Psalm 119:77

We continue considering the prayers of the octave of Psalm 119 entitled Jod.  We are in a stretch of prayers that all begin with the word let. 

Psalms 119:77  Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.

In this verse the psalmist makes the same request he did in verse 41, in which he requested the Lord to “let thy mercies come also unto me.”  Again, the psalmist prays God to let His mercies come to him.  God’s mercies are something that must come to us, rather than we coming to them.  And they can only come to us, if the Lord’s lets them.  He is sovereign over His mercies.  God’s mercies are shut up from us unless He is willing to bestow them.  We are in a sinful and low estate with absolutely no claim to God’s compassion or kindness.  For us there will be no relief unless the good Lord be pleased to let His mercies come to us.

In the verse we consider today the psalmist adds the word tender to describe the mercies of God.  Consider the meaning of the word tender when used to describe God’s mercies.

Tender – Of persons, their feelings, or the expression of these:  Characterized by, exhibiting, or expressing delicacy of feeling or susceptibility to the gentle emotions; kind, loving, gentle, mild, affectionate.

The Lord does not bestow His mercies upon us begrudgingly.  His mercies flow out of a gentle, kind, and loving disposition.  God bestows mercy because He loves to and wants to.  The Lord delights to let His mercies come to us.

Micah 7:18  Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

Now we need never worry that we have exhausted these tender mercies of God for they have been available and abundantly bestowed from ancient time; there are a multitude of them; and they are great.

Psalms 25:6  Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.

Psalms 69:16  Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

Psalms 119:156  Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD….

The psalmist, like every believer, was beset with many transgressions and sins all and any of which were exceedingly displeasing to a holy God and deserving of His wrath.  Therefore, the psalmist needed tender mercies (plural).  Many sins need many tender mercies.  And it is God’s tender mercies that provide the remedy for sins and transgressions.

Psalms 51:1  A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.>> Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Psalms 79:8  O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.

And, like the rest of us, the psalmist had his share of troubles in this world.  As it was with Job, so it is with us.  The ultimate relief for our troubles is the tender mercy of God.

James 5:11  Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

So when you are enduring a tribulation, just hang in there.  Endure!  Tender mercy is on the way. 

Because of his sins, the psalmist deserved to die.  And his troubles were such that they threatened to destroy him.  Most any tribulation causes us to despair of life, if it presses down on us hard enough.  This is why he prays that the Lord’s tender mercies will come to him, that I may live.  Without God’s tender mercies our sins and troubles would be the destruction of us all.  But instead, our God redeems our life from destruction and crowns us with His tender mercies.

Psalms 103:4  Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies….

Now the psalmist advances this reason for wanting to live:  for thy law is my delight.  Why do you want God’s tender mercies to come to you to spare your life?  Is it that you may have your way?  Or is it that you may do the will of God as expressed in His law?  Is the law of God your greatest delight?  Does it give you your reason for living?  Because the psalmist so delighted in the law of God, he craved the tender mercies of God to pardon his transgressions against that law and to strengthen him to keep it.  The following quote from the pen of William Cowper sums it up quite well:  “It is a great mercy of God, which not only pardons evil that is done, but strengthens us also to further good that we have not done; and this is the mercy which David here seeks.” 

As we think of the tender mercies of God by which we live, let us not forget the greatest display of God’s tender mercy in sending His only begotten Son to die for us “that we might live through him” (1John 4:9).  Tender mercies came to us in Jesus and because of this we live.

Luke 1:77  To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

78  Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us….

Psalm 119:76

In the preceding verse the psalmist acknowledged the justice and faithfulness of God in afflicting him.  Now the psalmist looks for comfort from the same Hand that smote him with affliction, for it is the same Lord that “bringeth low, and lifteth up” (1Samuel 2:7).

Psalms 119:76  Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.

When we are afflicted, comfort is one thing we most need.  Let’s remind ourselves again of what comfort is.

Comfort - Strengthening; encouragement, incitement; aid, succour, support, countenance (appearance of favour).

Unmingled affliction will drain us and bring us down.  But we can bear up under most any affliction when we are strengthened, helped, and supported.  While there are many sources of support for affliction, the support the psalmist seeks is that which only God can give, even His merciful kindness.

When we speak of God’s kindness we are speaking of His gentle and generous nature, His readiness to assist us.  But God’s kindness is a merciful kindness in that we deserve His severity.  But rather than show His wrath, God shows us His kindness.  And it is in this merciful kindness that we find comfort, that we find strength, help, and support in our afflictions.  Commenting on this verse Charles Spurgeon said:  “The words ‘merciful kindness,’ are a happy combination, and express exactly what we need in affliction:  mercy to forgive the sin, and kindness to sustain under the sorrow.”

Now the psalmist’s prayer to the Lord is to let His merciful kindness be for his comfort according to thy word unto thy servant.  Note that the psalmist seeks the comfort that is in keeping with God’s word.  He draws his comfort from his Bible.  Now consider your own experience.  How many times in your afflictions have you gone for comfort to such passages as the following?

Isaiah 41:10  Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

2 Corinthians 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Philippians 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

These verses provide encouragement to an afflicted soul as they assure him that the Lord is with him in his affliction, that the Lord will strengthen and help him through his affliction, and that He provide all his needs.  Has this not indeed been the case in past afflictions you have endured?  And, of course, there is the well-known 23^rd Psalm that assures the Lord’s people of His care, His provision, His restoring mercy, His direction, His presence, and a place in His house.  I was recently at a Catholic funeral for a woman who had died a tragic death.  In his homily the priest pointed the grieving family to the 23^rd Psalm for comfort.  Better comfort he could not have offered.  How all of these passages provide support for souls in affliction, if they will but read them, meditate upon them, and believe them!  If we ask the Lord to let His merciful kindness be for our comfort, we must not neglect the source of comfort from which the Lord lets His merciful kindness flow into our hearts.

It bears noting that the psalmist referred to himself as thy servant, singular.  Although the promises of God are addressed to His people in general, the psalmist read them as being spoken to him in particular.  What a blessing it is to take our Bible in hand as a Book given to us personally by our God, as a personal communication from Him to each of us.

But also note that this merciful kindness is for the comfort of one who is a servant of God, one who has owned the Lord as his master and the Lord's commandments as the rule of his life.  If you are not serving God, you have some changes you need to make if you are going to use a prayer like this.

Now, believer, think of afflictions you have gone through.  Consider how the Lord got you through them and in the end you were the better for having endured them.  If in affliction you learn patience, if you learn to love this world less and to look forward to heaven more, if you learn to trust God more and the creature less, all of this is a tremendous gain.  This makes you more like the Lord Jesus and gives you certain evidence of your eternal salvation.  I cite again a passage used in our previous meditation on Psalm 119:75.

1 Peter 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

In conclusion, I find it interesting that all the rest of the verses in this octave are like this verse in that they are prayers to God beginning with the word let.

I have been sick today.  Thanks be to God for His merciful kindness to me to give me strength sufficient to provide this meditation for your comfort and mine.