Psalm 33:5 He loves righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. 1. The goodness of God is seen in the productiveness of Nature. It is so natural to see the bread on the table, that we do not think of the subtle agencies at work in the production of the corn; how light and heat, rain and dew, and the fruitful qualities of the soil, all helped on the final result. The hard rock has been pulverized, and mixed with the dead matter of former living things, to make a fruitful soil. The sea has given of its moisture, and the sun has drawn the vapour into the upper air. The atmosphere has balanced the pregnant clouds, winds have wafted them to thirsty lands, mountains and hills have condensed them into rain. The sun also has poured down a daily stream of warmth and light, and the evening has witnessed the gentle distilling of the dew. 2. Man himself is not more wonderfully made than is the earth adapted to be his dwelling-place. He can live almost anywhere, for go where he will, he nearly always finds Nature producing the wherewithal to supply his wants. And in this abundant provision God's goodness is shown, just as a parent's goodness is shown towards his child in his anxiety to meet his child's wants. It shows how provident and thoughtful, on our behalf, God has been. 3. God's goodness is manifest, also, in the beauty of natural things. He has made the world fair enough to be the dwelling-place of angels. 4. We see God's goodness manifested in the structure of human society. Man is compelled by the necessities of his nature to associate with his fellows. God has ordained it because in this way only could the highest joy possible to man be reached. He has made the law which governs His own life, to be the law which governs ours. Love is the law of God's life — to live for others that He may bless them — and it is when this law is well and cheerfully observed that man's life is most peaceful, most blessed, most akin to the life of God. 5. We behold the goodness of the Lord again in the sanctities of religion. He made our hearts capable of fellowship with His Spirit and has drawn near, so that we might receive helpful inspirations from His love. He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, that men may feel His tenderness and be won by His grace; and, by the Incarnation of the Son of God, He has lifted our nature immeasurably nearer His own. (Joseph Bainton.) Parallel Verses KJV: He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.WEB: He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the loving kindness of Yahweh. |
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