August 25 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 89:1-14

¹I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
²For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
³I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
⁴Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
⁵And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
⁶For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
⁷God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
⁸O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
⁹Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
¹⁰Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
¹¹The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
¹²The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
¹³Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
¹⁴Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

Devotional

It seems that in our day people like to be told that God is a merciful God, a loving Father, even the Father of us all; but they do not like to think of God as a just God, who ex­ecutes justice and judgment; yea, vengeance upon the wicked. Of course, God is merciful, but He is likewise just. He is the Judge of all the earth. He does not "slay the righteous with the wicked." "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" "Is God unrighteous, who taketh vengeance? . . . God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?" His throne is founded on justice and judgment. That is why it shall stand for ever. Even our salvation is founded upon justice. We are saved by grace; yes, but God could not have shown us his grace, if his justice had not been satisfed. "Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness."

Christ satisfied the justice of God. Justice is apparent in God's forgiveness of sin. God is also just in all his dealings with men, also when He sends afflictions upon his children. Peter says, "The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God." God never perverts judgment nor justice. "A king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." What a comfort! May God hasten the day when this shall be fully realized.

Prayer

O righteous God, justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne. Thou hast revealed Thy righteousness in the sight of the nations. Thou art righteous in all Thy ways and holy in all Thy works. We thank Thee that we know that Thou art righteous also when Thou showest mercy. Thou hast redeemed Thy people with righteousness. If we confess our sins, Thou art faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We thank Thee, O God, for Thy mercy founded on righteousness. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Gen. 18:25; Rom. 3:5, 6; Isa. 1:27; 1 Pet. 4:17; Job. 8:3; Jer. 23:5.

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