In Spite of His Wonders, They Did Not Believe–Psalm 32:39
32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
in spite of His wonders, they did not believe.
33 So He ended their days in futility
and their years in terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek Him;
they eagerly turned to Him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock,
that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36 But then they would flatter Him with their mouths,
lying to Him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal to Him,
they were not faithful to His covenant.
38 Yet He was merciful;
He forgave their iniquities
and did not destroy them.
Time after time He restrained His anger
and did not stir up His full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return.
Psalm 32 beautifully describes the great mercy, grace and patience God has (and has had) with mankind since the beginning. While our Lord continuously offers us everything good, all we could ever imagine, human beings are still inclined to seek their own will, their own wants, their own desires, their own way – often leaving them empty, defeated, and at risk in the end – falling short of the incredible life (and salvation) they could have obtained through God’s saving grace. Instead of washing His hands of us for our ungrateful, arrogant and rebellious ways however, Our Lord is divinely compassionate, merciful and loving – continuously chasing us down with His love and forgiveness. Time after time, year after year, He restrains His anger – not stirring up the full wrath of His power (v 38).
More than anything else, God wants a relationship with you here and now, and He wants you in Heaven in the end. Just as with the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15:11-32), no matter how far you may have strayed, He will always welcome you back with open, loving, and celebratory arms. What an incredible God we serve! His unfathomable and undeterred love for us should be the motivation behind our repentant hearts. The motivation behind our loyalty and obedience to following His will, commands and precepts. The best part of it? It’s all for our benefit! Everything God commands of us is for our good – for us to experience Heaven on earth and an eternal paradise with Him. Praise God!
[Read and meditate on this psalm today. How does it speak to your Spirit about Who God is? Let us know in the comment section below.]
Wow! This is full of wisdom and thought-provoking insights to meditate on. The disciples were with Jesus for three years, yet they doubted at his arrest and crucifixion. The Pharisees knew Scripture, yet didn’t recognize the Messiah when he was in their midst.
Jesus never did a miracle to benefit himself. God provides for believers and atheists alike. Jesus showed us the character of God, a God who redeemed and restored (woman caught in the act of adultery) others. Thank you for this piece. Sorry for my rambling response!
God delays acting or helping for his own reasons. In relation to those who profess to be Christian yet barely crack open the Bible, to these unfaithful it would seem God is asleep.