Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:11-12 NKJV
When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, they were moving about. They didn’t really have an opportunity to raise livestock or grow gardens. God provided manna for them to eat. He provided just enough for each day for them to gather. The day before the Sabbath, He provided enough for two days so they would not have to gather or work on the Sabbath. We are told in Matthew 6:25-34 that we should not worry about our basic needs being provided for us. Jesus explains how God provides for the birds and the flowers and He will do the same for us. He tells us in Matthew 6:33 that we should focus on God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for us.
When we focus on God and what He needs us to do, He will provide our needs. We can trust in Him to do this.
He also says to forgive us our debts as we are to forgive our debtors. Some versions say forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Forgiveness is not optional for the Christian. There was an Old Testament law that provided for debts to be forgiven every seven years. Even if you had loaned someone a large sum of money in the 6th year and 6 month, you had to forgive it six months later in the year of Jubilee or the Sabbatical year. This encouraged generosity and lending without charging any interest. It also encouraged a willingness to forgive the debt.
Forgiving someone when they sin against us is also required and we will talk a little more about this when we look at verses 14-15. I just want to point out what is being said here. Jesus said we should ask God to forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. If we ask God to forgive us it is nothing short of hypocritical for us to refuse to forgive others. We are expected to imitate Christ (Ephesians 5:1). Jesus Christ forgave those who had humiliated, tormented, and hung Him on a cross in Luke 23:24. He asked God to forgive them for they knew not what they were doing.
He expects us to forgive others. In Matthew 18:21-22 Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive a brother who sins against him and suggests that seven times would be gracious. But Jesus replies that we should forgive someone seventy times seven times. That’s 490 times according to my calculator. So, what Jesus is telling Peter is that we should always be willing to forgive.
We should trust in God to provide our needs, and we should turn to God when we are having trouble forgiving someone. Sometimes it takes God’s power and strength for us to be able to forgive someone. Call on Him if you are having a hard time with this. He will be glad to help you.
Have a great day!