The Mercy’s Of The Lord
We want to take a closer look at Psalm 118, because it speaks of the mercy of God.
When people go through their trials, they tend to think that God does not care about them, or that He is mean and cruel. But the psalmist speaks differently.
We know by Scripture that David had many low points in his life. But as he wrote most of the psalms, we see that he always turned to God for he knew about God’s mercy.
Psalm 118 :1-4 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy is everlasting. Let Israel say, “His mercy is everlasting.” Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy is everlasting.” Let those who fear the Lord say, “His mercy is everlasting.”
Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations 3:22-24 this, “The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I wait for Him.”
David continues to write in Psalm 118:5-9, “From my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and put me in an open space. The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me;
therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in noblemen.”
King David knew trials and distress, for Saul tried to kill him, and even his own son was trying to overthrow him from the throne. Many people wished him ill, and would not come to his aid. But one thing David knew was that he could always run to God. God was his refuge, his shelter and only in God did he trust.
Psalm 62:1-9, David writes, “My soul, wait in stillness, only for God from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress I will never be moved. How long will all of you assault a man, to crush him, like a leaning wall, a fence to be torn down? They only plot to topple him from his rank. Delighting in falsehood, they bless with their mouth, but inwardly they curse. My soul, wait in stillness, only for God for from Him comes my expectation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my strong tower I will not be moved. On God, my salvation and my glory is the rock of my strength. My refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart in His presence. God is our refuge.”
Our trials, our struggles, our sorrows, can push us beyond our limit, and it seems as though the whole world is against us. David understood this, that in all of his distress, God was with him.
David continues in Psalm 118:10-14, “All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I will certainly fend them off. They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I will certainly fend them off. They surrounded me like bees; they were extinguished like a fire of thorn bushes; in the name of the Lord I will certainly fend them off. You pushed me violently so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.”
In the midst of his trials, Psalm 139:23-24 tells us that David asks God to examine his heart. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
David knew that unless he was right with God that he would be separated from Him, for sin separates us from God, and he would not, or could not have the victory. And though David was disciplined by God, God in His great mercy did not turn him over to death, which would have been a victory for his enemies. Psalm 118:15-18 goes on, “The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; the right hand of the Lord performs valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord performs valiantly. I will not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord. The Lord has disciplined me severely, but He has not turned me over to death.”
Yeshua tells us that He is the door ( John 10:9) for all to go through, and David knew that Yeshua (God’s Salvation) was the only way to a life in God.
Psalm 118: 19-21 tells us this, “Open the gates of righteousness to me; I will enter through them, I will give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter through it. I will give thanks to You, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation.”
Psalm 118 : 28-29 ends the same way in which it started. “You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I exalt You. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy is everlasting.”
Today if you are struggling and you feel the whole world is against you, do what David did, as he writes again in Psalm 61: 1-4, “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of Your wings!”
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