For Three and For Four

I started reading Amos today and found this word pattern interesting. 

Amos 1:3(NKJV)

Thus says the Lord:      “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four,     I will not turn away its punishment,     Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.

All through the 1st chapter that pattern is repeated.  "For three….and for four".  In each case it seems to me that God is saying "you've pushed me too far.  I was willing to overlook the other stuff and let it slide but not now.  You've gone too far."

Now contrast that with the New Testament where it says we should forgive our brothers 7 times 70 times or something like that.

Here is what I get from that.  I believe it is telling us that we should be long suffering and forgiving to all….up to a point.  But in both cases, Old Testament and New, Scripture indicates that there is a limit.  And remember one of my principals of Bible study is that I look for a confirmation of a belief in both the Old and New. 

So how do we know where that limit is?  That is a tough one isn't it?  We all know people who like to test our good nature and if we get tired of being walked on we are accused of not being very Christian.  Want to know why that works on some people?  In my opinion it is because they don’t know their Scripture well enough.  God tells us that it is our responsibility not to let others fool us.

For me it seems that there are two types of forgiveness at work.  There is the casual forgiveness where we may be slightly offended by something someone said for example but it is a minor thing so we just ignore it and let it slide.  And then there are the major things that require an apology before we are willing to forgive.

In both cases though I think it comes down to a heart issue.  Most of us can tell if someone is truly sorry or if we are being played.  I believe the Scripture above tells us that it is morally acceptable to say enough is enough if we are being played.  Make sense?