Ein Gedi Stream (Israel) - Psalm 27:13 - Can Stock Photo - Used under license
"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living." (Psalm 27:13)
Because God's nature is good, and God is good to us, we do not need to despair or lose heart. Even in the face of adversity and the challenges of life, God's goodness gives us hope.
This lesson discusses what David meant in Psalm 27:13 when he said that he would see "the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." "I would have despaired unless I had believed"
David begins the verse with the conditional phrase, "I would have despaired unless" (Psalm 27:13 NASB1995), or "I would have lost heart unless" (Psalm 27:13 NKJV). The most important point of the phrase is that David believed. And because he believed that he would see the goodness of the Lord, he did not despair or lose heart because of the adversities he was experiencing in his life (Psalm 27:2-3, 12).
Here, the Hebrew word for "believed" is aman (pronounced ah-MAHN). Aman means to trust and to have faith (Ref. 1). In the Hebrew culture, believing was essential to God's covenant relationship with his people. God was a reliable covenant partner. The people in response to him were to believe in him and faithfully live in accordance with his commandments (Ref. 1). In the context of Psalm 27:13, because we believe in God, we will see God's goodness. We will not despair or lose heart when troubles come. "That I would see the goodness of the Lord"
For David, believing in [trusting in] God was the key for seeing God's goodness. Here, the Hebrew word for "seeing" means to perceive, experience, and understand (Ref. 2). Because David believed in God, David experienced and understood God's goodness. Our faith in God will enable us to perceive, experience, and understand God's goodness in our lives.
God's goodness explained
God's goodness includes God's nature (who God is) and God's benevolence (what God does).
Goodness is first a description of God's essential character (Ref. 3, Ref. 4). God is good in the moral sense. There is no evil or sin in him (Psalm 92:15, James 1:13).
God's goodness also means that God is benevolent to people, that is, he blesses people.
a. First, God's goodness extends to all people.
b. Second, God's goodness extends to his people - people who revere him and love him.
"In the land of the living"
God's blessings and goodness are for the here and now and for throughout all our lifetime on earth. David was confident that he would see the goodness of the Lord "in the land of the living," as contrasted to the place of the dead. Because we believe in God, we will see God's goodness "in the land of the living" -- during our lifetime on earth. God's goodness to us blesses us and gives us hope us through the adversities and challenges of life.
Prayer. Dear God, thank you for all of your goodness that you have given to us. Thank you for blessing us and strengthening us each day so we can bless others who are going through adversity. In Jesus' name, Amen.
2 Comments
 Man praying at the cross - Mark 1:15 - Pixabay image - Used under license "Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'" (Mark 1:14-15) This article explains the meaning of Jesus' command, "Repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Consider. Have you repented of your sins and turned to God? Do you believe in God's Son, Jesus Christ? In his first public preaching message in the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus described the two requirements for entrance into God's kingdom. Jesus said we must "repent and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). 1. The word "repent" means to "change our mind" (Ref. 1). First, we are to change our mind about our sin, and turn from our sin to the ways of our heavenly Father. Repentance includes confession of our sins to God (1 John 1:9). Repentance goes beyond confession and is a commitment to change our behavior and align our life with God's will (Ref. 1). 2. Then, by faith (which is God's gift to us), we are to believe in the gospel (Ephesians 2:8, Ref. 2 - believe). The gospel is good news -- the good news of Jesus Christ, God's Son (Ref. 3 - gospel). God, at God's initiative, has given us his Son, Jesus Christ. Through the sacrificial death of Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins, we through faith in the resurrected Jesus receive forgiveness for our sins and receive God's gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9, Ref. 3). That is good news indeed. 3. Repentance from our sins and belief in Jesus Christ go together. Both are necessary (Mark 1:15). Without repentance, Jesus said we will perish (Luke 13:3). Without belief in him, Jesus said we will die in our sins (John 8:24). Apply. Turn away from your sin today. Tell God you are sorry for your sins, and ask God to help you live life that is pleasing to him and serves others. Put your trust completely in God's Son, Jesus Christ. Thank him for dying on the cross to forgive your sins. Ask Jesus to help you follow him faithfully each day.
|
Daily Bible Verse(Published on my Bluesky account) AuthorMr. Whitney V. Myers. Christian. For more information, please visit the Author Page. Posting ScheduleI plan to provide new postings about once a month. Planned Topics(subject to change) Recent Posts(most recent three months) Popular Posts(top 10) Categories
All
Archives
May 2025
|
RSS Feed
|
The ScriptureWay site provides Bible Teachings that point to Jesus. The Bible teaches that believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven.
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." -- Jesus speaking in John 14:6 
|
|
|
Copyright 2018-2025 Whitney V. Myers |