For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
The verse belongs to praise joined with a plea for victory. It stands among Psalms 107 through 119, which give blessed instruction, urge devotion, teach the permanency of God's holy law, and prophesy the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It means God's mercy is vast beyond the sky above the heavens and His truth extends to the highest heights unto the clouds.
It is fitting to God's awful rebuke of sin and His wonder-working in the church after sin was rebuked. That working includes the trial before the council, the choosing of the deacons, and Stephen's witnessing in life and word and death, followed by the scattering of the disciples to bear the truth and Philip taking Stephen's place. It includes Saul the persecutor converted to become Paul the apostle, Peter's opened eyes and heart with the Gentiles coming to the light, and James bearing witness by his death and Peter by imprisonment. It includes God hearing earnest prayer for Peter, and the mad, wicked king dying with disease manifesting inward depravity.
It is fulfilled literally when the message revealing God's love in His Son, the third angel's message, reaches mountain valleys covered with everlasting snow and ice in the uttermost parts of the world where low clouds meet the ground, as in Turkestan. It shows God treats a vile sinner infinitely better than he deserves, for instead of exposing his sins and setting them in order, Christ in wondrous kindness selects the sinner and comes to him as guest. That goodness breaks and subdues the heart so it cannot be withstood, moving the sinner to love and adore that goodness and to confess Jesus as the Christ the Son of the living God whose way is not the manner of man. It moves him to repent of past wickedness and to prove repentance by giving half his goods to the poor and repaying fourfold all taken by unjust rating and extortion.
The verse belongs to praise joined with a plea for victory. It stands among Psalms 107 through 119, which give blessed instruction, urge devotion, teach the permanency of God's holy law, and prophesy the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It means God's mercy is vast beyond the sky above the heavens and His truth extends to the highest heights unto the clouds.
It is fitting to God's awful rebuke of sin and His wonder-working in the church after sin was rebuked. That working includes the trial before the council, the choosing of the deacons, and Stephen's witnessing in life and word and death, followed by the scattering of the disciples to bear the truth and Philip taking Stephen's place. It includes Saul the persecutor converted to become Paul the apostle, Peter's opened eyes and heart with the Gentiles coming to the light, and James bearing witness by his death and Peter by imprisonment. It includes God hearing earnest prayer for Peter, and the mad, wicked king dying with disease manifesting inward depravity.
It is fulfilled literally when the message revealing God's love in His Son, the third angel's message, reaches mountain valleys covered with everlasting snow and ice in the uttermost parts of the world where low clouds meet the ground, as in Turkestan. It shows God treats a vile sinner infinitely better than he deserves, for instead of exposing his sins and setting them in order, Christ in wondrous kindness selects the sinner and comes to him as guest. That goodness breaks and subdues the heart so it cannot be withstood, moving the sinner to love and adore that goodness and to confess Jesus as the Christ the Son of the living God whose way is not the manner of man. It moves him to repent of past wickedness and to prove repentance by giving half his goods to the poor and repaying fourfold all taken by unjust rating and extortion.