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Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound!
Verse 9: He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
We learned in verse 8 the 4 things that characterized the Lord: (1) "compassionate"; (2) "gracious"; (3) "slow to anger"; and (4) "abounding in love."
Now in verses 9 and 10 we see 4 things "He will not always " do. "He will not always": (1) "accuse"; (2) "harbor his anger forever"; (3) "treat us as our sins deserve"; and (4) "repay us according to our iniquities."
We see 2 things here in verse 9 and then the final 2 in verse 10.
Here in verse 9: (1) "He will not always accuse" and (2) "nor will he harbor his anger forever." Because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ upon Calvary's cross, the Father now treats us as sons and daughters.
Hebrews 12:6,7: "For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives. It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?" (NASB)
2.
He will not ...harbor his anger forever."
His wrath and anger were spent in the death of His Son on Calvary's cross.
Verse 10:
...he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
3. He does not treat us as our sins deserve.
I find myself singing that great old hymn by William Newell, At Calvary: "O, the love that drew salvation's plan at Calvary! Mercy there was great, and grace was free; mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary! Mercy there was great, and grace was free; Pardon there was multiplied to me; There my burdened soul found liberty, At Calvary."
4. "Or repay us according to our iniquities."
No, God the Father assumed the total debt for our sins. "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." What a glorious and great God we have!
It's interesting when we take the 4 characteristics of the Lord from verse 8 and parallel them with the 4 things that are said that "He will not always" do in verses 9 and 10: He is "compassionate" therefore "He will not always accuse"; (2) He is "gracious" therefore "He will not...harbor his anger forever"; (3) He is slow to anger therefore "he does not treat us as our sins deserve"; and (4) He is "abounding in love" therefore He will not "repay us according to our iniquities."
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