Micah 7:18 (New International Version)
18 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
It's time for House Rule #4. Forgive and forget! Some commentaries compared this to the song of Moses which looked back upon the Lord's victory and Micah's song looked forward, in faith, to an even greater wonder! Awesome! In verses 18 & 19, there are several Hebrew words used for sin: 1) iniquity - meaning to twist; 2) transgression - meaning to rebel; and 3) sins - to miss the mark. As sons & daughters of the living God, we are forgiven. God delights to show mercy. That is just so good! When God forgives, He forgets. He remembers our sin no more - they go into the sea of forgetfulness. Now that's a great promise. These are great characteristics of God - forgive & forget. His mercy, His love, His grace, His understanding.
As believers, are we willing to forgive & forget? You've heard that old saying "Well I can forgive but I can't forget." We are suppose to be like Jesus. We are told to forgive and we do. But somewhere along the line, we forget to forget if you know what I mean. There are many of us who have been hurt by gossip, by people using us, by people betraying us, etc. Forgiveness is to excuse a fault or pardon and to renounce anger and resentment against someone. We are required to forgive it's a commandment. However, I believe we don't always really forget what someone has done to us. We learn by remembering but I think the main thing we can learn about forgetting is not letting it take a root of bitterness or resentment towards the other person. What forgetting means is to stop dwelling and obsessing over someone who has done you wrong.
How deeply have you been hurt? Have you become bitter or unforgiving? Read about Joseph in Genesis. His story is amazing! He could have been a very bitter man. His brothers threw him in a pit, sold him into slavery, the wife of his master falsely accused him and he was thrown in prison, someone promised to help him and then they let him down. He ended up being blessed because of forgiveness and forgetfulness. I encourage you to read these Scriptures. The story of Joseph is in the Book of Genesis Chapters 37-50.
So forgive your brothers & sisters and forget what they have done to you by not dwelling and obsessing over the wrongful deed they have done. By forgetting we will not hold a grudge. By not holding a grudge, you can treat the person like you did before they did a wrongful act towards you. If you do not forgive & forget, it will lead to bitterness and will eventually destroy you. When we forgive someone then we must act like that sin had never occurred. We live as if we do not remember the sin.
