Psalm 103 - Forget Not All His Benefits

 

    Last time in Psalm 103, we saw David give us a call to worship, and this call to worship involves our entire being. He told his soul to not forget the Lord’s benefits. The Lord forgives all our iniquities, heals our diseases, redeems us from destruction, and crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies. He also takes care of our material needs. Throughout the remainder of the Psalm, David will further expound on the Lord’s benefits.

Next, he speaks to the righteousness of God. He executes righteousness and judgment to all who are oppressed. In Proverbs it states, “Do not rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; for the Lord will plead their cause, and plunder the soul of those who plunder them.” (Pro 22:22-23) When man will not plead our cause, the Lord does.

He made known His ways to Moses, and His acts to the children of Israel. God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, and the children of Israel saw the fire and smoke and heard the voice of God speaking from the mount. However, the law could never make man righteous; it can only show man he is not righteous, a necessary step in preparing a person for the Gospel.

He goes on to say that the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. John would later write, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (Jn 1:17) The righteous standards of God are revealed through the law, and the mercy and grace of God are revealed through Jesus Christ and His substitutionary death on the cross. As a righteous God, He does become angry, but He is slow to anger. When He does become angry, He doesn’t stay that way. He is merciful in that He doesn’t give us what we deserve by punishing us for our sins. As a good heavenly Father, He does reward good behavior and discipline bad behavior, but if He actually gave us what we deserve, none of us would make it. In another place, the Psalmist writes, “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, o Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” (Psa 130:3-4) He likens the mercy of God to the vastness of the heavens above the earth, and this is to those who fear (reverence) Him. To those who fear God, His mercy is endless, but to those who reject and disobey Him, there are limits. The Lord said in Genesis that His Spirit would not always strive with man; eventually the day of reckoning will come for the faithless and unrepentant sinner.

David said that as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Now this is an interesting analogy: if David had said as far as the north is from the south, it would not have meant much. For if I go north far enough, I will be going south, and vice versa. However, the same is not true with east and west. If I go east or west, I will continue going that direction as long as I want to. In other words, if I go east, I will never find the west, and if I go west, I will never find the east. Once our sin has been forgiven, it’s gone, folks! There’s no going back. The Lord’s not going to dig it up sometime later just to rub it in our face, “remember what you did?” The devil wants us to go back; he wants to remind us of what we’ve done to try and entangle us in the same sins. But as Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13-14) Once we have confessed our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. This means it is really truly gone! Man might remember, but the Lord does not. The author of Hebrews writes, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Heb 8:12) He doesn’t forget in the sense that He cannot call them to His mind, but He no longer holds our sins against us.

Next, David likens the Lord to a father who pities his children. The word pities means to have compassion on or tender affection for someone. The Lord deeply loves us, and it is for this reason He doesn’t give us what we deserve. Any of us who have children understand this: before my wife and I had children, I remember when I would hear a kid screaming in public and thinking, “whose brat is that? Why aren’t those parents doing something about it?” And then we had children, and they would scream or throw a fit in the store. However, when it’s your own child, your response is a bit different. Throwing a fit when they don’t get their way is usually a spankable offense in our household, but when the child has been deprived of a nap or put to bed late for circumstances beyond their control, you have compassion on them. If we don’t give our children what they deserve, how much more the Lord who is a perfect heavenly Father. He remembers that we are dust, human beings with a sin nature and a devil who likes to entice us into sin.

David then compares the frailty of man to the mercy of God. Here in North Central Washington in the Spring, the hillsides are green with grass and wild flowers, but as the hot and dry summer weather takes over, the green turns into brown hillsides and sagebrush. Man is like the flowers that are here one moment and gone the next, but the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting (eternal) on those who fear Him, and His righteousness spans generations. It is for those who keep His covenant, and in the Church age this is the grace of God through faith. They also remember His commandments to do them. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, He responded, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Mat 22:37-40) If we love God, we will not sin against Him, and if we love our neighbor, we won’t offend or mistreat them.

Lastly, David tells us that the Lord has established His throne in Heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. For this reason, worship is not only the duty of man, but of the angels also. Here we learn some things about angels: they excel in strength. In many cases in the Scriptures, they are seen as mighty warriors, and when man sees them, he is terrified. However, they are merely God’s obedient ministers, doing His word and pleasure. David extended this call to all of God’s works. Even the creation itself is called to worship. In His triumphal entry, Jesus’ disciples began to praise Him as the King, and some of the Pharisees told Jesus he should rebuke them. However, Jesus responded, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” Lastly, David, in light of all these benefits,  ends the Psalm by another call for himself to worship, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

In closing, I hope this post has been a good reminder for us to passionately worship the Lord. If we find ourselves becoming ungrateful for or anxious in our circumstances, let us not forget all His benefits. Praise Him for His forgiveness and healing, His redemption, and for His lovingkindness and tender mercies! Praise Him for His righteousness! Praise Him for His love and grace for us when we didn’t deserve it! Praise Him for His everlasting mercy! Praise Him because He has established His throne in Heaven, and His kingdom rules over all! Bless the Lord, o my soul!

Psalm 103 - Bless the Lord O My Soul!

 

The 103rd Psalm is a psalm of praise attributed to David, and was possibly written later in his life when he would have more of an appreciation for the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness. Probably one of the most well-known psalms, it has been put to music in hymns and contemporary styles alike. It is a wonderful call to worship, and should stir to gratitude even the backslidden believer who has forgotten what God has done for him. In his commentary, Charles Spurgeon stated the following, “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. This one hundred and third Psalm has ever seemed to us to be the Monte Rosa of the divine chain of mountains of praise, glowing with a ruddier light than any of the rest. It is as the apple tree among the trees of the wood, and its golden fruit has a flavour such as no fruit ever bears unless it has been ripened in the full sunshine of mercy.”

As you read this Psalm, I would encourage you to read it in light of Jesus Christ and all that God has given us through Him. David is speaking of Jehovah, but the New Testament Scriptures clearly demonstrate that the Jesus of the New Testament and the Jehovah of the Old Testament are one in the same. The Apostle Paul wrote of Jesus, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2 Co 1:20)

David begins, “Bless the Lord, o my soul,” and the phrase “bless the Lord” means to abundantly bless or praise Jehovah, and to do so  by kneeling. He was telling his soul to do this, which probably means he didn’t feel like doing it in the moment. If I have to tell myself to do something, it usually means I am struggling with wanting to do it. Sometimes, we don’t feel like praising God or at least to the degree that He deserves, but we need to tell ourselves to do so anyway. The posture of kneeling shows a humble adoration for the Lord. He said, “And all that is within me, bless His holy name!” David wanted his entire being to be involved in praising the Lord. This suggests not only a humble adoration, but an exuberance or excitement about it. One of the things the Lord has impressed upon me from reading and studying the Psalms is that the author’s worship was not a casual thing such as singing five songs on a Sunday morning, but a passionate praise in which they were intimately involved. He wanted to bless God’s holy name. Holy is to be set apart from sin, and in a world in which we can see evil going on around us at an ever-increasing pace, we should rejoice that we serve a God who is separate from all of it. Not only is He set apart from it, He sets us apart from it as well, and is returning one day soon to administer justice on this sinful world.

Next, he repeats the same phrase, and tells his soul to not forget all the Lord’s benefits. This one is huge, folks! In times of trial or hardship it can be easy to forget all that God has done for us. We become fixated on our own problems and how there doesn’t appear to be a solution on the foreseeable horizon, and ingratitude begins to set in. However, the Scriptures admonish us to “Do all things without complaining and disputing (arguing).” (Phil 2:14) Rather than complaining to or arguing with the Lord in those times, it’s important to stop and recall to our minds what He has done for us. The Scriptures state, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thes 5:18) It’s not that we cannot ask the Lord for something different or better for us and our families, but what is our attitude in doing so? Maybe we’re not grumbling and complaining, but maybe we’re worried or anxious about our circumstances. Again, Paul writes to the Philippians, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” We don’t need to worry or fret about things, for the Lord has everything under control. We just need to trust Him and bring our requests before Him with a thankful attitude.

What are the Lord’s benefits, you might ask? David first reminds himself that the Lord forgives all our iniquities. Iniquities speak to our sins, but it is more specific than that. It’s our perversities, or in other words, the worst of our sins. It’s those gross moral failures that we are ashamed even to admit that we did them. Maybe no one else knows we did them except for us and the Lord. No matter how bad the sin is, there is nothing we have done or ever can do that is too perverse for the Lord to forgive us in Christ. This alone should produce an immense amount of gratitude in us, and cause us to want to praise Jesus. Remember, He paid our sin debt in full on the cross; there’s nothing extra we have to do to atone for our sins. We merely have to confess our sins to Him and allow Him to forgive us as He says He will do.

The Lord heals all our diseases. This can be a challenging one to wrap our minds around, for we have all known godly individuals who have suffered immensely or even died from diseases. I believe the first thing we can take note of here is that iniquities and diseases are coupled together for a reason. We have sickness and disease because of sin in a general sense, and sometimes our own sins can directly cause disease. For example, unresolved bitterness and hatred can wreak havoc on our bodies through things like anxiety, hypertension, and stomach disorders, and repentance demonstrated through love and forgiveness can resolve these issues.

Second, there is no sickness or disease that is too difficult for the Lord to heal. He is an all powerful God who spoke the universe into existence, so our sicknesses and diseases are not a problem for Him. If you need healing, take it to the Lord in prayer. James writes, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” (James 5:13-14) If your Church doesn’t believe in praying for healing, I would encourage you to find a Bible believing and teaching church that does. I cannot say whether or not the Lord will heal you, that is up to Him in His sovereignty to do what He thinks is best. What I can say is that we have not because we ask not, and maybe we’re missing out on healing because we don’t ask the Lord for it.

