Fourth- The Lord crowns you with two crowns- His loving kindness and His tender mercies.

 

“Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” Psalm 103:4 (b).
Loving kindness means tender and benevolent affection. The Hebrew word ‘chesed’ or ‘hesed’ is difficult to translate into English because there is no word equivalent in English. The writers used ‘chesed’ for loving-kindness, mercy, steadfast love and loyal love. Even with all these the full meaning of the Hebrew word cannot really be conveyed.
This is the wonder of God’s unfailing love for the people He chose in Christ even before the foundation of the world. Refer Ephesians 1:4.
The crown of loving kindness on the head assures God’s continuous love and kindness by which He will not let His people go. Remember the parable Jesus said, the prodigal son’s waywardness could not destroy his father’s compassion and loving kindness. It is loyal love, unending, unfailing and unchanging love of God.

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Two amazing and wonderful crowns on your head.

Our passage above says the Lord crowns you with His loving kindness. You being the child of God, He crowns you (heaps up) loving kindness every day of your life.
In addition, our passage says there is another crown He crowns you with and that is His ‘tender mercies’. Mercy is compassion or kindness shown toward an offender. Mercy itself is being soft or delicate toward some one who did wrong. Now tender means soft or delicate, not hard or tough. The tender mercy means so soft, delicate and compassionate is the Lord’s mercy toward an offender when he or she becomes a child of God by faith in Him. We offended God in our sinful nature and actions. But when you come to Christ and call upon Him, God, in turn, crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies. God adorns you with Christ’s righteousness and goodness. Can you imagine how graciously, lovingly, kindly, compassionately God deals with you? Child of God, He crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies.

Not tender justice but tender mercies.

God, in and through the Savior’s (Christ’s) payment for your sins on the cross of Calvary not only forgives your sins, heals your diseases, redeems you from pit and destruction, but He also places two crowns on your head – God’s loving kindness and God’s tender mercies. Did you notice it didn’t say ‘tender justice’? Why? Because Justice is not tender.
Tender mercies mean God has compassion on you like a father has compassion on his children. Psalm 103:13, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him”. The Lord knows what you are going through and He meets you where we are. Christ says to you: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” 1 Corinthians 12:9. He says His grace, loving kindness, and tender mercies are enough for you to face daily challenges. Do you think you are not able to do certain things that God is asking you to do? Is God is asking you do something that works against your strength? What this means is this, His strength is working in and through you and that will make you sufficient for the task he calls you for- He will provide his loving kindness, tender mercies and grace day by day.
Think when the Lord adorns you with His loving kindness and tender mercies what a blessed person you would become?

God is on your side.

This means God is on your side- the all powerful, all knowledgeable and all present God placed His loving kindness and tender mercies on you. Amazing an thought! If God is for you by adorning crowns of loving kindness and tender mercies, who can stand against you? “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns?” Romans 8:33-34.

Not just for a period – but for all of your future.

Not for one day and not just for a season of your life. All through your life until you are going to be with Him in heaven and even after that all thru the eternity. Such is God’s loving kindness and tender mercies toward you.
David says in Psalm 23:6, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me; all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Did you notice the goodness and love of the Lord are yours all through your life and then for ever through the eternity?

Do you want to seek the Lord like King David did?

Stop and think a moment about this wonderful benefit.
See, David from very young age had a heart of seeking the Lord. He said in his Psalms that He sought the Lord in the morning, and even night time, on the bed, he meditated and thought about God. Do you have a heart of seeking God? Proverbs 8:17 says, “and those who seek Me find me.” Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”. God called David “a man after my own heart” because he sought the Lord continuously. David was a poor shepherd boy in a small village but God raised him to be a King in Israel- one of the most famous kings ever ruled in Israel. When you seek God, God comes to your help and rescue you and elevate you to higher grounds you ever dreamed or imagined. God crowned David with loving kindness and tender mercies. This was the biography of king David. David knew he didn’t deserve these blessings and it is God who gave him all these benefits. How about you? Come to God in the name of Christ because Christ is the only way to come to God. Christ is the ‘pass over lamb’ who carried and paid for all your sins and iniquities and God accepts you and declares you as His child when you come to God by believing Christ as your savior. Bible declares in John 1:12, ” But as many as received Him (Christ Jesus), to them He (God) gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His (Christ’s) name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Did you notice it says, those who accept Christ as their savior are born again into God’s family as His children? They are born again not by blood, flesh or the will of man. But they are born into God’s family as His children by God. Then the Lord crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies every day. What a blessing?

Amazing – all are in simple present tense.

Did you notice the tense used here? It says “He crowns you”- this is used in simple present tense. Simple present tense talks about fixed habits or fixed routines- the behavior or things that will not change. The present continuous would talk about behavior or actions that are happening as we talk at the present time, but will soon end or finish. I am so glad that Bible used all the above benefits in simple present tense. He forgives, He heals, He protects (or redeems) and he crowns. All these benefits are fixed for a child of God. These benefits will not change. These are fixed, ongoing benefits from God.
Psalm 63:3 says, “Because your loving kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.” Oh, yes, that is a true statement. when you enjoy God’s loving kindness and tender mercies day by day, you will say His loving kindness and mercies are better than even your life. Because we value our lives more than anything else. But Psalmist experiences testify Lord’s loving kindness are even better than the most valuable thing -your life.