Our Forgiving God

There is a good reason it has been nicknamed “The River of No Return.” The treacherous Salmon River flows through 425 miles of rugged terrain in central Idaho, with a watershed of 14,000 square miles. Between its headwaters and confluence with the Snake River, it drops a whopping 7,000 feet. The magnificent granite-walled canyons are deeper than the Grand Canyon. The river’s average discharge is over 11,000 cubic feet per second!

When Lewis and Clark first crossed the continental divide in 1805, they ventured down to look at the Salmon River for an easier route west but immediately realized it was too rough to navigate. Early explorers could raft down the river, but they could not return upstream because of the tremendous current. It was a one-way trip with no return.

Many have viewed the God of the Old Testament in the same way— treacherous and without mercy. If you step over the wrong line just once, you are sent on a one-way trip with no return. God has been viewed as harsh, vengeful, and unforgiving. Yet a closer look at the Hebrew Bible reveals otherwise.

David—the man who committed the double sins of adultery and murder—often cried out, “Have mercy upon me, O God” (Psalm 51:1). He believed that God—of the Old Testament—was merciful and forgiving. “As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11, 12).

David saw the most forgiving river in the universe that flowed from the throne of God. “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God” (Psalm 46:4). Though we may fail, God offers to forgive us and invites us to return to Him. When we do, only our sins take a one-way trip, never to be seen again.

Apply It:

Think of the most peaceful river you’ve ever visited while you sing or read the lyrics to the hymn Shall We Gather at the River.

Dig Deeper:

Isaiah 1:18; Daniel 9:9; Micah 7:18, 19

Key Bible Texts

Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 1:3 KJV)