How does Psalm 119:156 connect with God's mercy in Lamentations 3:22-23? Setting the Text in Front of Us Psalm 119:156: “Great are Your mercies, O LORD; revive me according to Your judgments.” Lamentations 3:22-23: “Because of the LORD’s loving devotion we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!” Shared Vocabulary, Shared Heart • Both passages use the same Hebrew root רַחֲמִים (rachamim) for “mercies/compassions,” stressing tender affection rather than abstract kindness. • The adjective “great” (רַב, rav) appears in each, underscoring not just quantity but magnitude. • In both texts the mercies belong to “Yahweh,” anchoring them in His covenant name and character (Exodus 34:6-7). Mercy That Preserves vs. Mercy That Revives • Lamentations 3 highlights preservation: God’s mercies keep His people from being “consumed” amid judgment on Jerusalem. • Psalm 119 emphasizes revival: the psalmist, weary from affliction (vv.150-157), appeals to the same mercies for renewed life. • Together they reveal mercy as both shield (preventing total ruin) and breath (restoring vitality). Covenant Faithfulness on Display • Lamentations 3 links compassion to “faithfulness,” echoing Deuteronomy 7:9—God keeps covenant love to a thousand generations. • Psalm 119 ties compassion to “judgments” or “rulings,” affirming that every decree God makes—even disciplinary ones—is merciful in purpose (cf. Hebrews 12:5-6). • Thus mercy and truth meet (Psalm 85:10); God is consistent whether He is restraining wrath or reviving life. Hope in the Darkest Moments • Jeremiah writes Lamentations from a ruined city; the mercy he sees is “new every morning,” like dawn after a night of sorrow. • The psalmist prays while enemies close in (v.150); he counts on mercy already proven “great.” • Both teach that the darkest circumstances cannot nullify the steady outflow of God’s compassion (Romans 8:38-39). Additional Echoes in Scripture • Exodus 34:6-7—God proclaims Himself “abounding in loving devotion and truth.” • Nehemiah 9:17—“You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate… and You did not forsake them.” • Ephesians 2:4-5—“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ…” • 1 Peter 1:3—“In His great mercy He has given us new birth…” Living Out the Connection • Begin every day conscious that you awake sustained—not by chance, but by mercies “new every morning.” • When spiritual fatigue sets in, echo Psalm 119:156: “Revive me according to Your judgments,” confident the same mercies that spared you will refresh you. • Let God’s unchanging compassion shape your view of His commands; obedience is not bondage but life-giving (Psalm 19:7-10). • Share mercy freely with others (Luke 6:36), becoming a living testimony of the great compassions proclaimed in both passages. Conclusion in a Sentence The “great mercies” that preserve God’s people from being consumed in Lamentations 3 are the very same “great mercies” that revive the weary heart in Psalm 119, proving that God’s compassion is both continual and life-restoring—from morning’s first light to the deepest midnight cry. |
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