Deeper Commentary
Psa 103:1
By David-
I have often suggested that the Psalms are often paired together. Ps.
103 appears to continue the faith expressed in Ps. 102; that whatever
present appearances, God's purpose to ultimately restore David and his
throne / kingdom was going to come true, finally. The exiles doubted it,
but the faithful remnant were to rejoice that finally, it would come true-
even if not in their lifetimes. Such confident joy presupposes a firm
faith and understanding of the resurrection of the body at the final
eternal restoration of Zion.
Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise His holy name!-
There is a repeated Biblical theme that the believer's relationship
with the Father is essentially
mutual.
He has blessed us with all things (Eph. 1:3), and we all bless Him with
all that is in us (Ps. 103:1,22; Eph. 1:3). David is here talking
to himself, reminding himself to be grateful for huge grace and
restoration of life given him. We too need to consciously speak to
ourselves in our self talk, urging ourselves to greater gratitude.
Especially in :3 David reminds himself of his sins [regarding Bathsheba,
surely] and urges himself to greater gratitude for grace.
Psa 103:2
Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don’t forget all His benefits-
David often takes strength from God's previous deliverances to cope with
whatever he was now facing (Ps. 61:3). This may sound natural, but in fact
it isn't; because we are inclined to forget the great things He has done
for us, as Israel did in the desert. We all have a tendency to see the
glass half empty rather than half full. Hence the need to continually
remind ourselves to not forget all His benefits; and they are particularly
expressed in the form of His forgiveness and avowed intention to finally
save us (:3,4). Hezekiah, to whom Ps. 102 (which seems paired with Ps.
103) partly applies, did forget Yahweh's benefits to him (s.w. 2 Chron.
32:25). But "benefits" is also the word used for "rewards", which rewards
of judgment are promised to Babylon and all who abused the exiles (Ps.
137:8; Is. 35:4; 59:18; Jer. 51:6; Lam. 3:64). The downtrodden were to
take comfort in judgment to come.
Psa 103:3
who forgives all your sins; who heals all your diseases-
The blessing which should never be forgotten (:2) is supremely our
forgiveness. Hezekiah had been healed, but he forgot that great "benefit"
(:2; s.w. 2 Chron. 32:25). In those times when we consider our cup half
empty rather than half full, we will be helped to appreciate "all His
benefits" if we recall our own forgiveness received. It is those who
refuse to accept their own sinfulness who tend to question where God's
promised blessings are. "All your sins" means every aspect of
every sin- truly amazing. David was clearly very ill soon after his sin
with Bathsheba, as other psalms also imply, not least “There is no
soundness in my flesh, because of Your indignation; there is no welfare in
my bones, because of my sin” (Ps. 38:4, also Ps. 32:3,4). And yet David in his later
psalms seems to bitterly resent the remaining consequences for his sins.
In this Psalm 103, he does realize them and thanks God for life itself, as
the greatest example of grace at this present time. A perspective we need
to remember.
We could get the impression here and in other Psalms that David tends to see the removal of the punishment of sin as the proof of its forgiveness (Ps. 85:1-3 "You have been favourable to Your land. You have restored the fortunes of Jacob, You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin"; 147:3). Yet Nathan had warned him that there were going to be ongoing consequences in his case. Yet here David writes as if all has magically been erased. Giving Nathan's words priority, it would therefore seem David is here wishing to feel as if all consequences are now done with. When that wasn't in fact the case.
Psa 103:4
who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with grace and
tender mercies-
As noted on :2,3, the great blessing is of forgiveness and grace.
God's "mercy and truth" (s.w. "grace... mercies") is seen in the
fulfilment of His promises to David and Abraham. This day of crowning is
not now; it is at the time when our life is redeemed from death /
destruction. This hope of the future resurrection of the body is the great
"benefit" of :2 which we must never forget, and which gives perspective to
all current sufferings. David initially had in view his salvation
from the death sentence required for his behaviour with Bathsheba and
Uriah, and the crown remaining upon him by grace (the same language as in
Ps. 21:4 where he thanks God for placing a gold crown upon him). To "redeem" is literally
to be a go'el, a kinsman redeemer, to pay the ransom because we
are relatives. Hence David goes on in the psalm to plead the tender
fatherhood of God. And that became true through God's connection with us
through His Son. Yet without any reference to atonement or sacrifice, God
is stated here to be able to do that- simply so. Job 19:25 is
another example.
Psa 103:5
who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth
is renewed like the eagle’s-
The "desire" of all the truly spiritual is for redemption from death
(:4) through resurrection to eternal life, and the receipt of forgiveness
(:3). It is these desires of our soul which will definitely be met, if
indeed they are our dominant desires.
As God doesn’t faint or weary, so somehow those who identify their lives
with His will also keep on keeping on- even now (Is. 40:31 cp. 29). This
was clearly the promise to the exiles, if they realized the prophetic
potential for them explained in Is. 40. David
felt that his youth was renewed like the eagle's in his repeated
experience of God's grace (Ps. 103:5), that his soul was restored (Ps.
23:5), and that a right spirit could be renewed by God within him (Ps.
51:10). This is the equivalent of the "newness of life" which is promised
to us through acceptance of God's Spirit.
Psa 103:6
Yahweh executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are
oppressed-
The exiles and David at times felt they were suffering injustice. But
the comfort is that God has historically been just to the oppressed and
executed judgment, especially at the Red Sea. This is where faith comes
in. If we feel we are suffering intolerable injustice, this is no reason
to doubt God; for He has operated extreme justice in the past, and shall
do so ultimately.
David so often parallels righteousness and justice / truth (Ps. 9:8; 33:5; 37:6; 72:2; 94:15; 99:7; 103:6; 106:3). Indeed, this parallel is so common in God's word. What it means is that the righteousness of God is a just righteousness. It's not fake, 'I'll turn a blind eye'. It is true, real, valid, and has integrity underpinned in the very essential justice of God Himself. Justice and righteousness may appear abstract ideas, mere theology. But the result is that the person who believes God's righteousness is imputed to him or her... will feel this, they will know it to be true, they can by grace, in faith, quietly hold their head up before God. And David after Bathsheba is our example. He believed and felt this imputed righteousness. It's not so much a case of 'forgiving ourselves' after God has forgiven us, but rather of being swamped by this very real and legitimate sense that truly, we have been counted righteous. And Paul in Romans holds up David after Bathsheba as the personal example to "every one who is Godly" in their time of spiritual need. See on Ps. 41:12.
Psa 103:7
He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the children of
Israel-
This could refer to the revelation of God's law to Israel. The
commands which constituted the covenant were given to Moses personally
(Neh. 1:7,8), insofar as he represented Israel. Thus there is a parallel
drawn in Ps. 103:7: "He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the
children of Israel". "After the tenor of these words have I made a
covenant with you [Moses] and with Israel" (Ex. 34:27). The revelation of
God's law was therefore cited as an example of His love and grace; it is
not to be seen as an onerous burden laid upon Israel.
But the reference could also be to God's revelation of Himself through
His saving deeds towards Israel at the Red Sea, or to the declaration of
His Name in Ex. 34 (see on :8).
Psa 103:8
Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in
grace-
This is an appeal to the essential characteristics of Yahweh as
declared to Moses in Ex. 34, and it is perhaps to this that :7 refers. On one hand, God does
not become quickly angry (Ps. 103:8), and yet on the other hand He
does get angry quickly in the sense that He immediately feels and
responds to sin (Ps. 2:12); His anger ‘flares up in His face’. The
implication is that we should respond ‘quickly’ to the Gospel; we should
not have any element of indifference in our response to the call of God,
and yet the foundations of a true spiritual life cannot be laid hastily.
We note however that David doesn't go on to quote or allude to
the rest of Ex. 34:6,7: "Yahweh! A merciful and gracious God, slow to
anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, keeping loving kindness
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and that will
by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the
children". David's own child died because of his sin with Bathsheba. He
may possibly be guilty of assuming that forgiveness meant there were to be
no consequences for his sin. When Nathan had made it clear that there were
to be. Ex. 34:7 says God will not leave sin unpunished; David in :9 says
God will not always accuse, nor forever
keep his anger. God says in Ex 34:7 that He will visit the sins of the
fathers on the children, whereas in :10 David instead stresses that God
doesn't punish us according to our sin, nor reward us according to
our iniquity. What he says is true but I suggest it lacks the necessary
context.
