What Does Forsake Mean? A Biblical Definition Of Forsake

What does it the word forsake mean and more specifically, what is the biblical definition of forsake mean?

Forsake Means…

To forsake something or someone means to renounce or entirely turn away from it. It includes to be deserted, abandoned or to be forlorn. It is no fun to be forsaken. Perhaps in school or at some other sporting game they were choosing teams and you were the last one to be picked. It felt a little like you were forsaken by all the other players didn’t it? You could also be forsaken by family, friends, and co-workers who might disagree with your faith in Christ and this sometimes makes a person feel alienated from others or to be forsaken by others. Jesus certainly knew what it was like to be forsaken at the cross by his many followers and even his disciples. There are millions of Christians around the world that have been forsaken for their stand of faith in Christ.

Forsaken by God

Any nation that turns its back on God can read what the result will be “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me” (Duet 28:20). Joshua reminded the nation of Israel that “If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good” (Joshua 24:20). When Israel fell into idolatry, God said “you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more” (Judges 10:13) and it is “Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched” (2nd Kings 22:17).

Who we Forsake

Sometimes we forsake our friends but we are told to “not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity” (Prov 27:10) because those “who forsake the companion of her youth…forgets the covenant of her God” (Prov 2:17). We can also forsake God’s law as “Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them” (Prov 28:4). God gives us His law in the Bible and says “I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching” (Prov 4:2) but we are also told “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching” (Prov 1:8).

God Never Forsakes Us

God has said in many places in the Bible, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament that “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5b). God told Joshua “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). It is so true about God that “those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10) and has said that “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25). God is faithful to His own children as the psalmist wrote that “he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off” (Psalm37:28) “For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage” (Psalm 94:18) but “There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die” (Prov 15:10).

Forsaken by God

Jesus at the cross “cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Matt 27:46) because God the Father could not look upon sin and this was seen as temporarily forsaking Christ at the cross but this could have simply been the humanity of Christ that was crying out. All others had forsaken Him; the disciples, His followers, and now Jesus perceived that the Father had also forsaken Him but He never abandoned Him. This was taken from “A psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish” (Psalm 22:1) fulfilling the prophecy that Jesus would be forsaken by all at Calvary.

Conclusion

It is a painful thing to be forsaken but Jesus knows this feeling better than anyone else does. Don’t ever think that God will ever forsake you (Heb 13:b) because He sent His only Son to die for you and if you’ve repented and trusted in Him, He will be with you and He reassures you “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20b).

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon.