“But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath; for He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again.” (vv.38-39)
Here in psalm 78 the psalmist (Asaph) recaps most of the Old Testament from Exodus through 2 Samuel. It was written as a psalm of instruction to be passed down from generation to generation concerning God’s mercy to His people. The theme is that God blessed the Israelites, but after a while they forgot about God’s blessings and turned away from him. Then, God would discipline His children so they would repent and turn back to Him. However, they would soon forget and turn away from God once more, starting the cycle all over again. Sound familiar?
Like these people, we all have a tendency to drift away from the Lord, to loose our way at some point. But thank God for His mercies which are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22), and the forgiveness of our iniquities if we but ask (1 John 1:9). Does that mean we will escape discipline? No! Like any loving father God will discipline His children, to bring them back into a loving relationship. Does it mean we have a license to sin all we want? Again, no! "If we identify with Christ and have fellowship with Him, how can we (purposely) live in sin?” (Romans 6:1-2) And therein lies the problem for many people, they just do not want to give up there sin.
The Bible tells us that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever believes in Him shall never perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and that"God is not willing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9). Through these few scriptures and our text, we can see His pity and compassion for His people. He remembers our frames, knowing that we are but dust. The text also indicates He never gives up on us and is willing to forgive us time and time again for our human frailties.
I thank God for His long-suffering with me through my many failures in life and His continued mercy which I freely receive in my nightly confessions to Him. Thank you Lord for your endless mercy and the chastening of those you love.
The Truth: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
