DAILY TEXT, Thursday, January 22, 2026. In you is true forgiveness (Psalm 130:4).

Let us examine the Scriptures every day 2026

Thursday, January 22, 2026

True forgiveness is found in you (Psalm 130:4).

In the Bible, sins are often compared to heavy burdens. For example, King David said: “My errors are upon my head; they are a heavy burden, too heavy for me” (Psalm 38:4). However, Psalm 25:18 and 32:5 say that Jehovah “forgives” those who repent of their sins. The Hebrew expression translated as “forgive” in these verses basically means “to lift up” or “to carry.” This makes us picture Jehovah as a strong man who, so to speak, lifts the weight of sin from our shoulders and carries it away.

And where does Jehovah take our sins? At Psalm 103:12 we find another comparison that helps us understand: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us.” The east—where the sun rises—and the west—where it sets—are two points that are very, very far apart. We might say they are infinitely far from each other. So this verse teaches us that when Jehovah forgives us, he takes our sins as far away as one can possibly imagine. What a comforting thought! w25.02 9 pars. 5, 6

How does the Bible describe what Jehovah does with our sins? (Micah 7:18, 19)

When Jehovah takes our sins away, does he keep them, so to speak? No, for King Hezekiah said to him: “You have thrown all my sins behind your back,” or, as the footnote puts it, “You have removed all my sins from your sight” (Isa. 38:9, 17). So, when we repent, Jehovah takes our sins and throws them away where he will never see them again. This verse could also be translated: “You have made it as if I had never committed my sins.” The Bible reinforces this idea with the mental image found at Micah 7:18, 19 (read it). There it says that Jehovah throws all our sins into the depths of the sea. In Bible times, if an object fell to the bottom of the ocean, it was completely impossible to retrieve it.

What have we learned so far?

Through these comparisons, we have learned that when Jehovah forgives us, he takes away our sins and relieves us of that burden. Indeed, as David said: “Happy are those whose bad deeds have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered; happy is the man whose sin Jehovah will by no means count against him.” (Rom. 4:6-8) Now that is forgiveness!

What comparisons does Jehovah use to help us understand the extent to which he forgives us?

Let us now consider other Bible comparisons that help us understand how Jehovah, through the ransom, completely washes away the sins of those who repent. For example, the Bible says that Jehovah washes away sins and cleanses them, thus purifying the sinner (Ps. 51:7; Isa. 4:4; Jer. 33:8). Jehovah himself explains the final result of this process: “Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall become white as snow; though they be red like crimson cloth, they shall become like wool” (Isa. 1:18). Scarlet or crimson stains are extremely difficult to remove. In this vivid way, Jehovah is assuring us that he can make our sins disappear completely.

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