Monday, April 23, 2018

Monday - Psalm 85 - Mercy and Truth


O
NLY in God can we find perfect balance.  Perhaps you know men and women who are full of compassion and kindness... even to a fault. Some people roll the other way... being all rules and duty and right and justice... also to a fault, because of their own well-hidden imperfections.  God alone has a cup full of both compassion and justice.  He alone perfectly utilizes both qualities at the same time.  Nowhere in all of the plan of redemption has God ever set aside justice for the sake of mercy (Romans 3:26).  He has found a way to simultaneously exercise His will in righteousness and with deep compassion toward unrighteous men (Ephesians 2:4-5).  So, the psalmist says that mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.  

God has looked upon us with favor.  He has forgiven us.  He has paid for our infractions and allowed us to abscond safely.  He volunteered His own Son and sent Him to be our propitiation. God's righteous indignation against us has been appeased.  He has commissioned his Spirit to come and to convince us to turn back to Him.  When He finally is able to produce a proper fear of Himself in our hearts, suddenly we find ourselves mysteriously graced with His glory and blessings.  He doesn't compromise His character nor His principles, but He does condescend to us to lift us up from the mire of sin.  He doesn't bend the rules, but He does bend Himself down to rescue our guilty hides from Satan's trap.  He provides assurance that no transgression will go unpunished, but also that every transgressor can have the hope of escaping punishment.  

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