Psalm 103: 7

‘He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.’

God is not secretive; he shares himself with us.  I could say that because he reveals himself to us, it ensures that we worship him more.  But I don’t think that is God’s motivation.  He reveals himself and his heart to us because he wants the best for us.  He wants us to choose well for ourselves; he wants us to choose him, to include him and refer to him.  He wants to be best friends with us.  Incredible!

And it is because he shares himself with us that we fall more and more in love with him and then worship him more.  He woos us.  He is truly amazing.

Verse 8

‘The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.’

These are his ways that he made known to Moses; he is compassionate, he is gracious, he does not anger easily and he is abounding in love.  I think King David (who wrote this Psalm) truly had a unique understanding of God at the time.  We look back at the Old Testament and think of it as being full of rules and regulations, structures and rituals, judgements and God’s wrath.  But David saw God ‘abounding in love.’

David saw release and freedom, space and salvation, justice and mercy.  How do we manage, with all the various Bible translations and books and modern teaching, to get it so wrong?  Because we do not let God make his ways known to us personally?

Verses 17-18

‘But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.’

His love is with us from everlasting to everlasting – from before the beginning to after the end.  This is my God, abounding with love and the same yesterday, today and forever.  Hallelujah!