The Word Says:
“Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.”
“Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.”
Verse Thoughts:
There are two things that David wants God to “remember” in these verses: God’s character, and David himself. The one thing David asks God to “remember not” is his sin. Let’s look at each of these separately before drawing our conclusion.
First, David asks God to remember “thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses.” These two attributes are “from of old.” A better translation might be “from eternity.” God’s mercy and love are eternal attributes. Sometimes, when we are going through trials or difficult times of life, we begin to feel as if God doesn’t care about us. When David’s soul cries out for God to remember His steadfast love and mercy, he is really reminding himself of these eternal attributes of God. No matter how dark the trial may seem, God has always been merciful and loving, and He will always be merciful and loving!
Second, David asks God to “remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions.” It is this phrase that has led scholars to believe that David wrote this Psalm in his older age, it would be strange for a youth to talk about his youth in the past tense. Apparently, some of his previous sins still weigh heavily on his heart. As sin often does, it has come back to David’s memory, and he is ashamed of his past.
The good news, that David would likely hear many years later, is that Jesus Christ has died in our place, and forgiven us of our sin! God has separated our sin as far from us as the east is from the west, and He remembers it no more. We may be ashamed of our past, but God has already covered it in forgiveness! Why has He done this? Because of His eternal mercy and steadfast love!
Finally, David asks God to “remember me.” God will not remember our sin, because He has completely forgiven us, but will He remember us personally? Of course He will! When the day is darkest, it feels like God has forsaken us, so our plea is for Him to remember us. But, once the sun has risen on our darkness, we can see that He has never left us in the first place. He was there all along!
Why would God remember me and not remember my sin? “For the sake of Your goodness, O Lord!” God’s nature is glorified in our salvation! He loves you and has saved you, not because there was something so special about you, but because there is something special about Him. Only a truly great God could love and forgive sinners like us.
Let us praise Him for all that He is!