Psalm 145:9 NKJV
The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.
Dewdrops on the Thistle
MY NOTES
It is incredibly easy to develop a small view of God. When we fall into the trap of measuring His character strictly by our changing circumstances or our immediate surroundings, we can begin to view Him as a distant, exclusive ruler who hoards His goodness for a select few. We start to suspect that He is indifferent to the pain of the world, or that His care is tightly rationed.
Psalm 145:9 is one of those verses that quietly dismantles every lie the enemy whispers about God being harsh, distant, or selective in His kindness.
David says:
“The Lord is good to all…”
Not some.
Not the deserving.
Not the righteous only.
Not the ones who get it right.
To all.
“The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.” Psalm 145:9 (NKJV)
Look at the unreserved scope of David’s opening statement: “The Lord is good to all.”
There are no loopholes in that sentence. It would be a total mishandling of Scripture to try to shrink or restrict this truth. Even God’s fiercest critics and enemies are living proof of His goodness, because the very lips they use to slander Him are kept moving by the breath He graciously provides. He doesn’t abandon His helpless children to blind chance or leave them entirely to their own ignorance.
Jesus put this exact truth into perspective during the Sermon on the Mount, pointing out that the Father makes His sun rise on both the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. Every single creature—from the highest angel to the smallest bird—is sustained by streams of providential goodness. As the old saints used to say, the sweet dewdrops of heaven fall on the jagged thistle just as softly as they do on the beautiful rose. Pharaoh’s head was crowned with earthly prosperity even while his heart was hardened against God. The parish where Divine Mercy visits is vast.
Then David adds an even deeper layer of comfort: “And His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Even in a broken world, mercy is woven into everything God does.
Mercy cushions the fall.
Mercy softens the curse.
Mercy provides remedies for sickness, comfort for sorrow, and hope for the hurting.
God’s mercy is the reason life is bearable.
It is the reason healing exists.
It is the reason restoration is possible.
It is the reason salvation is offered.
His mercy is everywhere—over everything He has made.
The Hebrew root word used here for “tender mercies” is intimately tied to the word for a womb. It means that the way God looks at the creation He fashioned is identical to the fierce, protective, deeply felt compassion that a mother has toward the infant of her womb. The Creator is never rough; the Provider is never forgetful; the Ruler is never cruel.
Even though human sin has sadly broken and fractured our world, introducing disease and decay that were never part of God’s original design, the great Father has meticulously arranged matters so that the fall is broken by mitigations. He has packed this earth with remedies, hidden cures in the soil, and structured the human body to heal. Nothing in the original blueprint was engineered to produce misery.
As Lamentations says:
“Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning.”
—Lamentations 3:22–23 NKJV
The works of His mercy outshine everything else He has made. God does not take delight in the suffering of His creatures; instead, He has constantly laid Himself out to alleviate the deep distresses into which we have guiltily plunged ourselves. Everywhere you look in creation, there are unmistakable fingerprints of a kind, benevolent God who has a heart to love, to bless, and to welcome back anyone who has wandered away.
If you have wandered, or if you feel like a “bruised reed” today, know that you are standing directly under the downpour of His tenderest care.
Prayer
Abba, forgive me for the times I have spoken or thought of You as if You were stingy, distant, or indifferent. Open my eyes today so that I can see the sheer magnitude of Your kindness. Thank You that Your goodness isn’t restricted, but a vast ocean that touches every single thing You have made. Thank You for Your tender mercies—for loving Your creation with the deep, protective compassion of a mother. Thank You for the sunshine, the rain, the food on my table, and the thousands of hidden protections I take for granted every single day. When I look out at a broken world, help me to see the traces of Your soothing hand, and let Your overwhelming love make me a person who extends grace, kindness, and mercy to everyone I encounter. I ask for this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Cross References (NKJV)
- Matthew 5:45 — “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
- Psalm 119:64 — “The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy; Teach me Your statutes.”
- Psalm 100:5 “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”
Key Takeaways
- God’s goodness extends to everyone—no exceptions.
- His tender mercies cover all creation like a protective blanket.
- Even those who resist God still receive His daily kindness.
- Mercy is woven into every part of life, even in a broken world.
- God’s compassion is maternal, intimate, and deeply personal.
