Meditation

Up to this point Psalm 103 has been deeply personal. Relating God's mercy directly to us and our situation, past, present, and future.

Now, briefly, in verse 11, he zooms out to present God's capacity for mercy in vast cosmological terms...as high as the heavens are...as far as the east is from the west...His capacity for mercy is infinite.

This capacity for mercy leads many arrogantly to believe, like Catherine the Great of Russia (Empress from 1762-1796), that "God will forgive me, that's His job."

But this Mercy is both infinite and personal towards those who humbly revere Him, as we see in verse 13. It's not hyper-rational; it's entirely relational, like a father's compassion for his children.

God doesn't forgive because it's His job; he forgives because it is His joy.

Today's text is Psalm 103:11-14

The verses to copy today are in black. Previous verses are in grey for context and clarity.

Psalm 103

Of David.

¹ Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
​² Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
​³ who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
​⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,​
​⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
​⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
​⁹ He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
​¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
​

¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for 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 has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;​
​¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.​

Encouragement

"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy."

Micah 7:18

​

Andy

God’s Word In Your Hand