Do We Have the Lord’s Compassion? (Ps 103:1-22)
I would like to speak this morning on Psalm 103. The Psalms are a favorite book of many Christians, because they speak not only to the intellect, but also to the soul. As I have gotten older, and experienced a greater variety of things in the Christian life, the Psalms have grown much more precious to me.
Many–even most–of the Psalms have a mixture of praise and petition. Many contain a complaint, along with a vow of trust. But not so Psalm 103. This psalm is one of unadulterated praise to the Lord.
Charles Spurgeon wrote of this psalm many years ago. He said, “As in the lofty Alps some peaks rise above all others, so among even the inspired Psalms there are heights of song which overtop the rest....Our attempt at exposition is commenced under an impressive sense of the utter impossibility of doing justice to so sublime a composition.... There is too much in the Psalm for a thousand pens to write, it is one of those all-comprehending Scriptures which is a Bible in itself, and it might alone almost suffice for the hymn-book of the church.” So with some trepidation, but great delight, let us look into this magnificent psalm.
The psalm contains 22 verses, the same number of letters as in the Hebrew alphabet. It is as if David has covered his topic thoroughly, from A to Z! The psalm may be divided into three basic parts. The first and last sections beautifully match one another, and form what is called an inclusio: “Give honor to the Lord, O my soul” in vv. 1-2 is echoed by a final chorus of “give honor to the Lord’s” in vv. 20-22, culminating with the exact phrase in v. 22 with which the psalm began. So the first section, vv. 1-5, introduces the theme of giving honor to the Lord for all that He has done, and the final section, vv. 19-22, echos that same theme. In between, the main body of vv. 6-18 explain in detail the reasons we should give honor to the Lord.
Let’s look in a little more detail at this beautiful psalm. I’ve divided the middle section into two parts, so that I see four main points overall.
1. My first point, in vv. 1-5, is that we should give honor to the Lord for all that He does for us. As mentioned a moment ago, the psalm begins with a command to give honor to the Lord. The Hebrew word used here, barak, means “to declare God to be the source of special power or to praise God” (HALOT). I think a good translation of it is to “give honor” to the Lord.
Notice that David begins with himself: “give honor to the Lord, O my soul”! This is a very personal psalm, and that’s where David starts. Though this is a deeply theological psalm, David starts with the personal: David says, I need to give honor to the Lord because of all that He has done for me. It isn’t theoretical–it is very practical.
How much of David should give honor to the Lord? Well, his soul, his very being should do it, according to v. 1a; and everything within him is to do it, according to the second part of the verse. This isn’t a half-hearted effort! Our whole being should give honor to the Lord! It reminds me of what Jesus called the first and greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut 6:4; Matt 22:37-38).
In v. 2, after David repeats the same line for emphasis, he explains that we shouldn’t forget all the Lord’s benefits. And then he proceeds to list them in vv. 3-5: forgiveness of sins, healing of diseases, redeeming life, crowning with steadfast love (or lovingkindness) and acts of compassion, and satisfying us with life-renewing goodness. Each of these could be a sermon in themselves! And really, the rest of the psalm serves to expand on these benefits. Forgiveness of sins is so basic and central to all that God does for us, since it is our sin that separates us from God in the first place. Ultimately Christ’s death on the cross provided forgiveness of sins for all who would believe. As Leupold states, “There is no blessing that is greater in scope for poor sinners, nor any that is so entirely undeserved.” (p. 716) The second phrase, “heals all our (lit. “your” singular–referring to the soul) diseases” might cause us some problems, because all of us, have known folks who have believed in the Lord but have not been healed from diseases–whether (in my case) diabetes or cancer or whatever. Well, first of all, there is a close link between spiritual and physical healing, as Isa 53:5 makes clear (“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”). And since “your” in the phrase “your diseases” refers to the soul, it is possible that both lines of v. 3 refer to spiritual forgiveness and healing. But I think that the second part of v. 3 may also refer to the healing that will be true when we believers have new resurrection bodies–when our redemption is complete–body and soul (Phil 3:21)–both physical and spiritual healing.
The third benefit, “redeems your life from the pit” is talking about eternal life, thereby implying a resurrection. The same term is used in Ps 16:10 (“For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see the pit”), which Peter and Paul state clearly is referring to resurrection from the dead.
