Hi, Friend!

Thanks again for joining me in this walk through the Book of Psalms. This week we’re examining Psalm 103. If you missed Monday or Tuesday’s posts, you can find them by clicking the buttons below:

Today, we’re jumping back in at verse 6 to share in David’s admiration and praise of the Lord for His holy character and the loving kindness of His actions toward us. Just like on Tuesday, I’ll share my markings in the verses below; to spare your eyesight from all of the bold font, underlining, and highlighting, I’ll share on a day-by-day basis. Let’s begin by re-reading Psalm 103, taking special note of verses 6 through 10.

The Forgiving God
Of David.

1 My soul, bless the Lord,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 My soul, bless the Lord,
and do not forget all his benefits.

3He forgives all your iniquity;

he heals all your diseases.

4 He redeems your life from the Pit;

he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.

5 He satisfies you with good things;

your youth is renewed like the eagle.

6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He revealed his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.
9 He will not always accuse us
or be angry forever.
10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve
or repaid us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his faithful love
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 has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
14 For he knows what we are made of,
remembering that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass—
he blooms like a flower of the field;
16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes,
and its place is no longer known.
17 But from eternity to eternity
the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him,
and his righteousness toward the grandchildren
18 of those who keep his covenant,
who remember to observe his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord,
all his angels of great strength,
who do his word,
obedient to his command.
21 Bless the Lord, all his armies,
his servants who do his will.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works
in all the places where he rules.
My soul, bless the Lord!

As I reflect on these verses today, I am reminded once again of what a joy it is to read Old Testament scripture from this side of the cross. For each underlined verb, I think of many of the same examples of God’s loving kindness that I’m sure David was thinking of as well, but I’m also thinking of all the ways that Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, demonstrated these qualities as He dwelt among us. Meditating on Jesus’ example teaches me that, as difficult it is sometimes, it is possible to live a life that reflects, albeit imperfectly, God’s holy character and loving kindness. Let’s hold onto that thought as we discuss the truths we see in verses 6 through 10.

This set of verses identifies that God is righteous and just. So much so, that one name He is known by in the Old Testament is Yahweh Tsidkenu, which means “The Lord our Righteousness” (for more on that name, click here). Though we may not always understand His ways or feel comfortable on the path He sets for us, we must recognize that God always acts righteously and justly because as Creator, Sovereign Lord of All, God defines what is right and what is just. Throughout Old Testament history, we see God acting on behalf of the poor and oppressed. He rescues Israel again and again from the hand of other nations, most notably from Egypt and from the Philistines. God commands His people to care for widows and orphans (Exodus 22:22-23; James 1:27). Through the prophet Micah, God tells us that He not only desires, but requires us, to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8).

In the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we see our Savior Jesus flawlessly do what is right and what is just. He walks and talks and gives healing to the poorest of body and soul, to the downcast and the outcasts. He invites children to come to him, blesses them, and refuses to silence their praise, quoting Psalm 8:2 to the Pharisees as His reason. To the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11), Jesus taught us what it means to be just; that no person is able to throw the first stone because we are all sinners. He also taught us what it means to show mercy; Jesus alone was perfect, sin-free, and able to throw a stone, but instead, He told the woman He did not condemn her, and that she should go and sin no more. He didn’t excuse her behavior or downplay her sin, that wouldn’t be just or right. God’s word is clear that adultery is a sin (Exodus 20:14). He didn’t get mad at her and tell her off for sinning or shame her in any way. Jesus identified her sin as sin and then set her free with the instruction to repent, to stop sinning. What an example of compassion and grace! What a demonstration of God’s abounding love!

As we walk in this world, God calls us be holy, set apart, consecrated to Him (Leviticus 19:2; 1 Peter 1:14-16). Part of being set apart from the world is living righteous lives, lives that reflect God’s character and Christ’s image (Romans 8:29 and 12:2).

But, we are not righteous or Christ-like people on our own. God’s word is clear, all have sinned and come short of His glory (Romans 3:23).

How then, can God expect us to live righteously, to live as Jesus lived?

Because He is the Lord our Righteousness!

Through our Savior Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully man, all who confess Him as Lord are made righteous in God’s eyes (John 10:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:9). Furthermore, He has given those who believe on Jesus as Lord the Holy Spirit and through Holy Spirit, power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:17). When we commit to allowing God to transform us into the image of Christ, when we surrender to Holy Spirit’s guiding, we are able to live rightly and justly, to recognize ourselves as sinners in need of a Savior and put down the stone in our hand, reach out and take the hand of someone who is struggling to live rightly in God’s eyes and show them compassion, mercy, and God’s grace (1 Peter 4:10). When we meditate on Jesus’ example, we do not become angry with others, but abound in love, seeking to reveal God’s boundless love to them through our words and actions.

Today, let us praise God and exalt His name for He is righteous and just, compassionate and gracious, abounding in love and oh so very merciful!

Let us meditate on God’s history and Jesus’ example of loving kindness, especially toward the oppressed, the down and out, the outcast, and the sinner (which is all of us!).

Let us ask God to grow us up into the likeness of Jesus, that we may become dispensers of God’s grace, the hands and feet of Christ, abiding in Christ, abounding in His love, and loving from His overflow!

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References for the study of the word “bless” in Psalm 103:

Blue Letter Bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1288/kjv/wlc/0-5/#lexResults

Holman KJV Study Bible. 2012. Holman Bible Publishers. Nashville, TN.