Psa 103:9
He will not always accuse; neither will He stay angry forever-
This may be answer to the complaint of the exiles that God through
the prophets was always 'accusing' them through the prophetic words. But
"accuse" is the word for 'striving', and it was Israel who had chosen to
strive with God (s.w. Is. 45:9 and often). From God's side, His 'accusing'
was more of a pleading with His people (s.w. Jer. 2:9,29), pleading for
their loyalty and repentance (s.w. Hos. 2:2). Ps. 103:9 says that
the reason "He will not always accuse" is because we are in covenant
relationship with Him, and that relationship is based upon grace. I take
this to mean in practice that God doesn't always 'take up' with us the
issues of our sins. He deals with some sin by overlooking, by not
accusing. Just as we also do in a loving relationship. But no relationship
is legitimate if the failure and disinterest of one side has to be
constantly overlooked. But when He does judge sin, when He does accuse,
that judgment [for us who are in covenant relationship with Him] is not
proportionate to our sins (Ps. 103:10). A similar idea is in Is. 57:15,16,
which seems to be saying that those with whom God lives, i.e. those in
covenant relationship with Him, will not be constantly accused of their
sins. Their sins are accepted as being an ever present reality, but God
will not 'take up the matter' with them regarding these sins- because He
lives with them in covenant: "I also live with people who are humble and
repentant, so that I can restore their confidence and hope. I gave my
people life, and I will not continue to accuse them or be angry with them
forever" (GNB).
Psa 103:10
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for
our iniquities-
This was exactly the case with the exiles, who were punished far less
than their sins deserved (Ezra 9:13). All complaint at unreasonable
behaviour from God was therefore utterly inappropriate, and was rooted in
a sense that Israel had done absolutely nothing wrong and that any
consequence for sin was therefore unreasonable.
"Dealt with" is a legal term, and we have likewise read of God as 'accuser' in :9. The idea is that we have not always even been accused of sins we have been forgiven of; and those we were charged with we were either punished less than prescribed, or downright let off.
Psa 103:11
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His
grace toward those who fear Him-
The same word used for how David's sins "overwhelmed me" (Ps. 65:3) is
used of how overwhelming or "great" is God's grace (Ps. 103:11; 117:2).
David felt overwhelmed firstly by his sin and then by God's grace. This
explains his fragile emotional and nervous state, as often reflected in
the Psalms. But his path is to be that of all God's true Israel, and his
repentance and restoration was intended to be the path for the exiles.
Psa 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us-
This is a horizontal dimension, having spoken of the infinite vertical distance between God and forgiven human sin (:11). The image suggests being chased, the east chasing the west but never being able to catch up with the west before itself becoming the west. This may hint at a belief that sin could not catch up with David. At the risk of over interpreting, we may just possibly have a hint here that David felt that consequences of his sins should now never catch up with him. For in other psalms he appears to bitterly lament, chafe at and regret that he was suffering for his sins. As Nathan had indeed said he would.
As the east and the west can never meet in one point, the distance between them can never be closed; so our sins are removed from us. The teaching here is that they are removed from us. Their distance from God is not in view here- that perhaps is explained in the previous verse, stating that there is a distance as high as that between Heaven and earth between God and our sins. But now we learn that our sins are removed from us so that we never again need to be identified according to them nor by them. This has profound psychological truth on the level of self identity and self perception. It raises doubts about the 12 step programs that insist an addict must always understand themselves e.g. as "I am an alcoholic".
This was appropriate to Hezekiah (Is. 38:17), but he like the exiles
failed to have an abiding awareness of the magnitude of the wonder of
forgiveness. The idea is that God deals with us separate to our sins; He
removes those sins "from us", they are totally removed from us personally.
This is another window onto what it means to be accounted righteous, to
have righteousness imputed by grace through faith. God had removed His
people far from Him (s.w. Is. 6:12; 26:15; Jer. 27:10) because they had
removed their hearts far from Him (s.w. Is. 29:13; Jer. 2:5; Ez. 44:10).
So now the psalmist is asking God to remove their sins far away, but to
come near to them personally.
