“The CONDESCENSION of GOD”

“…thy gentleness hath made me great”
IISAMUEL 22:36

Such words of thankfulness reveal a heart that understands the unmerited favor and mercy of God. Whatever may be the measure to which we know Him there will be a corresponding knowing of ourselves. No man can see God without seeing himself. It is in the seeing of Him that we understand our absolute need for His Grace and Mercy to cover and hold us. Isaiah in the Old Testament had the same response as John the Apostle in the Book of Revelation…

“In the year that king Uzziah died
I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up…
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone…”
ISAIAH 6:1 – 5

“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead…”
REVELATION 1:17

We see here that the GREATNESS and GLORY of God is the humbler of men; we also see that by the gentleness and condescension of God man is lifted up! How good and unsearchable are His ways and the beauty of His wisdom past understanding.

The phrase “…thy gentleness hath made me great” would be best translated “Thy condescension has made me abundantly fruitful”.

“I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly”
JOHN 10:10

Notice here the tense used in this verse “I am come”; not has, or will come, for His coming is always present tense. He is here now to meet with us in such intimacy and grace; the God of all Glory here to speak with us and to commune with us. If we only knew the full depth of His heart for us we would be left speechless. No wonder the author of Hebrews cries out…

“What is man that You are mindful of him,
Or the son of man that You take care of him?”
HEBREWS 2:6

May the Lord have mercy upon us that we might reconsider the gift of His salvation, the adornments of His righteousness and the abundance of gifts and ministrations that He has so richly bestowed upon us. Let us turn again unto Him in meekness and humility to worship and glorify His Name in the earth.

Ω

“When all thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I’m lost
In wonder, love, and praise”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719)

Brian Troxel