But that is not all! The first three benefits were deliverance from something bad; but the fourth and fifth are the bestowal of something good. David says that the fourth benefit is that the Lord crowns us as if we were kings! He treats us like royalty! (see Ps 8:5: “You have made [man] a little lower than God, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.”) Here in Psalm 103, the Lord crowns us with His steadfast love and acts of compassion. The terms “steadfast love” and “compassion” each occur 4 times in this psalm, and so are really central to the whole theme of the psalm, as we will see in a moment. Finally, the fifth benefit is that He satisfies us with life-renewing goodness, so that we are renewed with the strength and vigor of an eagle (as in Isa 40:31: “they that wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”)
Wow! No wonder David says that he–and we–should give honor and praise to the Lord for all that He does for us.
2. The second and third points, which form the main body of the psalm, really expand on these benefits. They further explain why we should give honor to the Lord. And they center in on the Lord’s compassion and His steadfast love. Really these two themes are interchanged throughout the section, but I’ve highlighted each one separately in my next two points. The second point in vv. 6-14 is that we should give honor to the Lord for His amazing compassion. David unveils layer after layer of this truth in these verses. But the background to it is undoubtedly the Lord’s compassion and graciousness to Israel in the Exodus. This provides the supreme example of the Lord’s compassion and grace. David says in v. 6 that the Lord performs righteous deeds and acts of justice for all of those who are oppressed–as the children of Israel certainly were in Egypt. In an apparent allusion to Exod 33:12-17 (esp. v. 13), David explains how the Lord made known his ways or dealings with Moses in a very special way; and through the plagues and other miracles, He made known His miraculous acts to the children of Israel. And then in v. 8 David quotes directly from Exod 34:6, where the Lord says to Moses that He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Here is what is so significant about this allusion from Exod 33 and the quotation from Exod 34: both of these statements come after the horrible golden calf incident, after God gave Moses the Law the first time. But here in Exodus 34, the Lord gives Moses a second set of stone tablets containing the Law. I can not think of a worse time in Israel’s history, when they flagrantly disobeyed the Lord and worshipped idols–and yet the Lord’s compassion and grace was evident even after that. Doesn’t that give you and me great encouragement, that if the Lord could still bless Israel after that, then He can do the same with us? That’s why vv. 9 and 10, still with this incident in mind, tell us that the Lord sets limits on His own righteous wrath against sin. Exod 34:8 tells us that He does judge sin–but He is gracious in that. He doesn’t always accuse or stay angry forever; and He gives us far less punishment than our sins and iniquities really deserve. Notice that while David celebrates the Lord’s compassion, he doesn’t totally ignore the reality of His anger.
This mention of sins and iniquities (also from the context of Exod 34–esp. v. 7) in v. 10 leads David to expand further on this wonderful truth of the Lord’s compassion in dealing with our sin. No doubt in David’s own life he was deeply aware of both his own sin and the Lord’s compassion and forgiveness. And that’s what he emphasizes in vv. 11-14, with three beautiful comparisons and a concluding statement. First, in v. 11, how great is God’s steadfast love? It’s way greater than anything a human being can achieve, just as vertically the heavens are high above the earth. But this isn’t a blanket statement for all people–only for those who fear the Lord. God’s mercy and love are available to all, but only those who fear Him will reap the benefits.
There is a second comparison in v. 12, this time measuring horizontal, not vertical distance. How far has the Lord removed our transgressions from us? As far as the east is from the west! You can’t get any farther apart than that! The east and the west are very far apart! Well, that’s how far the Lord has removed our transgressions from us. Just by way of application, I wonder about us–when someone else wrongs us, do we forgive them? Do we put their sin against us far, far away? Or is it always nearby, lurking in case they sin against us again, so that we can bring it out as an accusatory weapon? That’s not what the Lord does with us.
The third comparison is in v.13, and it is even more beautiful. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. I think of the parable of the prodigal son, where the father showed such compassion on the son after he had sinned. It is natural and right for a father to show that compassion for his children. Sadly, today I am seeing more and more people who have trouble understanding God as compassionate, because their own fathers either were out of the picture entirely, or were always harsh to them. We fathers need to make sure that we heed the admonition of Eph 6:4: “fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” But the normal picture of a father or a mother is that of compassion. Have you ever seen a father holding his newborn baby for the first time? That child is so frail, and the father will do everything to protect that little one and show it love. All of a sudden the macho man melts, and coos at his baby, often even using a softer voice. Well, our heavenly father has the same kind of compassion for us. Isn’t that amazing!