Psa 103:13
Like a father has compassion on His children, so Yahweh has
compassion on those who fear Him-
That "compassion" is not simply in that a father forgives a repentant
child. Fatherly compassion is more than that; it is compassion upon the
position of the child regardless of repentance. Simply because he is the
father of the child. This statement may be a tacit request by the psalmist
for God to all the same restore His people from their exile simply on the
basis of His grace and compassion, for most of them had not repented. The
word for "compassion" is used of how God would have compassion on His
people if they repented whilst in exile (Dt. 30:3). But the psalmist seems
to plead for that compassion to be shown simply because they were His
children.
Psa 103:14
For He knows how we are made, He remembers that we are dust-
This is effectively a plea with God to remember that "we are dust"
and to show compassion on the basis of the weakness of our humanity (see
on :13). But the basis for that compassion was to be Israel's repentance
(Dt. 30:13 etc.). But here the psalmist seems to plead some kind of idea
that our nature makes us inevitable sinners, and so God should show
compassion on that basis. We aren't inevitable sinners, and whatever we
posit about human nature, we say about the Lord Jesus who was perfect and
spotless despite fully having that same nature as we do. So the plea
appears rather lacking in integrity. And yet it is true; God does remember
that we are dust, and He does have compassion for reasons other than that
His people have repented (s.w. 2 Kings 13:23). His compassion is therefore
on the basis of His mercy and grace, rather than a proportionate response
to steel willed human repentance and self reformation (s.w. Ps. 116:5).
His compassion is actually always there for His children, even when they
are in exiled punishment from Him (s.w. Jer. 31:20; 33:26). Solomon failed
to perceive this grace, instead focusing solely upon the aspect of God
showing compassion to those who are repentant (s.w. Prov. 28:13).
Here as often the frailty of man is used to plead for God's mercy (Ps. 78:39 "many times He turned His anger away, and didn’t stir up all His wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again"; 89:47 "Remember how short my time is! For what vanity have You created all the children of men!"). "He knows how we are made, He remembers that we are dust" means He remembers our formation; what we are made of. The allusion us to Gen 2:7, “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground”.
The frailty of our "form" in view is our moral weakness, and the connection therefore between sin and human mortality (:15). Job especially expresses this same connection between frailty and sin (Job 4:17–21; 15:14–16; 25:1–6). It's not that God retreated from man at the fall and turned away in disgust from his sinfulness. He knows our thoughts afar off, He is accustomed to all our habitual patterns of thought (Ps. 139)- which are typically sinful. God knows the psychology of sin. And according to how David reasons, He does cut us some slack because of it. And yet in the context of David's sin with Bathsheba, it could be argued that he veered too much to the path of justifying the sin on the basis of 'I'm only human'. This is where we are cut hard and deep by the fact the Lord had human nature, with all its psychological tendencies to sin, but never sinned.
David has moved on from his own experience of God's mercy and grace to his sins, to see in that experience the truth for every man. Paul reasons likewise in Romans, that David's sin with Bathsheba is in essence the sin of every man. And so David now speaks not of himself but of "we" and "us", as in :10 "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities".
Psa 103:15
As for man, His days are like grass, as a flower of the field, so
he flourishes-
This is the language used of the exiles in Is. 40:6-8. The idea is
that the exiles were indeed like this, as are all men. But Isaiah explains
that the prophetic word of restoration was to come true, even if the men
of that generation faded into death. This is taught here in different
words, assuring them that God's promised grace would not fail and His
throne was indeed eternal and therefore would be reestablished on earth
(:17,19).
Psa 103:16
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone. Its place remembers it
no more-
This again is David alluding to the feelings of Job (Job 7:10; 20:9),
one of the few books of scripture he had access to. But despite this
understanding of the mortality of man, David is confident that God's grace
will be manifest eternally to His people (:17). This can only have any
sense if he understood there to be a resurrection of the body, to eternal
experience of God's grace.
Psa 103:17
But Yahweh’s grace is from everlasting to everlasting with those
who fear Him, His righteousness to children’s children-
See on :16. We note the parallel of grace and righteousness. Paul in
Romans 1-8 explores this; the gift of grace is not of cheap grace, a
turning of a blind eye to sin. The gift is of righteousness, counting
right the sinner, by God the judge of all. This is by grace, but it has to
be believed. This gift of imputed righteousness "is of faith that it might
be by grace" (Rom. 4:16).
