“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 103:12 Mean?
"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." The distance between you and your forgiven sin is infinite: east and west never meet. Unlike north and south (which converge at the poles), east and west are permanently and infinitely separated. The transgressions have been placed at a distance that can never be closed.
The phrase "as far as" (kirechog — as the distance of) establishes a comparison: the distance of the removal is LIKE the distance between east and west. The comparison needs a measurement that's unmeasurable — a distance so great that no number can express it. East to west is that distance. The forgiveness is that thorough.
The word "removed" (hirchiq — He has caused to be far, He has distanced) means God actively created the distance: the transgressions didn't drift away on their own. God REMOVED them. He caused them to be far. He put distance between you and your sin. The removal is divine action, not natural process.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Do you believe your forgiven sins are truly removed — or are you still holding them close?
- 2.Why does east-to-west (infinite, never meeting) describe forgiveness better than north-to-south?
- 3.What does GOD doing the removing change about your role in processing guilt?
- 4.What forgiven transgression are you trying to drag back from the distance God placed it at?
Devotional
As far as the east is from the west. That's how far your forgiven sins are from you. Not as far as your house is from your office. Not as far as your city is from the coast. As far as east is from west — a distance that literally cannot be measured, a gap that never closes, a separation that is infinite and permanent.
The east-west measurement is deliberately chosen over north-south: if you travel north, you eventually reach the pole and start going south. North and south have a meeting point. East and west don't. If you travel east, you never arrive at west. The distance is infinite. The separation is permanent. The transgressions are placed at a distance from you that can never be bridged.
The 'he removed' means God did the removing: you didn't push your sins away through effort or discipline. GOD removed them. He picked them up, carried them the infinite distance between east and west, and placed them there. The distance between you and your forgiven transgression is God's doing. You didn't create it. You can't close it. God placed the separation, and God maintains it.
This verse demolishes the guilt that drags forgiven sins back into the present: if God placed your transgressions as far as east is from west, why are you reaching for them? Why are you trying to close the distance God created? The sin you keep re-examining has been removed to an unmeasurable distance by divine action. It's not near you. It's not hovering. It's gone.
Do you believe your forgiven transgressions are as far from you as east is from west — or are you still holding them close?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Like as a father pitieth his children,.... When in any affliction, disorder, or distress: the Lord stands in the…
As far as the east is from the west - As far as possible; as far as we can imagine. These are the points in our…
Hitherto the psalmist had only looked back upon his own experiences and thence fetched matter for praise; here he looks…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture