◄ What Does Psalm 36:5 Mean? ►

Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Psalm 36:5(NASB)

Verse of the Day

In Psalm 36 David bemoans men's wickedness before contrasting it with the loving-kindness and great goodness of God. He laments that there is no respect or reverence toward the Lord in the eyes of fallen man, whose heart is filled with deceit and who boasts in his own wickedness. David grieves that sinful man has ceased to be wise and good. Rather, he devises wicked plans, sets his face against that which is good, and does not abhor evil.

The sad bitterness, revengeful thoughts, arrogant attitude, and angry unforgiveness of the ungodly, that so often floods the minds of sinful man, stands in stark contrast with the overflowing loving-kindness, compassionate-mercy, and unmerited gracious-pardon that streamed from the veins of the Lord Jesus, when He stretched out His arms of love to embrace whosoever will.

David exposes the unbridgeable gulf between man's wickedness, which is voiced in the first few verses of this psalm, and God's unsurpassed goodness, recorded in the second section which begins, "Your lovingkindness and great mercy O LORD, extends to the heavens. Your faithfulness and unfailing love, reaches to the skies".

There are no greater heights that man can imagine than the vast heavens above. And so David uses the vast expanse of the unreachable skies in the firmament above in his attempt to articulate the glories of the Lord and wonders of His holy name. The great canopy of the celestial heavens and the vast sweep of the skies above is the greatest element that David can use when contrasting the unsurpassed righteousness of God with the wickedness of evil men.

What comfort, rest, and reassurance wash the hearts and minds of believers when reflecting on the overwhelming love of God and the depth and height and length and breadth to which His grace extends. "How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!" the Psalmist declares, "the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings".

While David would no doubt be reflecting on the greatness of the God of Israel, who brought His people out of Egypt, carried them on eagles wings, through the desert, and brought them into a large and well-watered land, the sentiments that he is expressing are equally true for all who have trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sin. "Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens," is something we can equally proclaim. God's mercy and loving-kindness, does indeed extend to the skies. His faithfulness does indeed stretch in the heavens.

His mercy dwarfs the mightiest mountains, for it reaches into the highest heavens. His love plunges beyond the bottomless depths of the deepest oceans, and His loving-faithfulness, righteousness, and justice plummet to the very depths of our understanding and extend into the farthest reaches of our limited grasp.

This knowledge of God is not for the unregenerate, for the wisdom of God is foolishness to them. Indeed, God's foolishness is wiser than man's wisdom, and His weakness is stronger than man's combined strength. But such understanding is sweetness and strength to the sanctified soul, for true knowledge of the Holy-One is spiritually discerned.

The knowledge that comes from the Lord quickens our heart, comforts our soul, informs our thoughts, and translates into joy and peace. May we lift our hearts with the psalmist morning by morning and every moment of our transient lives, by raising our voices in joyful thanks and praise, for God's loyal love reaches to the sky, His faithfulness extends beyond the clouds, and His saving grace spans the eternal ages to come.

My Prayer

When I reflect on Who You are my Lord and God, it gives me a peep into the magnificence of Your person, Your will and Your character. Thank You, for the many reassurances that You give my fainting soul, in these precious promises about Your nature and character. Thank You for expressing Your love, faithfulness, might and justice in the Person of the Lord Jesus. Thank You for sending Him to die on the cross and to rise into newness of life, so that I may be brought into fellowship with Yourself. May I be bold in sharing the truth of Your magnificence with all You put in my path today. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.