Third, promises like these not realized in this lifetime will be realized in eternity. Our spiritual restoration has been fully realized, but for whatever reason, God has seen fit to allow the physical part of His creation (including our bodies) to still be affected by the curse. Praise God, that will be restored one day as well, for we will all get new bodies, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. The apostle John wrote, “’And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’” (Rev 21:4)

The third thing David reminds himself of is that the Lord redeems us from destruction. We were perverse, spiritually sick, and headed for hell, but the Lord has redeemed us (bought us back) from the slavery of sin and set us free. But that’s not all.

Fourth, He has crowned us with lovingkindness and tender mercies. God did not spare us from destruction because He had to, but He did it because He wanted to. He wanted to because He loved us. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” He didn’t even love us when we were good enough, but loved us greatly when we were spiritually dead in our trespasses and saved us by His grace.

Lastly, David reminds himself how the Lord has satisfied his mouth with good things. The Lord does not only care for our spiritual needs, but for our material needs as well. He cares that we are fed and clothed. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said that we should not worry about what we would eat, for our heavenly Father feeds the birds of the air, and we are of much more value than them. Also, we are not to worry about our clothing, because God clothes the lilies of the field in greater splendor than King Solomon, and we are of much more value than them. (Mat 6:26-30)

He renews our youth like the eagles. Isaiah also picks up on this when he says, “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) As we wait on the Lord, He restores us to that vibrant strength that youths typically have.

David, under the inspiration of the Spirit, has packed a lot for us in these first five verses, but He is just getting started. In the remainder of the chapter he will further expound on the Lord’s benefits for us.

2 Samuel 9 - The Keeping of a Promise

 

Last time in 2 Samuel, we saw highlighted some of David’s military victories, and how the Lord preserved him wherever he went. We also saw the men in David’s government who helped him run things. Every successful leader has qualified individuals around them to help them do their job better. In this chapter, we will see David keep a long-held promise.

If we recall from 1 Samuel, David and Jonathan had made a covenant with each other that when David was king, he would not cut off Jonathan or his descendants forever. It was common practice in those days for a new king to completely wipe out the old dynasty as to prevent any threats of someone trying to take back the throne. David could have not kept that promise to Jonathan, because Jonathan had been dead for quite some time and any son of his could be viewed as a potential heir to Saul’s throne. However, David was a man of integrity, and he would keep his promise.

He asked if there was any left of the house of Saul that he could show kindness (covenant faithfulness) for Jonathan’s sake? So, they called Ziba, a servant in the house of Saul, and David asked him if there was anyone of the house of Saul that he could show the kindness of God? He did not view this as some random act of kindness, but as something done in God’s name with God’s heart. God always keeps His promises, and David wanted to do likewise. Ziba responded that there was still a son of Jonathan who was lame in his feet. He was living in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar. We are told of him in 2 Samuel 4: when news came of Saul and his sons’ death, the nurse grabbed him in haste to flee, and she dropped him, causing him to be lame in his feet. His name was Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was likely in hiding for fear of being executed by David. Mephibosheth means shameful one, and he was living in Lo Debar, a place of barrenness or nothingness, and it was in Gileadite territory on the other side of the Jordan. So, we have a lame man named shameful one living in the place of barrenness who was about to have his world turned upside down for the better.

David had him brought back to Jerusalem, and when he saw David, he fell down prostrate before the king. The King told him to not fear, for he was going to show him kindness for his father Jonathan’s sake, he would restore to him all the land of Saul, and Mephibosheth would eat bread at David’s table continually. Mephibosheth responded by bowing to David and saying, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” David did not respond to this statement, but called for Ziba and charged him, his sons, and servants that they should work the land and bring in the harvest for Mephibosheth. Ziba responded that he would do all that the king commanded him. The king told Ziba that Mephibosheth would eat at his table like one of the king’s sons. We are also given an extra detail here that Mephibosheth had a son named Micha, meaning that Mephibosheth was probably married. He was only five when his dad and grandfather died, so this is an indicator a good 10-15 years had passed since the death of Saul and Jonathan. David was probably 45 or so years old at this point. Mephibosheth thought himself unworthy of such blessings, but he nonetheless received it.

In a lot of ways we are not a whole lot unlike Mephibosheth. We are lame, crippled from sin, and are the shameful one. This has caused us to live in the place of barrenness or nothingness of life with the sentence of death hanging over us. But we have been called out of hiding by the king of kings, we have responded by faith and have been restored the years that the locusts have eaten, and we have been invited to eat bread at His table continually. We do this in a figure at the communion table now, but we will literally eat at His table in eternity. This is all due to the covenant faithfulness of God through Jesus Christ. If you are reading this and are not a Christian, you are unworthy of such blessings, but the King is. You only need to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior by faith, and then you will be brought out of the place of barrenness to the marriage supper of the Lamb and then the heavenly Jerusalem for all eternity.