Most of us know what it feels like to be alone or to have people leave us. It is painful to experience friends or family members turning away from us, the very people we thought we could rely on. During these times, we feel forsaken.
According to the Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, the word “forsake” means “to renounce or turn away from entirely.” To forsake is to abandon someone or something, to turn away and desert them.
When we encounter situations in which loved ones forsake us, we can find comfort in knowing that our Lord has also experienced this. More than anyone else in history, the Lord God knows what it is like to be forsaken, by His chosen nation, friends, and by His Father.
Yet the One who was forsaken by His people, and separated from God on the cross, is the One who never forsakes others. He will never leave, even when others do.
The dictionary gives us many words to express what it means to forsake and be forsaken, but the best way to understand the word is to see it used in action. We find such examples in Scripture, especially concerning the Lord’s relationship with others.
Example of Israel Forsaking God
The people of Israel made a covenant with God. If they followed His Law in obedience, they would live securely in the Promised Land (Leviticus 25:18).
However, if they turned away from the Lord and His Law, the land would be taken from them, and they would be sent into exile (Leviticus 26:14-39). Despite these warnings, Israel repeatedly forsook the Lord God to chase after idols.
Elijah witnessed the nation turn their backs on the Lord. He lamented this, feeling as if he were the only one who had not forsaken God.
As he told the Lord on Mount Horeb, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10, ESV).
Although many others in addition to Elijah had remained faithful to the Lord, Israel as a whole had forsaken Him (1 Kings 19:18).
Later, during the time of Jeremiah, God repeatedly told the prophet about how Israel had turned away from Him. They chose to worship other gods, bowing down to worthless idols (Jeremiah 9:13-14).
Since they had deserted Him, He would turn away from them and allow judgment to fall on the nation (Jeremiah 5:19; 16:10-13).
Their judgment of being taken into exile was just and right, which is why the Lord repeatedly told Jeremiah not to plead for the people or to pray for them (Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 14:11). They could turn to the prophet and God but Jeremiah was not to turn to them (Jeremiah 15:19).
Yet even though the people of Israel had abandoned the Lord, He would not forsake them forever. He would not break His covenant with the people He had chosen (Leviticus 26:44-45).
He promised to restore them to the Promised Land, to bring them home from exile (Jeremiah 29:10; 32:44). The prophet Daniel read this promise while a member of the diaspora in the Babylonian empire (Daniel 9:2).
He offered a prayer of repentance and asked the Lord to remember the people who bear His Name (Daniel 9:4-19; compare with Leviticus 26:40-42).
Unlike the Israelites who had deserted the Lord in their unfaithfulness, God remained faithful and would restore them to their land.
Example of Jesus Being Forsaken by His Friends and Father
During the Last Supper, Peter and the other disciples swore that they would die before disowning Christ and that they would stand by Him no matter the situation (Matthew 26:33-35).
When Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested, however, all the disciples, including Peter, fled. As some versions say, “Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled” (Matthew 26:56, KJV; Mark 14:50).
Although this fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, it still hurt the Lord Jesus (Zechariah 13:7). At the painful times of His trial, flogging, and crucifixion, His friends had left Him.
Even worse than that was the Father turning away from Jesus. On the cross, Christ bore the sins of the world. In that dark moment when He who knew no sin became sin for us, the Father turned His face away, temporarily leaving Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The Son felt this separation acutely. With a cry of anguish, He asked, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, NIV; Psalm 22:1). Not only had His friends forsaken Him, but so had the Father.
Jesus is familiar with suffering and the pain of being abandoned (Isaiah 53:3). As a result, those who encounter abandonment by others can never say that the Lord does not understand. He does, for Christ experienced the worst and most painful abandonment of all when His Father turned away.
Yet, despite the pain of betrayal and separation, He accomplished His mission. Jesus died for the sins of all to offer salvation to those who believe, including to the very ones who had fled from Him.
Example of Demas and Others Forsaking Paul
Paul also experienced what it felt like to be forsaken. In a letter to Timothy, Paul described how a former fellow worker deserted him (2 Timothy 4:10).
Demas, the man who forsook the apostle, had worked to spread the gospel in the past and was mentioned multiple times in Paul’s letters (Colossians 4:14; Philemon 1:24). However, a love for the world had gripped Demas, causing him to desert Paul.
Others had also forsaken Paul during a hearing before his trial, not coming to his defense (2 Timothy 4:16). Despite the pain he probably felt at that time, he prayed that their abandonment of him would not be held against them.
He knew that even though he was physically alone, the Lord was with him. As he wrote, “The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength” (2 Timothy 4:17, NIV).
Paul found hope and comfort knowing that the Lord was always faithful. Though life was hard, and he was persecuted, the apostle knew he was not forsaken (2 Corinthians 4:9).
The Lord Who Doesn’t Forsake Us
Scripture teaches us that the Lord will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He has promised to be with us always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
This promise remains true even if we are faithless and turn away from Him, for Christ cannot disown those who belong to Him (2 Timothy 2:13).
Believers can find comfort in this promise, just as Paul did. Although others may leave and we are left alone, God will always stay. He will not leave our side. Knowing this should strengthen our trust in Him, making us more committed to walk in faithfulness.
We can also find comfort in knowing that the Lord empathizes with us. He knows what it is like to be forsaken and left alone. Our Savior has experienced abandonment and can support us when we encounter faithless friends.
People in life will leave us: friends, family members, and spouses. At other times, we may be the unfaithful ones, turning away from loved ones and even the Lord.
Yet, even if we abandon the One we love most, God never leaves. The testimony of Scripture shows us that He remains faithful regardless of His people’s choice to go astray and desert Him.
The God who was forsaken on the cross is the God who never forsakes us.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Daniel Christel
