13 C.M. J. Hart
The Everlasting Mercy of God. Ps. 136; 100. 5
1 God’s mercy is for ever sure;
Eternal is his name;
As long as life and speech endure,
My tongue this truth proclaim.
2 I basely sinned against his love,
And yet my God was good;
His favour nothing could remove,
For I was bought with blood.
3 [That precious blood atones all sin,
And fully clears from guilt;
It makes the foulest sinner clean,
For ’twas for sinners spilt.]
4 He raised me from the lowest state,
When hell was my desert;
I broke his law, and, worse than that,
Alas! I broke his heart!
5 My soul, thou hast, let what will ail,
A never-changing Friend;
When brethren, friends, and helpers fail,
On him alone depend.
"His favour nothing could remove, For I was bought with blood." God has no interest in spurning acceptable blood sacrifices made to Him, namely, the sacrifice of the Son.
Sin is never merely a legal violation, it is personal. God is grieved by our sin (Eph. 4:30).
If you ever doubt God's mercy to you, consider reading Psalm 136. You will probably notice the excessive repetition (was that redundant?) in the psalm. The psalmist is not an insane poet, but he is an intentional broken record. But the record really isn't broken. The record rings with repetition, it echos the chorus that "His steadfast love endures forever" with seemingly endless repetition.
Stanza five - your friends will fail you. As a young adult who has grown up in a culture somewhat obsessed with the idea and often idol of "best friends", it would behoove all of us to know that our friends will fail us. But there is a Friend who will never fail us. Ever. So, as the hymn says, "On him alone depend." And as the psalm says, "Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever" (Ps. 136:26). More than that, give thanks forever (1 Thess. 5:18).
The Everlasting Mercy of God. Ps. 136; 100. 5
1 God’s mercy is for ever sure;
Eternal is his name;
As long as life and speech endure,
My tongue this truth proclaim.
2 I basely sinned against his love,
And yet my God was good;
His favour nothing could remove,
For I was bought with blood.
3 [That precious blood atones all sin,
And fully clears from guilt;
It makes the foulest sinner clean,
For ’twas for sinners spilt.]
4 He raised me from the lowest state,
When hell was my desert;
I broke his law, and, worse than that,
Alas! I broke his heart!
5 My soul, thou hast, let what will ail,
A never-changing Friend;
When brethren, friends, and helpers fail,
On him alone depend.
"His favour nothing could remove, For I was bought with blood." God has no interest in spurning acceptable blood sacrifices made to Him, namely, the sacrifice of the Son.
Sin is never merely a legal violation, it is personal. God is grieved by our sin (Eph. 4:30).
If you ever doubt God's mercy to you, consider reading Psalm 136. You will probably notice the excessive repetition (was that redundant?) in the psalm. The psalmist is not an insane poet, but he is an intentional broken record. But the record really isn't broken. The record rings with repetition, it echos the chorus that "His steadfast love endures forever" with seemingly endless repetition.
Stanza five - your friends will fail you. As a young adult who has grown up in a culture somewhat obsessed with the idea and often idol of "best friends", it would behoove all of us to know that our friends will fail us. But there is a Friend who will never fail us. Ever. So, as the hymn says, "On him alone depend." And as the psalm says, "Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever" (Ps. 136:26). More than that, give thanks forever (1 Thess. 5:18).
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