Psalm 103:1-14
SS Lesson for 01/19/2025
Devotional Scripture: Isaiah 66:1-14
The book of Psalms is often described as “ancient Israel’s hymnal.” Like hymnals today, the book of Psalms includes contributions by different authors and covers a wide span of time. The oldest psalm is by Moses (Psalm 90), and at least one psalm comes out of the setting of the captivity of God’s people in Babylon (Psalm 137). These chronological bookends are separated by some 900 years! About half of the psalms are attributed to King David, known as the “sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Samuel 23:1, KJV). Today’s passage is one of those psalms. While some psalms include a superscription that provides the setting (example: Psalm 51), there is no such background recorded for Psalm 103. It simply notes the association with David, who reigned about 1010-970 BC. The Psalter is traditionally seen as falling into five sub-books, their divisions being Psalms 1-41; 42-72; 73-89; 90-106, and 107-150. Psalm 103 is located within the fourth of those five. A broad brush look at the 17 chapters of this sub-book reveals the following:
· Psalms 90-100 speak of God’s role as king of the universe and ancient Israel’s role in announcing and celebrating his reign (examples: 93:1; 95:3; 96:6, 10; 97:1; 99:1).
· Psalms 101-106 speak of the people’s responsibilities in various ways and tell Israel’s story in ways that challenge complacency. Psalms 103 (today’s text) and 104 fit within this grouping, as they encourage readers to continue being a community of praise.
The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
1 Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
1 It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality,
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
6 The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
2 Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
18 You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the fathers' sins into the laps of their children after them. O great and powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, 19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve.
60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.
4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished, 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
29 "You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.
11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
3 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me.
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.
36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
24 Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the Lord. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the Lord.
Verses 1-2
David called on himself to bless the Lord wholeheartedly because of all His many blessings. Note the many references to "all" and its equivalents in this psalm. Some groups of Christians (e.g., some Amish) give thanks to God at the end of their meals as well as at the beginning.
"The four psalms that close Book Four of the book of Psalms (90-106) emphasize praise to the Lord for several reasons: His benefits to His people (103), His care of His creation (104), His wonderful acts on behalf of Israel (105), His longsuffering with His people’s rebellion (106)." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 276.]
This popular Davidic psalm of individual thanksgiving reviews God’s mercies and expresses confident hope in His covenant promises. It contains no requests. Though there is no real connection between this psalm and the preceding one, this one expresses thanks for answered prayer, which Psalms 102 requested. It was the inspiration for H. F. Lyte’s popular hymn, "Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven."
"This [Psalms 103] is perhaps the best-known and best-loved of all the hymns." [Note: Brueggemann, p. 160.]
Verses 3-5
God’s blessings that people enjoy as benefits include forgiveness of sins, healing from sickness, deliverance from death, enrichment of life, satisfaction, and rejuvenation. Eagles remain strong to the end of their lives. Likewise, God enables His people to remain spiritually vigorous until death.
"The expression your youth is renewed like an eagle’s may allude to the phenomenon of molting, whereby the eagle grows new feathers." [Note: The NET Bible note on 103:5.]
Verses 6-8
Psalms 103:6 is a topic sentence that introduces what follows. Psalms 103:7-8 describe God’s dealings with Israel at Mt. Sinai. The fact that God revealed Himself to Moses and the Israelites indicates His great compassion and grace. Psalms 103:8 quotes Exodus 34:6. It restates four great characteristics about God.
Verses 9-12
These verses illustrate the truth of Psalms 103:8. God’s compassion is clear in that He does not constantly accuse or antagonize us, even though we constantly sin (cf. Ephesians 6:4). He is slow to anger and He does not maintain His anger continually. His gracious character is obvious in that He does not punish us for our sins immediately or completely, as we deserve. He does not pay us back what we deserve either. His loyal love (Heb. hesed) with those who fear Him is as limitless as the sky. Furthermore, He separates the guilt of our sins from us completely (cf. Romans 8:1).
Many students of Psalms 103:12 have noted that if someone travels north or south he finally arrives at a pole from which he can proceed no farther north or south. However, if someone travels east or west, he never reaches such a point. God did not say He forgives (or removes) our sins as far as the north is from the south, but as far as the east is from the west, namely: to infinity-in degree or distance.
Verses 13-18
God’s compassion is father-like in that He is mindful of our finite creaturely limitations.
"He knows us even better than we know ourselves." [Note: Kidner, Psalms 73-150, p. 366.]
Psalms 103:15-16 beautifully describe the transitory nature of human life. It is both frail and short-lived. In contrast, God’s loyal love to those who fear Him abides strong forever. It transcends generations and continues on to the descendants of those who obey His law (Psalms 103:17-18; cf. Exodus 20:5-6).
Verses 19-22
God reigns from heaven as King over all. His authority extends to every created thing.
"The central theme of the book of Psalms, which its prayers assume and its songs of praise affirm, is God’s kingship. .
"The book’s theological message may be summarized as follows: As the Creator of all things, God exercises sovereign authority over the natural order, the nations, and Israel, His unique people. In His role as universal King God assures order and justice in the world and among His people, often by exhibiting His power as an invincible warrior. The proper response to this sovereign King is trust and praise." [Note: Chisholm, "A Theology . . .," p. 258.]
In view of His beneficent character, all creatures should bless the Lord. This includes his powerful angelic servants (cf. Hebrews 1:14) and all His creation. David ended this psalm as he began it-by exhorting himself to bless the Lord.
(Adapted from URL:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dcc/psalms-103.html)
Psalm 103 insists that God knows us. And because of that knowledge, he is compassion ate toward us. This cause-and-effect may be surprising because knowledge of another person’s limitations can lead to estrangement, anger, disappointment, or even hatred. Those negative consequences present themselves because of our limited commitment to virtue and capacity for love. The contrast between the consequences of our knowledge and the consequences of God’s knowledge could hardly be greater. The amazing thing is that God’s mercy creates the space in which we can come to know ourselves, each other, and even God. In Psalm 103, this commitment to merciful knowledge comes out in its reference to the story of the golden calf episode in Exodus 32-34. There, both God and Moses know the Israelites to be a stubborn and sinful people. Yet that knowledge should be cast against the backdrop of years of Egyptian enslavement as they try to cope with unexpected freedoms. Psalm 103 and the texts that undergird it point to a different approach to the life of faith than we sometimes hear. These texts anticipate that life will be filled with signs of God’s mercy. How would others see such signs in you?