Things God never thought of and things He will forget

     How could there be possibilities that God never thought of? It seems illogical but somehow, it really is true. For example, Jeremiah lived in an awful age but through him God tells us at least three times of something that had never entered His mind—for the Israelites to “burn their sons and daughters in the fire” on altars to Baal and Molek, in the valley of Hinnom. (See Jer.7:31; 19:5; and 32:35.) In a terrible sense, then, mankind can think of sins that God never thought of.
 

     Perhaps equally inexplicable is the question, how could God ever “forget”? In Jer.23:39, God says that He “will surely forget” the false prophets of Samaria and Jerusalem. On the other hand, and even better for us, God says in Jer.31:34, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (See also Heb.8:12; 10:17.)
 

     Do you remember any specific sin of your own? How about the sin of the world, in which we all have our share—the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus? How we long to forget our own sin, and we certainly want no part in the blame for Jesus’ death! The good news from the Bible is, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) This means that, in the light of Jeremiah’s words, God will deliberately forget our sins. If He forgets, we will too. What a relief!

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