The Pity of the Lord
by William Nevins
“As a father pities his children, so Yahweh pities those who fear Him.” - Psalm 103:13
I find myself asking, not merely in admiration but with some degree of unbelief, "Can it be that the Lord pities us, and pities us like a father his children? I know the Lord is good to all. How can He who is love be other than benevolent? But pity expresses more than goodness, more than benevolence. There can be a sober self-control in mere goodness; but in pity, the heart melts and the eye weeps. And this is especially true of a parent's pity. Can it be possible that God pities after that manner?
Oh yes, it is possible; and it has passed beyond the limits of possibilities into the circle of facts. The Lord pities them that fear him. He pities you, if you fear him, as a father pities his child. His feelings toward you fully measure up to the those of the most tender parent. That nature, which is love, feels and exercises compassion toward you in your sorrows and trials. That great heart is affected by your misery and griefs, as our hearts are when we see suffering. Yes, Christian, God feels for you. Oh, what a thought is this for an hour of trial, and what a conviction to embrace when suffering!
It is not said that God pities as man pities man, or as one pities children, or even as a parent pities children, but as a father pities his children. "Like as a father"--like one who most affectionately watches over his own child when that child is sick; watches over him day and night with a weeping eye; hears his moans and appeals for relief. So the Lord pities. Then let necessity come, sickness come, sorrow come, if such pity may come with it! The relief exceeds the suffering. The support is greater than the burden.
But does a father pity so as never to chastise? Oh, no. "What son is he whom his father chastens not?" The father chastens out of pity, but he so pities that he is infinitely far from taking delight in the smallest sufferings of his children, even when it becomes his duty to inflict it for their good. In all their affliction he is afflicted, and more afflicted than they. Is this the state of your heart towards your children? So too with God. "He does not afflict willingly."
Again, a father so pities his child that he would spare or relieve him if he could--that is, if he had the power; and if having the power, if it were proper he should exercise it. A parent sometimes has the power to relieve yet does not exert it. The principle of benevolence, which proposes the greatest good for the longest period, forbids him to yield to the impulse of rendering immediate relief. He pities his child too much to relieve him. So the Lord pities. But He always has the power to relieve, and often exerts it; and He always would, if it were proper and benevolent in view of all the circumstances. He who spared not his own Son for you would spare you every sorrow and pain, but "whom the Lord loves, he chastens."
A father so pities his children that he would, if he could, even suffer in their stead. More than one father has said, "Would God I had died for you, my son, my son." And is the pity of the Lord just like a father's in this particular too? Yes. He could suffer in the stead of those he pitied; and He did. "Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows." He has even died for us. Oh, what pity!
A father so pities his children that he would spare no pains or expense to promote their comfort and happiness. How freely the most tight-fisted parent will spend his money if the necessities of his child requires it. The needs and sorrows of his child can open up even his heart. Such is the pity of the Lord. He spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all. Having one Son, his only-begotten, He gave even him for us.
Oh reader, derive inexpressible consolation from these considerations. In all your sorrows, God pities you. Yes, your God feels for you. Your sufferings go to his heart. He knows your frame. He remembers that you are dust. He can be touched with the feeling of all your infirmities. You may cast all your cares upon him, for he cares for you. All through this vale of tears you may be assured of his sympathy, and when the vale of tears declines into the valley of the shadow of death, you will have not only his sympathy but his inspiriting presence and timely help. And after that, what will not his bounty be, whose pity has been so great! When there is no longer any occasion for pity, when misery is no more and sighing has ceased, and when God's hand has wiped away your tear for the last time, what then will be the riches of his bountifulness!
