The Book of Psalms

Word Study

"his mercy endureth for ever," Hebrew ki le'olam chasdo (כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ). Notice what the psalm sets down first, before it says a single word about sin. This great refrain is planted at the very front as the backdrop against which the whole sad story will be told, for the psalm needs a mercy that never runs out to hold up under the weight of so much sin.

"who can utter," mi yemallel (מִי יְמַלֵּל). The question expects no answer. No tongue is equal to the task: "who can shew forth all his praise?" Human speech runs out long before God's goodness does.

"the mighty acts," gevurot (גְּבוּרוֹת). These are God's deeds of power, the very acts the rest of the psalm will recount. They are past uttering not because they are few but because they are beyond number.

"remember me," zokhreni (זָכְרֵנִי). The plea is personal, but not private: "Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people." He does not ask for a blessing set apart from the community; he asks to be included in the good of God's people, to belong, to be counted in.

"visit me with thy salvation," paqdeni bishu'atekha (פָּקְדֵנִי בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ). To be visited is to have God draw near and act. His desire is to see the good of God's chosen, to rejoice in the gladness of God's nation, and to glory with His inheritance. It is a humble and healthy prayer: not "bless me alone," but "remember me among Your people."

Explanation

Notice what the psalm sets down first, before it says a single word about sin: "his mercy endureth for ever." This great refrain, which rings through several psalms, is planted here at the very front as the backdrop against which the whole sad story will be told. And that placement is deliberate, for this psalm is about to catalogue failure after failure, rebellion after rebellion, and it needs a mercy that never runs out to hold up under the weight of so much sin. Before the confession begins, the eternity of God's mercy is fixed in view. Then comes a second thing worth noticing, the shape of the psalmist's personal prayer in verses 4 and 5. "Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people." He does not ask for a private blessing set apart from the community; he asks to be included in the good of God's people, "that I may see the good of thy chosen... rejoice in the gladness of thy nation... glory with thine inheritance." His deepest desire is to share the portion of God's people, to belong, to be counted in. That is a humble and healthy prayer: not "bless me alone," but "remember me among Your people." And it is fitting, for the confession that follows is not "they sinned" but "we sinned"; the one who owns the people's guilt also longs to share the people's grace.

Gospel Focus

"Remember me, O LORD... O visit me with thy salvation", this prayer was answered at Calvary in the cry of a dying thief: "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom" (Luke 23:42), and Christ remembered him, promising him paradise that very day. The plea "visit me with thy salvation" is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus, for God "hath visited and redeemed his people" (Luke 1:68), and "the dayspring from on high hath visited us" (Luke 1:78). To ask God to "remember me with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people" is to ask to be counted among His own, and in Christ that longing is met, for all who are His share "the good of thy chosen," made "heirs according to the promise." So make this your prayer as the psalm opens its long confession: remember me, O Lord, and visit me with Your salvation in Jesus Christ, and count me among Your people whose mercy endures for ever.

Word Study

"we have sinned," Hebrew chatanu (חָטָאנוּ). Look how honest and corporate the confession is. The psalmist does not stand apart from the sins of past generations and point back at them; he owns the family guilt as his own, "we have sinned with our fathers."

"committed iniquity," he'evinu (הֶעֱוִינוּ). The second of three verbs heaped up together. Real confession does not look for one mild word but reaches for every word that fits.

"done wickedly," hirsha'nu (הִרְשָׁעְנוּ). The third verb leaves no room to soften it. Sinned, committed iniquity, done wickedly: this is real confession, thorough and unsparing.

"provoked him at the sea," vayyamru al-yam (וַיַּמְרוּ עַל־יָם). At the very moment of their rescue, standing on the shore of the miracle, they doubted and grumbled. If ever a people forfeited deliverance, it was then.

"nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake," vayyoshi'em lema'an shemo (וַיּוֹשִׁיעֵם לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ). Weigh that phrase. God did not save them because they deserved it, they had just proved they did not; He saved them for the honour of His own character, "that he might make his mighty power to be known." Here is the anchor of all salvation: it rests not on our worthiness but on God's own name.