Psa 103:18
to those who keep His covenant, to those who remember to obey His
precepts-
The idea is that those who keep the covenant and obey God's laws still sin, even 'badly', and are saved by God's grace. That grace is not available to those outside the covenant. It's why baptism into the new covenant is required for the remission of sins- it puts us into the status of 'covenant keepers who sin'. And that is totally necessary for salvation. We see here for all time the fact that God doesn't require perfectionism or lack of sin in order to grant salvation and forgiveness on the path there.
The keeping of the covenant, in the context of what was explained on :17, effectively means to keep on believing in God's amazing, saving grace towards sinners. "Remember" doesn't here suggest that they are commended for not being forgetful. The Hebrew carries the idea of having the mind full. Our fully conscious desire to obey His ways is going to be an outcome of continuing to believe His covenant, which promises salvation by pure grace (:17) rather than obedience. So the obedience here in view is in response to the covenant of grace, which offers salvation by grace and not works. These works of obedience are therefore done in gratitude for a salvation already received by grace, rather than in order to achieve a worthiness for that salvation.
Psa 103:19
Yahweh has established His throne in the heavens, His kingdom
rules over all-
The exiles were looking for the Kingdom to be reestablished, just as
David was looking for his throne to be reestablished in Absalom's time,
and as he looked to have his own throne at Saul's time. But the comfort
was that that throne was already established in Heaven, even if it wasn't
visible on earth. And this is our comfort too.
We are to pray for His Kingdom to come, so that His will may be done on
earth (Mt. 6:10). The Kingdom and the doing of His will are therefore
paralleled. His Kingdom reigns over all in Heaven, for there, all the
Angels are obedient to Him (Ps. 103:19-21). By praying for the Kingdom to
come on earth we are not only praying for the Lord’s second coming, but
for the progress of the Gospel world-wide right now. Not only that more
men and women will hear it and respond, but that those who have accepted
it might work God’s will rather than their own to an ever greater extent.
Whether or not we can physically spread the Gospel is in this sense
irrelevant; our prayer should be, first and foremost if the pattern of the
Lord’s prayer is to be taken exactly, for the triumph of the Gospel
world-wide.
Psa 103:20
Praise Yahweh, you angels of His, who are mighty in strength, who
fulfil His word, obeying the voice of His word-
I suggested on :1 that this Psalm is paired with Ps. 102; and
indirectly, that too concludes at this point in the structure of the Psalm
with reference to Angels. See on Ps. 102:26. The relevance of mentioning
the power of the Angels is caught in the LXX: "mighty in strength, who
perform his bidding, ready to hearken to the voice of his words".
The word they were ready and eager to fulfil was the word of restoring
Zion. They could bring this about; but Israel on earth had to be willing
to return, both to their land and their God. And such vast potential was
thereby wasted at the time.
The Angels obey His word, and that is what we have just been told His covenant people do (:18 "those who remember to obey His precepts"). Possibly this is one of several examples of where God's people are described in parallel with their guardian Angels above. This is seen very clearly in Dan. 8-10.
The entire theme of the Psalm to this point has been the wonder of forgiveness, and how this should elicit praise from those who have received it. There may indeed be a change of theme to speak of how all the Angels now praise God as we should- which is the opening context of this Psalm. But to start speaking of the Angels also praising God would then seem rather random. I share the speculation that the implication may be that the current Angels also once experienced something like forgiveness. The "angels that sinned" are dead or at least enchained. The wages of sin shall be death for them finally, or the wage of death has already been paid to them. But the angels who were forgiven now praise God eternally and are now fully obedient to His word.
Psa 103:21
Praise Yahweh, all you armies of His, you servants of His, who
do His will-
Angels are given specific directives by God which they go and execute
to the best of their ability and then report back to God- His "Angels...
that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word" (Ps.
103:21). They were eager to do this in the context of performing God's
will of saving and restoring Zion. We must note that the Angels as in
supernatural beings are never divided into good ones and wicked ones.
"All" the Angels are obedient to God's word. They are immortal (Lk.
20:35,36) and therefore don't sin (Rom. 6:23). However the Greek and
Hebrew word translated "Angel" is also used of human beings, who of course
can sin.
Psa 103:22
Praise Yahweh, all you works of His, in all places of His
dominion. Praise Yahweh, my soul!-
The psalmist wishes to see a unity between the heavenly armies, eager and
willing to achieve the restoration (see on :20,21), and all God's works,
and the individual repeating this prayer.
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