“…for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was”

Verse 24 continues the thought of verse 23.

for he observes himself,

The word “observes” is an intensive word meaning to perceive clearly, to understand fully, to consider closely. This believer perceives clearly his spiritual status as he looks directly into God’s Word. He thinks about the implications of God’s Word and considers its principles very carefully. This person reaches the point of being able to discern God’s Word, and yet he forthwith disregards what he learned.

goes away,

The idea of “goes away” carries the thought of leaving permanently. He does not want to return to the Word because it exposes him for what he is.

and immediately forgets

After coming to a clear and definite understanding of the principles of God’s Word, he immediately forgets what the Word says about his experience. The word “forgets” can mean neglect, disregard. He understands the principles of the Word very clearly, but he neglects them as if they have no import in his life. He disregards the message of God’s principles for his life.

Principle:

Those who do not apply the principles of God’s Word to their experience live in self-deception.

Application:

The Bible will reveal our sin to us when we would like to deny the reality of who and what we are. Therefore, we do not transfer the principles of God’s Word to our life. We are afraid of their implications. We do not want to let go of our sin.

The issue here is that we believe in the value of our sin over the value of God’s Word, so we adjust our living to our own set of values rather than God’s values. We want to forget as quickly as possible how we look to God. We cannot stand the thought that we live inconsistently with God’s plan, so we deny it to ourselves. This is an issue of honesty with self.