Not a random number

Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? (Matthew 18:21 ESV)

 He wanted a number, some quantification of when enough was enough and forgiveness was spent. Peter throws out a number, “Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus responds, “but seventy times seven!”
 Some quick multiplication tells us that 490 seems to be the magic number—a much larger number than Peter was suggesting. But it’s not a random number. As always, Jesus’ words were precise and targeted. In Hebrew numerology, each letter has a numeric value, and words that have the same numeric value are often connected in meaning. “Tamim,” the Hebrew word for “complete” or “perfect,” has a numeric value of 490. In other words, you forgive fully. You don’t set a limit on your forgiveness.
 Let me state the obvious here: this is hard! Sometimes forgiveness is not deserved, or even sought out. Sometimes there’s no repentance. But still, the choice to forgive is already made. I know I will forgive because that is what Jesus has asked of me, and what’s more, it is what He has done for me.
 One of the biggest things I’ve learned about forgiveness is that it’s a continuous process.
 Sometimes, forgiving takes more strength and love than I feel capable of. Thankfully, forgiveness isn’t an emotion. It’s a choice and an action. Because we are saved through Jesus, we have the grace to make the choice to forgive others. —Marie Alvero [1]

You will never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you. —Max Lucado

[1] Activated The Choice