Why does He do this? One reason is given in v. 14: God knows all about us–He remembers that we are dust! He made us from the dust of the ground! We who often think we are so strong apart from God are really weak and frail, just as a newborn baby is in his father’s eyes.
3. And this leads us to our third point, in vv. 15-18. We should give honor to the Lord for His everlasting steadfast love. As v. 14 said, man is weak, but God is strong. The contrast in vv. 15-18 is between man’s fleeting life, and the Lord’s everlasting steadfast love. The comparison David makes in vv. 15-16 is between man’s life and grass. The same comparison was made by Moses in Psa 90:1-6, esp. vv. 4-6: “a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night....In the morning they are like grass which grows up: 6 In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers.” And we see it again in Isa 40:6-8 (“All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”). Ecclesiastes tells us that man’s life on earth is fleeting–it doesn’t last. But while man’s life may be fleeting, the Lord’s steadfast love last’s forever! V. 17 says it goes from everlasting to everlasting! People can let us down; they can disappoint us. But God never will. He demonstrated His steadfast love to us yesterday; He does the same today; and He will do the same tomorrow. There is no fickleness with God; He isn’t a fair-weather friend; we can depend on Him!
The end of vv. 17 and 18 again give a qualification, just as we saw in vv. 11 and 13: the Lord’s steadfast love is everlasting only for those who fear the Lord–as v. 18 explains, those who keep His covenant and remember and do His commandments. V. 14 said that the Lord remembers us; here in v. 18 we are told that we need to remember Him.
4. Finally, in vv. 19-22, David returns to the great command with which he began the psalm. So my fourth point is that we should give honor to the Lord along with all of creation. Just as a carefully crafted musical piece, so David comes back resoundingly to his opening command: “give honor to the Lord!” It was given 2 times in vv. 1 and 2; now it is repeated 4 times in these final verses. But now it is not simply the psalmist’s lone voice–now the command has widened to include all of creation! V. 19 introduces the section by explaining that the Lord’s dominion is over all: His throne is in heaven, and He rules over all. And so all that are in the heavens are enjoined to give honor to the Lord–including the angels in v. 20, His hosts in v. 21, which could refer to the heavenly bodies, the stars; or also to the angels; and then all of creation everywhere in v. 22.
Notice in vv. 20-22 that there is an emphasis on the fact that all the heavenly hosts and all of creation do the Lord’s pleasure and obey Him–the strong implication is, if they do it, so should we! If they obey the Lord, so should we! And if they honor Him, so should we!
Having commanded the whole creation to give honor to the Lord, David returns once again to his own personal mandate: give honor to the Lord, O my soul! Yes, the whole universe should give honor to the Lord–but rather than simply focusing on the abstract, David returns to the one person whose behavior he can control: himself. And that’s exactly what you and I should do as well.
5. Conclusion:
I want us to look for a moment at the personal application of the psalm. Certainly we should give honor to the Lord! Oh, how much we have to be thankful for! Forgiveness of sins, redemption, eternal life, God’s compassion and steadfast love, and all the rest.
But I think there is another very important lesson that we can take from this psalm. We have seen the character of God: his compassion, His forgiveness, His patience, His steadfast love. But what about our characters? Do our relationships with people reflect the character of God? If God is amazingly compassionate with us, shouldn’t we be compassionate with those around us? If God is patient with us, shouldn’t we be patient with others? If God is steadfast in His love, shouldn’t we show that same kind of love to our friends or our spouse, whether they deserve it or not? If God has forgiven our sins as far as the east is from the west, should we still hold grudges against others? Shouldn’t we forgive them totally and completely, and not bring them up again? Remember in Matt 18:21, Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Remember how Jesus answered him: Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” And then He told this story: 23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 27 "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' 29 "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 30 "And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 "So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' 34 "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." [1 talent=6000 denarii 1 denarius =1 day’s wages = approx $100. So 100 denarii= ca. $10,000, while 10,000 talents= ca. 6 billion dollars!]
Are you like the Lord in your forgiveness, compassion, patience, and love? Or are you like the ungrateful servant? How much we have to be thankful for! Let’s give honor and thanks to the Lord for all of His wonderful blessings–and let’s be sure to show His compassion, forgiveness, patience, and steadfast love to all those around us. As 1 John 4:11 says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”