self-Revealing one is tending to me and I lack nothing” 

  • I Lack Nothing – I shall not Want!

God has us covered in every way. 

He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:14) 

Jeremiah 23:4 4 I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord.

Ezekiel Chapter 34 is a denunciation of the shepherds of Israel. Primarily, the shepherds refer to Israel’s kings and political leaders. Secondarily, it speaks to any of us who are shepherding people—as pastors, elders, employers, or parents. 

Ezekiel 34:1-7 NKJV 

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”

7 ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”

God denounced them for their care of the flock. 

The sheep couldn’t be clothed, eat, healed, or secured unless they had a shepherd. Sheep cannot fend for themselves, defend themselves, protect one another, they are sheep. Sheep need a shepherd that supplies their needs. 

David said the Lord is my shepherd, and he takes cares of my needs and I lack nothing. Saying that, meaning that God covers it all for us. Jesus the good Shepherd takes care of everything. 

Remember what Paul said, My God shall supply all of my need, in every facet of my life, My God supplies, I shall not want! 

  • Search for me God (Psalm 119:176; Luke 15) 

David wrote 175 verses praising God and then in the last verse makes an admission to God. Asking for the Lord to search for Him for He is like sheep that has gone astray. He conceded that He couldn’t find his own way back but needed the Lord to help guide Him back into to the Fold. 

Luke 15 the Parable of lost things. 

A lost sheep, lost coin and a lost son. 

The sheep had to be found and returned. 

The coin had to be searched for. 

The prodigal had to be guided back the house and reminded that He was still a son of the House.

References:

Psalm 13:5-6 NKJV 

Psalm 34:6

Psalm 3:1 ,8

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His Name is… Jehovah Jireh

Key Verse: Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

  1. Don’t forget God! 
    1. Deuteronomy 6:12 – 14 12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you.

We know all that He does, but who is He? 

Almost every discovery about God comes from a place of crisis in our lives.

Revelation often comes from tribulation.

Discovery often comes through difficulty. 

  • God is… 
    •  One – Deuteronomy 6:4; John 10:30 
    •  Spirit – John 4:24
    •  Creator. Genesis 1:1
    •  Jealous – Nahum 1:2
    • Slow to anger – Nahum 1:3
    • Great in power. Nahum 1:3
    • Good – Nahum 1:7
    • A strong hold in day of trouble Nahum 1:7
    • A consuming fire Hebrews 12:29
    • My helper – Psalm 54:4
    • Our refuge and strength – Psalm 46:1
  • He is Jehovah Jireh! Genesis 22:11-14; Genesis 22:23

Three discoveries from Abraham’s difficulty. 

  1. God will see to it! 
  2. God is showing us! 
  3. God is providing for us!