Bless Our God - Part Twelve
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Introduction
Introduction
The need for God’s enscripturated repetition.
1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
Let’s read the Psalm in its entirety.
Of David. 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!
PRAY
As we look at the next several verses, we should see them as further explanation of what David has written in verses 8-10. If you recall, David reiterates Yahweh’s self description from Exodus and explains that God’s love keeps him from keeping his anger against his people and that he does not treat them as their sin deserves. In verses 11-13, David three metaphorical comparisons to elaborate on the actions of Yahweh on behalf of his people. We will look at verse 11 today.
The Expansive Love of God
The Expansive Love of God
For as high as the heavens are above the earth - In the first place, David compares God’s love to the expanse of the universal space between the heavens and the earth. He proposes that when the child of God looks up into the seemingly infinite heavens, the sky. What to the eye goes on and on and on and on is used to highlight an attribute of God’s love. Think above what all you can see on a clear night. There are countless numbers of stars and the are huge distances from us.
Listen to another place where this type of language is employed in Scripture.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Scientists have sought measure the universe and earth’s distances from places in the solar system. One measure used is a light year which is 5.88 million miles. It is the distance that light travels per year in vacuum.
From the NASA website: Light years also provide some helpful perspective on solar system distances: the Sun is about 8 light minutes from Earth (Earth to sun is 92,900,000 miles). And because light from objects travels at light speed, when you see the Sun, or Jupiter or a distant star, you're seeing it as it was when the light left it.
Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to Earth (other than the Sun) and is 4.2 light-years away. This means light from Proxima Centauri takes 4.2 years to travel to Earth.
Certainly, David did not think of this in these terms, but what he is saying is that God’s love is boundless.
So great is his steadfast love - In a similar manner that the heavens are above the earth so is the love of Yahweh for his people. Nothing really compares to the faithful commitment of God for his children but David tries. The word David uses that is translated “great” means to become large in size, size, scale or importance. David is reminding himself and God’s people that Yahweh’s love for them is massive, monumental, superabundant, sizable, substantial, or considerable.
10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
Charles Simeon, “Who can measure the vast expanse of heaven? Yet such is the mercy of our God, having heights that cannot be explored, and depths that cannot be fathomed. It reaches, not only to all persons, but to the utmost extent of their necessities or desires.”
Those Loved By God
Those Loved By God
Toward those who fear him - The steadfast love is not an abstract concept. It is a personal action that overflows from the loving being whose name is Yahweh. Yahweh’s love flows out of his essence onto and toward a particular and specific group of people.
Who are the recipients of this boundless, infinite love of God? David plainly communicates who it is. It is those that have a fear of this great God of the heavens. What does it mean to fear Yahweh as David describes?
This word can mean to be afraid or frightened only, but in this usage it means more than that. I do believe that there are many occasions when God should frighten his people. However, God’s people fear the LORD in the sense of revering him, worshipping him, and honoring him. Some have defined biblical fear of God as loving respect.
13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.
6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.
17 Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.
J.I.Packer, “ there must be a humble, hearty reverence of his authority, or we cannot taste of his grace. Godly fear is one of the first products of the divine life in us; it is the beginning of wisdom, yet it fully ensures to its possessor all the benefits of divine mercy, and is indeed here and elsewhere employed to set forth the whole of true religion”
David is describing those that have experienced the loving grace of God. They that know Yahweh’s love lovingly respect him. Fear is the not the cause of steadfast love from God, but the steadfast love from God is the cause of the believer’ fear.
New Covenant Glimpses of God’s Love
New Covenant Glimpses of God’s Love
God is love.
16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
God’s love displayed.
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God’s love victorious.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Practical Application
Practical Application
Consider the love of God in Christ - The Love of Christ is Rich and Free
1. The love of Christ is rich and free; Fixed on His own eternally;
Nor earth, nor hell, can it remove; Long as He lives, His own He’ll love.
2. His loving heart engaged to be Their everlasting Surety;
’Twas love that took their cause in hand, And love maintains it to the end.
Chorus: Love cannot from its post withdraw; Nor death, nor hell, nor sin, nor law,
Can turn the Surety’s heart away; He’ll love His own to endless day.
3. Love has redeemed His sheep with blood; And love will bring them safe to God;
Love calls them all from death to life; And love will finish all their strife.
4. He loves through every changing scene, Nor aught from Him can Zion wean;
Not all the wanderings of her heart Can make His love for her depart.
(Repeat chorus)
5. At death, beyond the grave, He’ll love; In endless bliss, His own shall prove
The blazing glory of that love Which never could from them remove.
Walk daily in the love of God
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Love the brothers and obey God
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.