“Remember, LORD, your compassion and your faithful love, for they have existed from antiquity. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my acts of rebellion; in keeping with your faithful love, remember me because of your goodness, LORD” 25:6-7
One of the words we have been following closely this year is faithfulness, and many times in the Psalms David declares God’s love to be “faithful.” In Psalm 26 he says that God’s faithful love guides him and God demonstrates that faithful love in all His ways. In the text I quoted above, David says God’s faithful love has existed from the beginning. I am not sure where we get the false notion that the God of the Old Testament is a God of Judgment, but the God of the New Testament is a God of love. God never changes, He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
True, we do see the judgment of God on the sins of man throughout the Old Testament, but you also see that judgment in the New Testament. The primary way we see that demonstrated is at the cross. The Son of God who knew no sin, became sin for us and suffered and died because of the judgment (and justice) of God. Yet in that same cross, we see the love of God demonstrated for all of us who deserved to die for our sins but yet have found grace in the sacrifice of Christ. The love of God is also vividly displayed in the Old Testament as well. We see His mercy and His grace over and over again. David tells us that His compassion and faithful love has been there since the beginning. David remembers the sins of his youth and his “acts of rebellion” and pleads with the merciful God to demonstrate His faithful love despite the things he has done. God is a God of love and justice; He always has been and He always will be. Thank Him for the cross which allows us to experience His faithful love despite our past.
