Proverbs 19:11: The Goodness of Forgiveness for the Forgiver

"Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11

When is the last time you considered the goodness of forgiveness that comes upon the one who forgives? In other words, have you ever realized the benefit that came to you after you forgave someone else? For surely there is great goodness in being forgiven, but perhaps the greater goodness comes in the one who forgives!

Proverbs 19:11 is a proverb that I dearly love, because it is very unique. Usually when the Bible speaks of forgiveness, it speaks of wrongs being righted and transgressions being forgotten. In other words, the Bible usually highlights the forgivee's role in forgiveness rather than the forgiver's role. However, Proberbs 19:11 does not do so. It highlights the role and outcome of the forgiver rather than the forgivee.

The practical message that we find from Proverbs 19:11 is this: the one who is slow to anger and quick to forgive is the one who is blessed. In simpler terms, we might say that forgiving others brings glory to the one who forgives! Have you ever been bitter and rotten against someone who had done something wrong to you? Perhaps their sin against you was on your mind night and day. Perhaps you ceased to sleep because you were so angry with them, and couldn't let yourself talk to them because of your deep hatred towards them. But eventually (I hope!) you forgave them, and you realized what great relief it was not only to them, but to you as well! You could now sleep at night and not be consumed with hateful thoughts because the one who sinned against you was now forgiven. Your life was blessed because you forgave someone!

The application today is clear: we ought to forgive. For there are surely many fellow human beings in Christ who have sinned against us, both inside and outside the Church, no one is denying that. In fact, let me pause here. Many times when we speak of forgiveness, we like to belittle the offense that was done to us, but that is not what the Bible does and furthermore simply weakens our forgiveness. The Bible surely paints for us a great picture of our own sin, and through it we see the great forgiveness of our Savior. Futhermore, if we make the offense someone else committed against us smaller than what it really is, we belittle our own forgiveness and perhaps risk not obtaining full forgiveness because we have not acknowledged the full offense! Rather, in our forgiveness, we must acknowledge the fullness of the sin against us, and realize that it is to our benefit to forgive the fullness of that offense. For Christ has forgiven us, why should we not forgive one another?

So, release yourself from the bonds of hatred and unforgiveness. If you are in Christ, God has forgiven you, so go forgive others! Stop being destroyed by the consuming flame of unforgiveness, but embrace the goodness that comes from forgiving. Amen!

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32