Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. The moralists, conditionalists,
and the teachers of progressive sanctification would have us
believe that morality and obedience is that which causes the blessings
of God to be given to a man. They see man's obedience as a
necessary part of his receiving the blessings of God and cannot
comprehend the fact that obedience to God's precepts is that which
is wrought in the heart by the operation of the Spirit of God
and is itself the blessing of God. The work of the Lord in
His people is not simply bringing them to an outwardly demonstrated
morality, but rather is a much deeper work wherein He is pleased
to acquaint them with the depths of their wickedness and causes
them to cry out to be delivered from their daily pollutions.
Rather than seeing themselves as becoming increasingly righteous,
they see themselves ever more wicked and convinced of their
worthiness of destruction apart from His mercy. This is exactly
what David experienced as he prayed, Create in me a clean
heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not
away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
The moralist would tell us that the Lord blessed David as a result
of this prayer, but the fact is that the Lord blessed David
to be able to pray such a prayer. It is an evident token of the
Lord's grace for a man to be brought to repentance, and the
Lord does design the many manifold trials with which he is pleased
to exercise his people unto that very end. Those who are the Lord's
can take great comfort in Paul's declaration to the Corinthians.
There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to
man. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that you are able, but will with the temptation also
make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. The blessings
of the Lord did not ever depart from the house of David any more
than they ever shall from those upon whom his everlasting love
is set, and for whom Christ did come into the world to deliver
and secure the very gifts of God for them by the shedding
of his precious blood. There is another man in the scriptures
who is not quite as well known as David, but who illustrates
for us the wideness of God's mercy and the certainty that
wherever the Lord is, there is great blessing to those so favored.
After David's debacle of bringing the ark of God from the house
of Abinadab, according to his own design, he learned a very
painful lesson as young Uzzah was struck dead. He learned that
there is but one proper way to worship the true and living God.
During this three-month period of contemplation, the Ark was
left in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. This Obed-Edom appears
to be a descendant of Levi, who had so long dwelt among the Philistines
in Gath, the same region Goliath was from, that he is called a
Gittite, probably because he was indistinguishable from the
heathen among whom he dwelt. Yet it is to this man's house
that the ark of God was brought. Is this not exactly what Paul
means when he says, wherein in time past ye walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children
of disobedience, among whom also we had our conversation in times
past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath,
even as others? But God, who is rich in mercy
for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace
are you saved." Obed-Edom did nothing to deserve this great
blessing, but it was brought to him on the account of the
death of another man. In like fashion, so do all the
sons of God receive the manifold mercies of God, because another
man died in their place and purchased their redemption. In fact, it
is this man's death that is the greatest display of that mercy.
The sin of David, which precipitated Uzzah's death, was the catalyst
of this great blessing coming to the house of Obed-Edom. And
though David's disobedience precipitated that course of events, yet the
Lord intended it for good to the house of Obed-Edom. Is this
not a demonstration of Romans 8, 28? And we know that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to His purpose. I can think of no greater crime
committed against humanity by humans than the betrayal and
ultimate crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet the Lord intended
even this for good to those upon whom his love was set before
the foundation of the world. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken him by wicked
hands and crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up. He that
spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.