Scripture Psalm
103:1-22
Worship
a Merciful God
Psalm 103:1-5
The
Triumph of God’s Mercy Psalm
103:6-10
The
Greatness of God’s Mercy Psalm
103:11-14
The
Eternity of God’s
Mercy Psalm
103:15-18
Worship
the Eternal King
Psalm 103:119-22
Worship a Merciful
God
1 Praise the
Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
The Psalm writer is expressing self talk. We
all do this. Not only should the part
reserved for God give praise to God but every part of his being should give God
praise. God is the “Lord” and is “holy”! If that isn’t enough, he then repeats
it to himself while adding more to do:
2 Praise the
Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits —
Praise the Lord and don’t forget the benefits
that come only from God; which are:
1)
forgives all your sins
2)
heals all your diseases,
3)
redeems your life from the pit
4)
crowns you with love and compassion,
5)
satisfies your desires with good things.
5 SO
THAT: your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The
psalmist must have experienced the things from which the list of God’s benefits
come which means he had at one time sinned, had been sick, in a pit, unloved,
and absent of good things. Also, as a Jew he would have heard and recited the
Shema since childhood: Deut. 6:4-9 which would give him a basis for
understanding that we Bless the Lord with everything we’ve got!
Hear,
O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These
commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when
you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when
you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
The Triumph of God’s
Mercy
6 The Lord works righteousness and
justice for all the oppressed.
If you are ever unfairly treated in this life,
know that God is for you: Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future. To make it simple God
chose a particular people in a particular place at a particular time to make
himself known.
7 He made
known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
What are the ways and deeds he made known to
them? The things that every generation needs to know anew – in fact; that every
person needs to know:
THE LORD…
1)
is compassionate (feeling or showing concern for someone who is sick, hurt, poor,
etc.)
2)
is gracious (free and unmerited favor of God)
3)
is slow to anger (Ex 32:9-10 "I have seen these people," the Lord said
to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. [won’t
bow to God] Now leave me alone so
that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will
make you into a great nation." Long
suffering =
bearing with us while we sin hoping we will turn back and live right / Mercy = Removing the penalty for our
sin )
4)
is abounding in love
5)
He will not always accuse
6)
nor will he harbor his anger forever
7)
he does not treat us as our sins deserve (GRACE) or repay us according to our
iniquities (MERCY).
The Greatness of
God’s Mercy
God’s
Comparison Chart
1)
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for
those who fear him;
2)
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our
transgressions from us.
3)
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on
those who fear him;
WHY? 14 for he knows how we are formed, he
remembers that we are dust.
The Eternity of God’s
Mercy
We
are reminded that we are nothing and we are everything
15 As for man, his days are like
grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 the wind
blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. We are not remembered or known past the 5th
generation. You work so hard to pass on
good things but it seems pointless because however you lived will be
forgotten…or will it?
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children — with those
who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. So who you are , how
you lived – if it is with godliness – will be passed on from generation to
generation – God will honor you beyond your own time – and then “BONUS” he will
welcome you into eternity.
Worship the Eternal
King
We
end where we began but now self-talk is no longer needed because the things
that needed prompting before are remembered and elevated. The psalm writer
looks beyond himself to the highest heights of heaven encouraging praise to
God!
19 The Lord has established his throne
in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the
Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 21 Praise the
Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
Now beyond himself and the heavenly realms to everything that
exists:
22 Praise the
Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. And concludes with himself doing what he
aspires for everyone: Praise the Lord, O my soul.
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