Ps 99 7" He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;
they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.
8 O LORD our God,
you answered them;
you were to Israel a forgiving God,
though you punished their misdeeds."
This Psalm is teaching that God established justice and equity in Israel. Because God orders every event in time to fall out according to His attributes. This is why the Psalmist opens up the Psalm , praising God for reigning over Israel. If God did not establish justice and equity then He would not be holy. God is holy because He controls all things. Not only has God spoken the creation into existence but He causes His elect to keep "his statutes and the decrees he gave them." In other words just like Gods creation came from His spoken word...so the elect enjoy the self revelation of Gods law that allows and prevents them from straying...The Psalmist says that God prevents His elect from falling into destruction. They only get tripped up. 7" He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;and they kept his statutes and decrees". That God "gave them"....here is the covenant law relationship. God establishes His elect by covenant.
Then the Psalmist goes on to distinguish Gods elect from the entire nation. You see God does not forgive everyone. Just like God establishing justice and equity as the proof of His holiness so God must punish men who are not His elect. If God forgives all Israel then there would be imperfect justice and equity. And thus God would cease to be holy.
In order for God to be faithful,kind, long suffering ,and gentle He had to establish His elect with perfect justice. So God in displaying His love could not establish the relationship with Israel by rewarding wickedness. If God were lenient toward law breakers then He would allow His elect to experience injustice and inequity. This is what the Psalmist is teaching here. That God punished the wicked in order to establish His elect with justice. So the proof of Gods love toward those who have been forgiven is that He punishes those who oppose His elect. In order for God to be forgiving He had to punish wickedness.
God cannot be just if every sin that was ever committed was not atoned for. If God was not satisfied with the punishment for sin then we would never be satisfied with His justice and equity. If we were never satisfied with His justice and equity then we would never experience real love.Because real love is never experienced unless there is the proper value of the work that is done towards us and on behalf of us. In order for us to be loved without a beginning and an end...or according to our own value it must be eternal.Gods eternal love is not some mystical experience that we have. But its defined by carrying out His full wrath on sin and sinners, and a blessing that has no boundaries. God proves His love for us when we think of eternal punishment for sinners. God proves He loves us when we experience the curse of the law toward sinners that pushes away the destruction. Gods love for us is not based upon feeling but upon eternal value. Eternal value that is experienced is self respect. ,