Psalm 36:7-9

"How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light."

How excellent, how precious, is the lovingkindness of God. God’s lovingkindness is one of the wonderful truths of His Word. It is a wonderful fact of His person. Indeed, how excellent is this lovingkindness of His. To really understand this we must consider that He made mankind in His image. Because of this there is much about us that is like Him. But, through Adam we all are sinners. We rebelled. We turned our backs against His laws. In Adam, we spurned God’s commands. We are rebels against God. With this as a background, to think that we are beneficiaries of His lovingkindness is beyond believing. This is what makes it so precious, so excellent. His lovingkindness is undeserved! But it is nonetheless precious, excellent, and we are the ones that are blessed.

David goes on, "... therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings." God’s excellent lovingkindness can be fully trusted. He is absolutely trustworthy and all of His characteristics are limitless. In Matthew 23:37, Jesus said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" God desires to have us under His wings. They are spread wide. Sadly, most of mankind holds Him at arms length. They would rather not come to Him for the mercy and lovingkindness that He offers.

Then David says, "They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house ..." The children of men who have come to trust under His wings will be satisfied in this place, this place of His lovingkindness. It is the place of His blessings, this house of fatness. To be blessed of God is to be blessed indeed. When He bestows blessings He does so abundantly. He is not stingy and when He bestows blessings it is satisfying. And not just satisfying, but abundantly satisfying. It is to be filled, to be satiated. In Luke 6:38 Jesus said, "... Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." When Jesus talks about blessing abundantly He makes it clear that it will be abundant.

In the house of His fatness "... thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures." The ones who trust under His wings will He make to drink of these rivers of pleasures. Hebrews reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please God. But those who trust Him will be blessed beyond their wildest imaginations. In fact, scriptures tell us that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the thoughts of man the things that God has prepared for those that love Him. The word pleasures could also be translated luxury, dainty, delight, or finery. Imagine what delights, what fineries, the LORD God Almighty can provide to His children, the ones who trust under the shadow of His wings. We cannot imagine it! The most wonderful thought we can have will prove to be dull and unimaginative in the light of His glorious provision.

"For with thee is the fountain of life ..." God is the fountain of life. He is the source of life, to use another word. This was true from the very beginning. God said, "let us make man in our image." So He formed Adam out of the dust of the ground. And from a rib He made Eve. So, in this sense He is the source of live. The source of physical life. Then, through Jesus Christ He promises us eternal life. Through Adam’s disobedience all of mankind is born spiritually dead. Through Jesus Christ, we can be made spiritually alive. It was His plan from before the foundation of the earth to send His Son. Through this plan Jesus paid the price for all sin from the disobedience of Adam to this very day and unto the end of all sin. So, He is also the source of spiritual life. Proverbs 14:27 tells us, "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." He is the source of life!

"... in thy light shall we see light." In 1 John 1:5 we read, "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." Jesus told Nicodemus that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. But God is light. He is hidden in light. And when we catch a glimpse of His light we are seeing unlike we have ever seen before. Jesus was transformed before three of His disciples, and His clothes became exceedingly white, above the brightness of the sun. Speaking of Jesus in John 1:4, 5, John writes, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." The light of the LORD Jesus Christ is beyond the darkness around us. The darkness cannot overcome His light. As recorded in John 8:12, "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Notice how this passage and the one in John 1 relate life and light. In His light we shall see light, we shall have life!

How excellent is God’s lovingkindness! His lovingkindness to us should bring forth gratitude to Him. Psalm 63:3, says, "Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee." Indeed, praise God for everything, but particularly for Who He is, and His mighty acts. Jeremiah 9;23, 24 says, "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD."

When trouble, like a gloomy cloud,
Has gathered thick and thundered loud,
He near my soul has always stood -
His lovingkindness, O how good!
Lovingkindness, lovingkindness,
His lovingkindness, O how good!

HJK