THANK GOD LIKE DAVID!
by Eusebio A. Tanicala, Ph.D.
How did King David express his appreciation about the grace and goodness of our Almighty God Yahweh, and how should we show our gratitude for the same grace and goodness today?
Answer – I find many instances in the Book of Psalms where King David expressed great awe at the grant of grace and mercy upon himself and upon humanity. Let us start off with Psalm 8:4-6 which is echoed in Hebrews 2:6-8. Knowing how to value the grace and mercy of God in our lives today will improve how we value our relationship with our Almighty God. Please join me in making a journey on the life of King David.
Hebrews 2:5-6, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.”
In the vastness of space, we liken our home, earth, to a single grain of sand at the beach. One individual is a tiny speck among the billions of humans alive today. But our Almighty God cares for every single person. And our Lord Jesus Christ says that one soul is more valuable compared to the whole material wealth of the earth taken and quantified together.
Unfortunately, our first parents, Adam, and Eve, were deceived by the Devil and fell from the grace of God and were driven out from the Garden of Eden, where they enjoyed the fellowship of the Creator God. Prior to the fall of humankind, angels under the leadership of one called Lucifer mounted a rebellion. They left their assigned abode and were immediately judged. Please read Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-19; 2 Peter 2:4-6; Jude 6. Angels were condemned. In comparison, the very day that Adam and Eve committed sin, God already revealed a plan for redemption in Genesis 3:15 – the coming of the seed of woman, which refers to the coming of the Messiah. Apostle Paul says in Galatians 4:4 that Christ was born of a woman. The Second Person in the Triune Godhead became flesh, says John 1:14. The fallen angels did not have a second chance to regain fellowship with the Almighty God. But fallen mankind has a special consideration – a plan of salvation, a reconciliation with God Almighty through Christ Jesus.
Titus 2:11-13, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
God started the plan of salvation for humans based on love and mercy. The deity directly took part in this rescue of fallen humanity. Christ, who is deity, took the nature of flesh like we are. Mankind, including you and me, starting with Adam and Eve, became sinners. Christ, the Man bore the penalty of sin at the cross in Calvary. He is the Lamb of God that was offered for our sins. He invites every single individual to appropriate the merits of His sacrifice at the cross by faith, a faith that humbly and lovingly obeys and submits to the will of Christ the Redeemer. Christ says in John 14:15, 23, 24, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. x x x If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but my Father who sent me.”
Constant meditation upon the journey of Christ from heaven to earth and His ministry, his suffering many insults, having been rejected by the chosen nation of Israel, the penalty of sin, the pain he carried on the cross should make us humble. With humility, we should kneel before Christ Jesus and express our gratitude for paying the penalty of our sins. We should submit to His sovereignty, His rule over our lives, and be willing to love Him and obey His commandments.