How does Psalm 71:19 connect with God's faithfulness throughout the Bible? Setting the Scene of Psalm 71 - Psalm 71 is the prayer of an aging believer who looks back on a lifetime of God’s rescue. - Verse 19 stands at the center of the psalm’s praise: “Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things. O God, who is like You?” Unpacking Psalm 71:19 - “Your righteousness … reaches to the heavens” • God’s moral perfection is limitless; nothing confines it. - “You who have done great things” • The psalmist recalls concrete acts—deliverance from enemies, sustaining grace from youth (vv. 6, 20-21). - “O God, who is like You?” • A rhetorical celebration of God’s absolute uniqueness and matchless faithfulness. Faithfulness Anchored in God’s Character - Righteousness and faithfulness are inseparable. Because God is perfectly righteous, He cannot fail to keep His word. - Exodus 34:6: “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.” - Psalm 36:5: “Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds.” • Psalm 71:19 echoes this same upward, boundless imagery. Echoes Through the Old Testament • Covenant with Abraham – Genesis 15: God swears by Himself, guaranteeing the promise. • Deliverance from Egypt – Exodus 14:13-31: mighty acts that prove “great things” for His people. • Wilderness provision – Deuteronomy 7:9: “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations.” • Preservation of David’s line – 2 Samuel 7:16: God promises an everlasting kingdom, showcasing unwavering fidelity. • Restoration from exile – Lamentations 3:22-23: “Because of the LORD’s loving devotion we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Fulfillment in Christ - Luke 1:49-55: Mary applies Psalm 71 language to the incarnation: “He who is mighty has done great things for me.” - 2 Corinthians 1:20: “For all the promises of God are ‘Yes’ in Christ.” - Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” • Christ embodies both the righteousness that “reaches to the heavens” and the “great things” God has done. Living Response Today - Remember past deliverances; rehearse God’s “great things” in your own life. - Anchor hope in God’s unchanging nature, not shifting circumstances. - Speak of His faithfulness to the next generation (Psalm 71:18), confident that the God who was faithful to Abraham, Moses, David, and Paul remains faithful now. |
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