- Every sunrise, breath, and blessing is evidence of His goodness.
Things to Think About
- The Landscape: Look out your window or consider your community. Where do you see “sweet dewdrops on the thistle”—examples of God showing practical goodness to people who don’t acknowledge or serve Him? How does this expand your view of His heart?
- Mercy: How does knowing that God’s “tender mercies” carry the emotional weight of a mother’s love for her unborn child change the way you approach Him when you’ve made a mistake or when you are feeling deeply vulnerable?
- The Antidotes: Even in a sin-stricken, messy season of life, what are some of the “mitigations” or small cushions of comfort God has placed around you to keep the hard days bearable? Think of specific ways He has shown tenderness to you this week.
Proverb for Today
My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” And call understanding your nearest kin, Proverbs 7:1-4 NKJV
Daily Scripture
“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. John 17:9-11 NKJV
Closing
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV
Grace be with you. Amen.
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Summary of Commentaries:
The commentaries below illustrate God’s wide-reaching love, often called “common grace.” His baseline kindness extends to every single creature—even his enemies enjoy his sunshine and rain. The Hebrew word for “tender mercies” mirrors a mother’s fierce, womb-like protection. Despite living in a broken world, God’s mercy acts like a massive canopy over everything He made, providing antidotes for suffering and welcoming home anyone who has wandered.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“The LORD is good to all.” No one, not even his fiercest enemy, can deny this; for the falsehood would be too barefaced, since the very existence of lips which slander him is a proof that it is slander. He allows his live, he even supplies them with food, and smooths their way with many forts; for them the sun shines as brightly as if they were saints, and the rain waters their fields as plentifully as if they were perfect men. Is not this goodness to all? In our own land, the gospel sounds in the ears of all who care to listen, and the Scriptures are within reach of the poorest child. It would be a wanton wresting of Scripture to limit this expression to the elect, as some have tried to do; we rejoice in electing love, but nonetheless we welcome the glorious truth, “Jehovah is good to all.”
“And his tender mercies are over all his works.” Not “his new-covenant works,” as one read it the other day who was wise above that which is written, yea, contrary to that which is written. Kindness is a law of God’s universe: the world was planned for happiness; even now that sin has so sadly marred God’s handiwork, and introduced elements which were not from the beginning, the Lord has so arranged matters that the fall is broken, the curse is met by an antidote, and the inevitable pain is softened with mitigations. Even in this sin-stricken world, under its disordered economy, there are abundant traces of a hand skillful to soothe distress and heal disease. That which makes life bearable is the tenderness of the great Father. This is seen in the creation of an insect as well as in the ruling of nations. The Creator is never rough; the Provider is never forgetful; the Ruler is never cruel. Nothing is done to create disease; no organs are arranged to promote misery; the incoming of sickness and pain is not according to the original design, but a result of our disordered state. Man’s body, as it left the Maker’s hand, was neither framed for disease, decay, nor death, nor was the purpose of it discomfort and anguish; far otherwise, it was framed for a joyful activity, and a peaceful enjoyment of God. Jehovah has in great consideration laid up in the world cures for our ailments, and helps for our feebleness; and if many of these have been long in their discovery, it is because it was more for man’s benefit to find them out himself, than to have them labelled and placed in order before his eyes. We may be sure of this, that Jehovah has never taken delight in the ills of his creatures, but has sought their good, and laid himself out to alleviate the distresses into which they have guiltily plunged themselves.
The duty of kindness to animals may logically be argued from this verse. Should not the children of God be like their Father in kindness?
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Enduring Word
The LORD is good to all: David expressed the idea sometimes called common grace – that God spreads some of His goodness to all humanity. Jesus said, He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45). (Guzik)
i. Is good to all: “…not to Israel only, but to all mankind, whose hearts he fills with food and gladness, as it is said, Acts 14:17.” (Poole)
His tender mercies are over all His works: David saw the beautiful care of God pressed upon all that He did. All creation and all the wise plan of God were demonstrations of the greatness and goodness of God. (Guzik)
i. “The original word for ‘his tender mercies’…signifies the ‘womb.’ The ‘mercies’ of God toward men are, therefore, represented by this word to be like those of a mother towards the child of her ‘womb.’” (Horne)
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Albert Barnes
The Lord is good to all – to all his creatures. That is, he is kind and compassionate toward them; he is disposed and ready to do them good. There is not one of them whom he is not ready and willing to bless; not one whose happiness would not be agreeable to him, or whose welfare he is not ready to promote. Compare Psalms 100:5.
