Merciful And Gracious

Our Bible passage, introduction to Sunday 29th March service and hymns are below.

_________________________________

Our principal verses are:

Psa 103:6 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

Psa 103:7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

Psa 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

Merciful And Gracious

In the opening verses of Psalm 103, in an attitude of worship, David called upon his whole being; soul, heart and mind, to bless the Lord for all His benefits. In doing so the psalmist teaches the church to count our blessings and remember to thank God for all the good things He has done for us. Every born-again soul should bless the Lord for His past mercies to them, for grace received and for the promise of glory laid up in heaven.

From me to you

In verses 6-8 David moves on from personal praise, noting that the Lord God executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. Throughout the scriptures the Lord takes notice of the downtrodden and calls His people to pity and care for those in need, such as the poor, widows and the fatherless, who often are mistreated by the rich and powerful. The Lord marks all sin and injustice and while retribution may not appear immediately David tells us that the Lord is merciful to the poor and will judge those who oppress them.

Full divine justice

God’s righteous rule of His created order is absolute. Justice may not always be seen to be done in our timescale but the Judge of all the earth will do right. As a man sows so shall he reap. The means and methods by which God imposes punishment for sin are vast and just. Personal accountability will stretch from time to eternity. God is not mocked. Vengeance is His domain. Divine protection and care is particularly relevant for God’s elect. David proved this when he was pursued by Saul and every child of God is shielded similarly from enemies natural and spiritual.

Old Testament revelation

The psalmist’s words in verse 7 ought to be noted carefully and understood comprehensively. This verse speaks of divine revelation given to Moses for the faith and comfort of God’s people prior to the coming of Christ. David tells us, ‘He’, that is, the Lord Jesus, ‘made known his ways unto Moses’. This statement is of great significance. It confirms that Moses knew Christ. He knew the gospel of covenant grace, substitutionary atonement and forgiveness of sin. It suggests the wide breadth of knowledge revealed to God’s Old Testament people concerning the Messiah and His work.

Christ spoke in times past

We ought not to be surprised at this. The gospel was never completely hidden. Adam knew of One who would come to crush the serpent’s head, though His heel would be bruised in the process. He knew sin had separated him from God yet he understood how God had provided a covering for his nakedness. Moses, too, understood the significance of all these things because Christ ‘made known his ways unto Moses’, and by type and ceremony, made known ‘his acts unto the children of Israel’.

On a mountain, long ago

David leaves the church in no doubt as to the comprehensive nature of this revelation. In the final verse of our study we are told, ‘The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy’. That David quotes this verse in this context is very telling. The psalmist is taking his readers back to Moses’ meeting with the Lord Jesus on Mt Sinai. There, Moses asked to see God’s glory and the Lord agreed, saying, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before thee’. Then the Lord Jesus, the manifestation of God’s glory and goodness, appeared to Moses and spoke to him.

Christ’s very words

David’s description, ‘merciful and gracious’ describing the Saviour, are the very words spoken by the Lord to Moses in Exodus 34:6, to which was added, ‘I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy’. By this we see how God’s sovereign purpose in salvation, His election of grace and the everlasting covenant of peace were all revealed to Moses and understood by him.

The object of faith

Without doubt, David is rejoicing in God’s gospel mercy and sovereign grace as he writes these lines. He is blessing the Lord for His merciful and gracious purpose in salvation. He is revelling in God’s goodness in Jesus Christ. Christ is the highest benefit of God given to man. Adam knew Christ. Abraham knew Christ. Moses knew Christ and David knew Christ. All of these men knew the gospel of Jesus Christ and knew God’s sovereign purpose was to ‘be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and … shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy’.

Amen

Hymn 44

Lawful Use of the Law. Rom. 3. 19, 20; Eph. 2. 3-9

J. Maxwell                                                                L.M. 

1
Here, Lord, my soul convicted stands
Of breaking all thy ten commands;
And on me justly might’st thou pour
Thy wrath in one eternal shower.

2
But, thanks to God, its loud alarms
Have warned me of approaching harms;
And now, O Lord, my wants I see;
Lost and undone, I come to thee.

3
I see my fig-leaf righteousness
Can ne’er thy broken law redress;
Yet in thy gospel plan I see,
There’s hope of pardon e’en for me.

4
Here I behold thy wonders, Lord,
How Christ has to thy law restored
Those honours, on the atoning day,
Which guilty sinners took away.

5
Amazing wisdom, power, and love,
Displayed to rebels from above!
Do thou, O Lord, my faith increase,
To love and trust thy plan of grace.

Hymn 642

Prayer for the Presence of Christ. Ex. 33. 15

W. Gadsby    148th

1
Once more, dear God of grace,
Thy earthly courts we tread;
We come to see thy face,
And banquet with our Head;
We long, we faint, we pant for thee;
And hope that with us thou wilt be.

2
Though base and vile we are,
Nor goodness have to bring,
We cannot well despair,
While Jesus is our King;
He welcomes all by sin oppressed,
Upon his grace to come and feast.

3
With Christ we would be fed;
By faith upon him live;
We wish no other bread,
And thou hast this to give;
Lord, fill us well with this rich food,
And let us drink thy precious blood.

The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was known and believed by God's servants of long ago just as surely as it is known and believed by His people today. David tells us that Christ made known his ways unto Moses so that Moses knew the gospel of distinguishing, sovereign grace and substitutionary atonement.