Psalm 69:4 “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.”
When Adam “did eat” (Genesis 3:6) that which God had Commanded him to not eat (Genesis 2:17), he lost his innocence, lost his blissful life in the garden, lost his close walk with the Lord (Genesis 3:9-24), and ultimately he lost his life. By his disobedience, Adam took these things away from himself and also infected all his posterity with sin and the guilt and shame of sin (Romans 5:12). Since that time, we have simply added to our own guilt, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But, as the Psalmist prophesied, our Lord Jesus Christ “restored that which” He “took not away” when He “saved his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Isaiah explained it this way, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:4-7). In the Old Testament sacrifices, the Prophetically Innocent Lamb was “brought … to the slaughter”, not for any guilt of His own, but for the “sins” of “his people”. Our Lord did not entice or make us sin, but because of His “great love” (Ephesians 2:4) for us, He “his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (I Peter 2:24), “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (I Peter 3:18). In plain language, we did all the sinning and our Merciful and Gracious Lord did all the saving! Such a Gracious Lord is worthy of our earnest allegiance and worshipful obedience!