Read: Psalm 103:1-18
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him. (v. 17)
This is one of those great Bible pivot verses, verses that swing on the word but from darkness to light, from death to life. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). “And you were dead in . . . trespasses and sins . . . . But God . . . made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:1-5).
The psalmist has just been meditating on the melancholy fact of human mortality. “As for man, his days are like grass” (Ps. 103:15). All too true. “But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him” (v. 17). And if God’s steadfast love is forever, then so are we. After all, he’s steadfast toward his people! “He is not God of the dead, but of the living,” as Jesus noted (Matt. 22:32).
God’s steadfast love, mercy, forgiveness, compassion—it’s all free, it’s all for everybody . . . potentially. Note that this is the third time the 103rd Psalm has used the qualifying phrase those who fear him. Our response to God’s blessings matters. Something is required of us. That something is what the Old Testament calls the fear of the Lord. It’s a total response, combining love and awe, humility and wonder, gratitude and obedience. “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him” (Ps. 25:14).
As you pray, ask God to help you respond to him with the fear of the Lord (Ps. 34:9).
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, including God of My Days,Why Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
