A Word about the Distinction that Makes a Difference

 

Today I want to share a word about the distinction that makes a difference, as I comment on Psalm 36:5-10.

This Scripture reads: 

Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

The Distinction that Makes a Difference:

Human have many different ways of saying the same thing. For example:

“Six of one and half a dozen of another.”

“Lead, guide, and direct . . .”

“Working mother”

“Am I right, or am I right?”

“A nod is as good as a wink”

“Two sides of the same coin”

“Its the same difference”

We call these types of comments, “distinctions without a difference.” In Psalm 36, the Psalmist, however, was making a clear distinction between the wicked, whom he described in verses 1-4, and God, whom He exalts in verses 5-10. The qualities of God that the Psalmist made his focus are still active on our lives today.

The Extent of the Difference:

It is easy to see that the Psalmist is trying to describe a God whose difference from frail, fragile, and fault-filled humanity is unlimited. It is as high as the sky and as deep as the bottom of the ocean. It is as rugged and imposing as mountains, and it includes all creatures. God is just . . . different! Greater! Higher! Better!

People struggle with getting the right balance in our relationship to God. For some of us, God is our best friend and we expect Him to be as understanding of our failures as a close friend. For others, God is an awe-inspiring terror who is all-righteous, almighty, and all controlling. The truth is He is both and neither at the same time.

God is just so great and mighty and so far above us our words fail us when we try to describe Him. The Psalmist did well in this passage, but even he could not do God justice. One point is driven home however. God is different! Wow, is He different!

The Quality of the Difference:

As we stand in awe of God and how different He is from us, we would have every right to be afraid. Humans often shy away from something with which they are not familiar or which they do not understand. The blessing for us, then, is that difference we find in God is not just overwhelmingly huge, it also has the quality of love.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 that greatness without love is useless:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

The good news for us is that, like John told us, “God is Love.” The Psalmist expressed that love in a number of vibrant word pictures that showed us the quality of love God has for His people. His love is as great as the difference is between Himself and humanity. As Paul also said, God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” What an encouraging thought in difficult times!

The Endurance of the Difference:

The Psalmist concluded this passage by making the point that, not only is the difference great, and not only is the difference a blessing, the difference is also continuous. God will continue to love His people with a great and mighty, life altering love.

I have always preached with notes, and in recent years I have begun to take a tablet into the pulpit instead of paper notes. I always have a tablet with me, so there is no need to print notes which will be discarded after the sermon is preached. The one thing I have to remember to do, however, is to make sure the screen of my tablet doesn’t shut itself off in the middle of a sermon. I need my tablet screen to  display my notes continually during a sermon. Otherwise, I may lose my place and it can get ugly.

It is a good thing for us that God’s love never switches itself off and neither does it have an expiration date. The Psalmist knew this, and he encouraged God’s people to trust Him and rely upon Him for He is trustworthy. Today we can claim the promise that Jesus gave the Disciples, “Lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” God is with us for the long haul and we can rest in Him!

Conclusion:

The Psalmist fell over himself trying to describe how God is different than wicked humanity. He did well, but because he, too, is human, his words fall short of God’s true glory. 

As great and wonderful as the Psalmist said God is, the amazing thing is that God is even greater. What that means for us is that God is willing, able, and qualified to bless us beyond measure, and He will never stop loving us. 

Thank God today for His love and care in our lives. Learn to rest in Him and receive His glorious blessings!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt