Psalms 25:6
Psalms 25:6-7 says, Remember,
O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses; for they have been ever
of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my
transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness sake,
O LORD. Some things should be remembered. And some things should be
forgotten. Just as Christ forgets our sins, we should remember His tender
mercies. It may in fact do little good to forget your own sins if you do not
remember the tender mercies of God. The
tender mercies and the loving kindnesses of God have been ever of old. Jesus
Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, His tender mercies and His
loving kindnesses have always and will always be. That is why even when we fail
to remain faithful to him, Jesus never fails to remain faithful to the promises
He has given us. Second Timothy 2:13 says, if we
believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny
himself. The word mercy here is a
word that elsewhere is translated womb. Genesis 49:25, Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and
by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings
of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the
breasts, and of the womb.
The kind of affection, love, and compassion that a
mother has for her child as she nurtures it in the womb and after it is born as
she feeds it upon her breasts, this is the kind of mercy being talked about:
tender mercy. No one will ever love a little child as much as that childs own
mother. No one will ever love Gods children as much as God will. God is love.
Luke 13:34, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest
them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children
together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not.
The word lovingkindness implies a mercy with zeal,
a zealous and passionate mercy. God is not just merciful; he is very passionate
about giving mercy to people. This is because God is love. This is the reason
that Christ suffered so much in the flesh and became sin for us: because of His
passionate mercy in providing a way for men to have forgiveness for sin. There
must be judgment for sin. But there can be forgiveness because in the Holiness
of God Christ was punished for my sins and for yours.
The suffering, the sorrow, and the death that is a
part of this life is all because of sin. It began with
Adam and Eve, and
the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain
together until now. (Romans 8:22) Despite these things the tender
mercies and the loving kindnesses of God are what make this life bearable. What
a horrible destiny then awaits those whom reject Jesus Christ as their Savior
because their eternity will be spent in the lake of fire. When you reject Jesus
of Nazareth as your Savior, you are rejecting the tender mercies and the loving
kindnesses of God.
Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. When men repent of their sins and turn to
Jesus, Jesus forgets their sins. They are blotted out. That is what
justification means: just as if I have not sinned. Sometimes the most foolish
things and the greatest mistakes are made by men when they are young. Young men
are often more tempted by the snares of the world and the pleasures of the
flesh. Young men are impatient. Most young men have not learned how to wait on
God or to have faith in his promises, which results in many bad choices and
sin. But such mistakes, no matter how great they can be, are forgotten in the
mind of Christ when confessed to him. This is the tender mercy and the loving
kindness of God. Sometimes when men do wrong, if those wrong things are very horrible,
other men never forget them no matter how many years go by. It can be hard for
men to forgive because they are men and the flesh is weak. It can be very hard
to forgive those who have wronged you greatly and caused you great suffering.
Yet Christ does so. He forgets the sins of our youth despite all the suffering
it has caused him because He has tender mercies and He has loving kindnesses.
This is why even if the whole world hates you; you can find peace in the cross
of Christ. Acts 3:19 says, Repent ye therefore,
and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of
refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Because of the
tender mercies and loving kindness of God, sin can be blotted out.
Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions, says the first half of Psalms 25:7. The
word transgression is an interesting word. The word is found in the previous
verse of Psalms 25:3, Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed
which transgress without cause. In the Hebrew, however, it is not the same word
used in verse 3 as in verse 7. Transgression means sin. In verse 3 the idea is
that of unfaithfulness or a lack of faith. In verse 7 the idea is that of
rebellion. Young men tend to be more impatient and self-willed. Following
Christ means learning to trust in His promises, waiting on Him, and following
His will not your own. His grace is greater than our sin. It does not matter
how many or how great are the transgressions of your youth. The tender mercies
and the loving kindness of God will always be there for you as a child of the
King, as a joint-heir of Christ. There is no such thing as a Christian who has
failed too much that they no longer have the opportunity to use their spiritual
gifts in the service for Jesus.
Psalms 25:7, according to
thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness sake, O LORD. The word goodness used here
means prosperity
and gladness. Jesus said, I am come that they
might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. Prosperity
refers to possessions. Gladness refers to fullness of joy in the heart.
Ephesians 1:3 says, Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
You may or may not be given a physical life that
is filled with physical wealth, health, and possessions; but the things of this
world are temporary and pass away. Those who repent of their sins and turn to
Jesus for forgiveness will receive all spiritual blessings: eternal life in the
presence of God, a glorified body, redemption from a corrupt nature, the wiping
away of all sorrow and suffering, and many more things that God has prepared
for His children in eternity which have not even entered into the heart of man.
God does not forget his promises. The goodness of God is something that God in
the good pleasure of His will is looking forward with loving kindness to give
unto His children. Because a saved person is a joint-heir with Christ, there
are certain blessings that are guaranteed spiritually. Yet there is so much
more to the goodness of God than just that which is promised through salvation.
There are rewards to be earned in the service for Christ. The only thing that
can keep you from earning rewards is not failure but rather failure to repent
when you do fail.
God loves all men, not just His
children. The Day of Judgment is not in this life, but in the next. Therefore,
for those who have not yet repented of their sins, there is still the
opportunity to do so and to receive the full goodness of God through Jesus
Christ His Son. Psalms 25:8-9 says, Good and upright is the LORD:
therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment:
and the meek will he teach his way. God is light, and in him is no
darkness at all. Jesus wants to teach sinners in the way. To do this requires a
human being be repentant of their sins. The meek will he guide in judgment.
Therefore, God has given His Word that we may learn the way and that we may be
guided in judgment.
In this verse we see the word teach. In Psalms
25:5 we saw the word teach: Lead me in thy truth, and teach me. This word in
verse 9 is not the same word as used in verse 5. In verse 5 the word used means
to beat as with a rod or to train a recruit as for war. In verse 9 the word teach
is issued with the idea of referring to the effort that God is going to give.
Psalm 64:7, But God shall shoot at them with an
arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded. Here the word is translated
shoot. God is going to do the teaching. But you must give the effort to study
His Word. The meek will he guide in judgment. Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore, will he teach sinners in the way. God is willing to teach sinners.
All men are sinners. God is putting forth His maximum effort that can be given
by an infinite, all powerful and all mighty God. Even so, God does not make men
repent of their sins. They must choose to repent, and to turn to Jesus Christ
for forgiveness and salvation from eternal fire.
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Copyright; 2012 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved