Psalm Chapter 103
Today I would like to share with you a Psalm written by David.
In verse 2, David said,
“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:”
Why did David specially tell us that we must not forget to Bless the Lord and do not forget all His benefits?
The answer is found from verses 3 to 5.
In verse 3, he said we cannot forget because He forgave all our iniquities. We believe in Jesus so that we can receive the grace of having our sins forgiven.
Very often, we have many shortcomings, much unease due to our sin. But now that we can receive the forgiveness from God, this is a benefit that far exceeds anything.
So the first thing that David wanted us to remember is that our sins has been forgiven. David himself experienced this because he once commited a grave sin and to receive forgiveness was an uncomparable grace.
So we have to often remind ourselves and give thanks to God that our sins have been forgiven.
If we continue reading, he continues to say that we have all our diseases healed.
This is something that we should rejoice greatly in. Especially for those who are more advanced in age, we are hampered by physical ailments.
Even though these may not be great sicknesses, but you do hope to receive relief from these ailments – to be able to enjoy a meal, walk up the stairs without feeling the pain, or to have a good night’s sleep. All these problems are experienced by many who are older.
So David reminds us that we must not forget Him who has healed all our diseases. And that is why we must give thanks to God.
In verse 4, he says,
“Who redeems your life from destruction”.
Living in this world, we seldom meet with dangers to our lives. But there are times, for example, when we are driving, we may experience times where we feel that we could have lost our lives. If may not be your fault but the drivers around you who almost crashed into you. When we recall such experiences, we will realise that it is God who has helped us escape from these troubles or even death.
So at times like this, we ought to give thanks to God. Just like David, who had experienced similar things in his life – like when Saul was purusing after him.
Verse 4 continues by saying
“Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies”.
This tells us how much God loves us and adds His grace, lovingkindness and tender mercies on us. He constantly looks after us and protects us.
Verse 5 says
“Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Today we can be contented and filled, not just because of the labour of our hands.
Many people also work with their two hands but are they filled? Our Heavenly Father provides for us so that after receiving the good things, our strength is renewed. And because of this, we must thank God too.
Verse 6 says
“The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.”
There are many things which troubles us in our daily lives. And one of those which troubles us the most is being misunderstood or maligned by others. And we are not able to obtain a reasonable judgement.
Under such circumstances, we often feel a sense of injustice and unhappiness. And we think about returning an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
So what is the main point here? We are not evil people and do not wish harm on others. But when we cannot receive a righteous judgment or just response – we will feel strongly about this injustice.
But we thank God as this verse tells us that the Lord will execute righteous judgement for all who are oppressed. David himself experienced this. Saul kept on pursuing David and wanted to take his life. But why?
If we were to read the Bible, David treated Saul very well and was loyal to him. But Saul treated David in such an unfair manner.
But David reminded himself that one day, God will avenge on his behalf and seek justice for him.
If we read from verses 2 to 6, David draws from experiences in his life to show us that we may also meet with such things in our lives.
So how can we forget about God then? We need to constantly give thanks to God and bless Him.
From verses 8 to 14 – it is very beautiful Psalm and illustration – especially when it describes our God.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
Why is it that man can receive such a great grace?
Are we so special? Have we done something so great?
When we recall our years of being a Christian, there are many areas where we have still fallen short of God’s standards. And there are times we are so embarrassed to come before God to ask for His forgiveness because you repeat the same sin over and over again.
During these times, you may wonder, why is God still so good to me?
In this passage, it tells us that God treats us like His children. Because He remembers that we are dust – lowly and without any help. And if He does not have mercy on us, who else will?
So God is a loving and kind Father who has created us. He did not stop there but continues to fulfil His responsibility as a Father to treat us well, provide us for us and to nurture us properly to be His good children.
This is what God desires and hopes from us.
So as Christians today, we must remember His grace and that He is our Heavenly Father. We must remember Him and give thanks to Him.
I will end my short sharing here.