And his tender mercies are over all his works – In all that he has made, there is evidence that he is a kind and benevolent God. He has a heart to love, to bless, what he has made; everywhere arrangements are made for happiness; he is not disposed to cast off the feeble, the erring, and the suffering; he is willing to receive back again those who have wandered from him, to pardon the offending, to wipe away the tears of the sorrowful.
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John Gill
The Lord [is] good to all,…. Which is to be understood not of the general and providential goodness of God to all men, to all his creatures, and the works of his hands; but of the special goodness of Christ before mentioned, Psalm 145:7; which extends to all the chosen people of God; who are all loved by Christ, redeemed by him, justified and glorified by him; and to Gentiles as well as Jews; for whom he tasted death, laid down his life a ransom for them, and became the propitiation for their sins. Hence his Gospel has been sent to both; and some of each have been effectually called by his grace, and more will. This shows this psalm belongs to Gospel times, in which the grace of Christ appears more large and extensive:
and his tender mercies [are] over all his works; meaning not all the creatures his hands have made; though he has a tender regard to them, and is kind and merciful to them all; but such as are made new creatures in him and by him, who are eminently called his workmanship, the work of his hands; these, all of them, share in his special mercy and goodness; see Ephesians 2:10.
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Matthew Henry
There are streams of goodness in all the dispensations of his providence, v. 9. As he is good, so he does good; he is good to all, to all his creatures, from the highest angel to the meanest worm, to all but devils and damned sinners, that have shut themselves out from his goodness. His tender mercies are over all his works.
[1.] All his works, all his creatures, receive the fruits of his merciful care and bounty. It is extended to them all; he hates nothing that he has made.
[2.] The works of his mercy outshine all his other works and declare him more than any of them. In nothing will the glory of God be forever so illustrious as in the vessels of mercy ordained to glory. To the divine goodness will the everlasting hallelujahs of all the saints be sung.
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Miscellaneous Comments
“The Lord is good to all,” etc. According to the doctrine of Christianity, we are not the creatures of a God who takes no care of his beings, and leaves them to themselves; not the offspring of a father who disowns his children, who does not concern himself about them, and is indifferent to their happiness and their misery. No; never has God, according to that comfortable doctrine, left himself unwitnessed to man; never withdrawn from him his fatherly providence and love; never abandoned the fortunes of his feeble, helpless, untutored children, to blind chance or to their own ignorance. No, from their first progenitor to his latest posterity, he has himself provided for their support, their instruction, their guidance, their progress to higher attainments. He has constantly revealed himself to them in various ways; constantly shed innumerable benefits on them; sometimes lovingly correcting, and sometimes bountifully blessing them; has constantly been near to them, and has left them in want of no means for becoming wiser and better.
—George Joachim Zollikofer, 1730-1788.
Even the worst taste of God’s mercy, such as fighting against God’s mercy, tastes of it; the wicked have some crumbs from mercy’s table. “The Lord is good to all.” Sweet dewdrops are on the thistle as well as on the rose. The diocese where Mercy visits is very large. Pharaoh’s head was crowned, though his heart was hardened.
—Thomas Watson.
“His tender mercies are over all his works.” When the sensible sinner is seeking faith in God, he may plead the largeness of mercy. God’s mercy is like the firmament spread over all this lower world; and every infirm creature partakes more or less of its influence, according to its exigence and capacity. True, may he say, I have made myself by sin, the vilest of all creatures; I am become worse than the beasts that perish; as vile as a worm, as loathsome as a toad, by reason of the venomous corruption that is in my heart, and my woeful contrariety to the nature of a holy God. But there is “mercy over all,” even over such vile and loathsome creatures as these; there may be some over me, though wrath do now abide on me. Oh, let that mercy, whose glory it is to stretch itself over all, reach my soul also! Oh, that the blessed and powerful influence thereof would beget faith in my heart!
—David Clarkson.
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