Explanation

Two things here go to the heart of the gospel. First, look at the confession, and how honest and corporate it is: "We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly." The psalmist does not stand apart from the sins of past generations and point back at them; he owns the family guilt as his own, "we sinned with our fathers." And he heaps up three verbs, sinned, committed iniquity, done wickedly, leaving no room to soften it. This is real confession, thorough and unsparing. Second, and most wonderful, is the ground on which God nevertheless saves. The people "provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea", that is, at the very moment of their rescue, standing on the shore of the miracle, they doubted and grumbled. If ever a people forfeited deliverance, it was then. And yet: "Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake." Weigh that phrase. God did not save them because they deserved it, they had just proved they did not; He saved them "for his name's sake," for the honour of His own character, to make His mighty power known. Here is the anchor of all salvation: it rests not on our worthiness but on God's own name. Even their unbelief at the sea could not overturn the salvation God had resolved to work for His name. That is grace, salvation grounded in who God is, not in what we are.

Gospel Focus

"Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake", this is the deepest ground of our salvation too. God forgives us, John says, "for his name's sake" (1 John 2:12), and saves us "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy" (Titus 3:5), "that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace" (Ephesians 2:7). Our rescue, like Israel's, rests on the honour of God's name and the riches of His grace, displayed in Jesus Christ, and not on any merit of ours. And the confession "we have sinned" is the very door the gospel opens, for "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins" (1 John 1:9). So do not imagine you must first make yourself worthy to be saved. Come as the psalm comes, owning "we have sinned," and rest on the "nevertheless" of grace: for His own name's sake, God saves rebels who cry to Him, through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Word Study

"many times did he deliver them," Hebrew pe'amim rabbot yatzilem (פְּעָמִים רַבּוֹת יַצִּילֵם). These words gather up the whole psalm in one repeated rhythm. That is the pattern of the entire chapter, and of Israel's whole history: they sin, God delivers; they sin again, God delivers again. The rebellion never stops, but the mercy never stops either.

"he regarded their affliction," vayyar batzar lahem (וַיַּרְא בַּצַּר לָהֶם). Even toward a people who have provoked Him past counting, God looks and sees their distress. "Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry." When they cry, He hears.

"remembered for them his covenant," vayyizkor lahem berito (וַיִּזְכֹּר לָהֶם בְּרִיתוֹ). His covenant memory triumphs over their covenant-breaking. Hearing their cry, He goes back to His promise, and the promise, not their record, decides what He does next.

"repented according to the multitude of his mercies," vayyinnachem kerov chasadav (וַיִּנָּחֵם כְּרֹב חֲסָדָיו). Not a single mercy, but a whole multitude, an inexhaustible supply that keeps meeting their inexhaustible sin. The mercy outlasts the rebellion.

"Amen," amen (אָמֵן). A psalm that is one long confession of failure does not end in despair; it ends in a doxology, and all the people are called to seal it. These words close the entire Fourth Book of the Psalter, and they close it not on the note of man's sin but on the note of God's enduring mercy.

Explanation

These verses gather up the whole psalm in one repeated rhythm: "Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him..." That is the pattern of the entire chapter, and of Israel's whole history, they sin, God delivers; they sin again, God delivers again. The rebellion never stops, but the mercy never stops either, and the mercy outlasts the rebellion. And watch how God responds even to a people who have provoked Him past counting: "Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry: and he remembered for them his covenant." His covenant memory triumphs over their covenant-breaking; when they cry, He hears, and He goes back to His promise. He "repented according to the multitude of his mercies", not a single mercy, but a whole multitude, an inexhaustible supply that keeps meeting their inexhaustible sin. And here is the most striking thing of all: a psalm that is one long confession of failure does not end in despair. It ends in a doxology: "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD." These words close the entire Fourth Book of the Psalter, and they close it not on the note of man's sin but on the note of God's enduring mercy. When the last word about our failure has been spoken, the mercy of God speaks a better word, and the only fitting response is "Amen. Hallelujah."

Gospel Focus

"He remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies", the covenant God kept remembering is kept perfectly in Jesus Christ, sent "to remember his holy covenant" (Luke 1:72). The pattern of "many times did he deliver them" reaches its height in the Saviour who "is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him" (Hebrews 7:25), whose mercies are a multitude that never fail. And the doxology that closes Book Four, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting... Amen", is echoed at the dawn of the gospel, when Zacharias cried, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people" (Luke 1:68). The "Amen" of the redeemed rests on Christ, in whom "all the promises of God... are yea, and... Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). So let the psalm teach you its final lesson: however long the record of your sin, God's mercy has the last word, and its name is Jesus. Blessed be the LORD from everlasting to everlasting. Amen.