Psa. 107:43 ¶ Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
I was going to write this morning on the things that God did for Israel for His name sake. Ezekiel 20:1-49 was the first passage in my Bible reading plan for today.
However, when I came to the Psalm for the day it was Psalm 107, which I must say is probably my favorite psalm in all of the Word of God. This psalm is really about the same thing as Ezekiel 20--God showing mercy to Israel because of His Name's sake.
If I am going to hope in God's mercy, I must look for the reason that God would be merciful to me in Him, and not me. There is absolutely no reason in me as to why God should be merciful to me. There is every reason in my as to why God should pour out His wrath, and cause me to suffer immeasurable. So I dare not argue for God's mercy because of who I am and what's in it for me. I must argue that God will be merciful to me because of what's in it for Him--namely His own Glory. He will be merciful to me solely on the merits of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will do good things for me, because He is good and merciful. He can be good and merciful to me because the Lord Jesus Christ has paid for my sin.
In Psalm 107 we find God in His mercy answering the cries of those who are in distress, and delivering them. Many of them if not all of them were in distress of their own making, because of their sin and their rebellion against God. Yet when they were humbled by affliction, and cried unto the Lord, He saved them!
Are you wise? If you are you will consider these things, and hope in the steadfast love and mercy of God.
1 comment:
Hi Pal,
“He will do good things for me, because He is good and merciful. He can be good and merciful to me because the Lord Jesus Christ has paid for my sin.
Are you wise? If you are you will consider these things, and hope in the steadfast love and mercy of God.” -Aaron L. Turner
Love means to love that which is unlovable, or it is no virtue at all; forgiving means to pardon that which is unpardonable, or it is no virtue at all-and to hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. G K. Chesterton
Your words reminded me of the above Chesterton Quote. I am sure you have considered that to be Christ like is to have the ability to love and forgive the unlovable and unforgivable. And to have hope is only a virtue when things are actually hopeless. More over and to your point, mercy is only a virtuous act when it Is displayed to those who do not deserve mercy. The Bible tells us that we will be recognized as disciples of Christ if we love one another. Love seems to be the power which demonstrates the “in His Image” quality which man has. All of these virtues are what separates us from the animal and actually gives us a connection to deity. Not that men are gods, men are only men, but men are created in the image of God and those who are his children will by, intentional act, display these qualities. Perhaps not at all times in one’s life but at times when no others do.
If Man is not a divinity(in the image of God), then Man is a disease. Either he is the image of God, or else he is the one animal which has gone mad. G. K. Chesterton.
David
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