Comments on: Forgiving God http://www.calebwilde.com/2012/10/forgiving-god/ Working at the Crossroads of this World and the Next Thu, 23 May 2013 14:28:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Robert Widdowson http://www.calebwilde.com/2012/10/forgiving-god/#comment-8348 Robert Widdowson Tue, 13 Nov 2012 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.calebwilde.com/?p=4980#comment-8348 Hi Caleb, Thanks for the thoughtful and well-written reflection on a truly harrowing moment. I don't think the psalm that starts, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me', which Jesus quoted from the cross, is about someone who actually, definitively believes himself to have been forsaken by God. Sure, it starts with that alarming idea - but by the end of the psalm, the psalmist has had time to reflect on his past experiences of God's care. And he concludes the psalm with perfect confidence in the Saviour God. In fact, the last third of the psalm is straight-out praise for the trustworthiness the Lord as One who saves (note what v. 26 proclaims, 'those who seek him shall praise the Lord'). I don't want to do a full-fledged Bible Study, here. It's your blog, after all, but I'd like to point out that by verse 21 the psalmist is able to say, 'You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen.' It's pretty clear that by this point he's moved way beyond the thought that God has forsaken him. I think the cry 'My God...' was an intensely subjective experience of personal suffering - and the Psalmist was so overwhelmed by the pain that he nearly blames God as the author of his misery. But he doesn't go 'there'. In Psalm 73, Asaph also nearly blamed God for his suffering, eventually comes around, acknowledges God's moral perfection, and, reflecting on how he thought before, says, 'When my soul was embittered...I was like a beast toward you,' meaning he was without understanding. But now he does understand (he says so in Ps73, verses 16-17) and sees with clearer eyes. What does he see with clearer eyes? The last half of Ps 73 provides the answer. Let's just say, it's an attention-getter. But, getting back to Psalm 22. Also, the same Jesus who cried out, 'My God...' also had in mind, even in the midst of his passion, the day of his resurrection. So, he wasn't, as so many believe, uttering simply some gut-wretching cry of despair, he was echoing a Psalm that expresses deep faith in the God who graciously saves. There's so much more that could be said. You've raised some very profound issues. It's great to see you grappling with them. All the best. Hi Caleb,

Thanks for the thoughtful and well-written reflection on a truly harrowing moment.

I don’t think the psalm that starts, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me’, which Jesus quoted from the cross, is about someone who actually, definitively believes himself to have been forsaken by God. Sure, it starts with that alarming idea – but by the end of the psalm, the psalmist has had time to reflect on his past experiences of God’s care. And he concludes the psalm with perfect confidence in the Saviour God. In fact, the last third of the psalm is straight-out praise for the trustworthiness the Lord as One who saves (note what v. 26 proclaims, ‘those who seek him shall praise the Lord’).

I don’t want to do a full-fledged Bible Study, here. It’s your blog, after all, but I’d like to point out that by verse 21 the psalmist is able to say, ‘You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen.’ It’s pretty clear that by this point he’s moved way beyond the thought that God has forsaken him. I think the cry ‘My God…’ was an intensely subjective experience of personal suffering – and the Psalmist was so overwhelmed by the pain that he nearly blames God as the author of his misery. But he doesn’t go ‘there’.
In Psalm 73, Asaph also nearly blamed God for his suffering, eventually comes around, acknowledges God’s moral perfection, and, reflecting on how he thought before, says, ‘When my soul was embittered…I was like a beast toward you,’ meaning he was without understanding. But now he does understand (he says so in Ps73, verses 16-17) and sees with clearer eyes.
What does he see with clearer eyes? The last half of Ps 73 provides the answer. Let’s just say, it’s an attention-getter.
But, getting back to Psalm 22. Also, the same Jesus who cried out, ‘My God…’ also had in mind, even in the midst of his passion, the day of his resurrection. So, he wasn’t, as so many believe, uttering simply some gut-wretching cry of despair, he was echoing a Psalm that expresses deep faith in the God who graciously saves.

There’s so much more that could be said. You’ve raised some very profound issues. It’s great to see you grappling with them. All the best.

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]]> By: AB http://www.calebwilde.com/2012/10/forgiving-god/#comment-8084 AB Fri, 19 Oct 2012 02:36:00 +0000 http://www.calebwilde.com/?p=4980#comment-8084 If you think you need to forgive God then you need to forgive Jesus as well because Jesus is the exact representation of the Father. You have a very wrong view of God if you think you need to forgive him and by extending forgiveness to God you are affirming those wrong ideas instead of finding the truth that will set you free from your rejection and bitterness. If you think you need to forgive God then you need to forgive Jesus as well because Jesus is the exact representation of the Father. You have a very wrong view of God if you think you need to forgive him and by extending forgiveness to God you are affirming those wrong ideas instead of finding the truth that will set you free from your rejection and bitterness.

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]]> By: EZK http://www.calebwilde.com/2012/10/forgiving-god/#comment-8082 EZK Thu, 18 Oct 2012 14:35:00 +0000 http://www.calebwilde.com/?p=4980#comment-8082 Thanks for writing this. Thanks for writing this.

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]]> By: Dawn Fallon http://www.calebwilde.com/2012/10/forgiving-god/#comment-7927 Dawn Fallon Thu, 04 Oct 2012 08:17:00 +0000 http://www.calebwilde.com/?p=4980#comment-7927 Thank you for this Caleb. This is the second article on this topic I have come across since my own need to "forgive God" came to my mind. I was shocked by my own thought of it. The words "Oh why can't I just forgive God and move on" came so involuntarily into my mind that my initial response was that it was a wrong thought because it's me that needs forgiveness. But as I reflected on it I saw something about God I had never seen before: His vulnerability. We are always taught in church God is The All-Powerful Omnipotent Omnipresent Deity (which He is all of those things) - yet my shocking thought that I should forgive God showed me a God who is also vulnerable - vulnerable to our misunderstandings, our judgmental attitude about Him and our Wrong Ideas about Him. Thank you so much for sharing. The other article, for your interest, was only last month in "Christianity" Magazine: http://www.christianitymagazine.co.uk/Browse%20By%20Category/features/Why%20you%20have%20to%20forgive%20God.aspx - interesting :) Thank you for this Caleb. This is the second article on this topic I have come across since my own need to “forgive God” came to my mind. I was shocked by my own thought of it. The words “Oh why can’t I just forgive God and move on” came so involuntarily into my mind that my initial response was that it was a wrong thought because it’s me that needs forgiveness. But as I reflected on it I saw something about God I had never seen before: His vulnerability. We are always taught in church God is The All-Powerful Omnipotent Omnipresent Deity (which He is all of those things) – yet my shocking thought that I should forgive God showed me a God who is also vulnerable – vulnerable to our misunderstandings, our judgmental attitude about Him and our Wrong Ideas about Him. Thank you so much for sharing. The other article, for your interest, was only last month in “Christianity” Magazine: http://www.christianitymagazine.co.uk/Browse%20By%20Category/features/Why%20you%20have%20to%20forgive%20God.aspx – interesting :)

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]]> By: Annette http://www.calebwilde.com/2012/10/forgiving-god/#comment-7918 Annette Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:44:00 +0000 http://www.calebwilde.com/?p=4980#comment-7918 I've been following your blog since you were profiled on Rachel Held Evans blog. Thank you for your writings about death and God in general and this post in particular. I wish more pastors and church leaders would read your blog :) Blessings. I’ve been following your blog since you were profiled on Rachel Held Evans blog. Thank you for your writings about death and God in general and this post in particular. I wish more pastors and church leaders would read your blog :) Blessings.

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