Exploring the Deep Encouragement in one of the Richest Psalms: Ps 103

New Testament Theology, Psalms
  • This psalm is beautifully constructed, and designed to stir our hearts to praise God by painting a picture of how he cares for us so deeply.
  • What encouragement!

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Please open the handout showing this passage by Clicking here,
or download the PDF of the page here.

Video cover image by Gabriel Jimenez Unsplash License

Goal

  • To examine a lovely example of blessing God, and learn to do it ourselves.
  • A quick recap from 2 weeks ago about blessing God
    • We are not giving God any kind of special gift, just the gift of our words of praise.
    • Here are some examples:

Blessing God = Praising him
Psalms:

  • 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
  • 66:8 Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard,
  • 145:2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
  • 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Psalm 103
Bless the Lord, O my Soul

  1. Read Psalm 103 together
  2. Have compassion on ourselves
  3. Continually sing and praise God

1. Read Psalm 103 together

  • explain parallelism

Psalm 103

by David
  Call to Praise - Let’s sing blessings with all that is in us!
  1. Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
  2. Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and do not forget all his kindnesses.
1. SAFE — For health and physical blessings
  1. who forgives all your sins,
    who heals all your diseases,
  2. who delivers your life from the Pit,
    who crowns you with faithful love [chesed] and compassion,
  3. who satisfies you with good
    so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.
2. SECURE — The way God rules: just, kind, compassional, fair & forgiving
  1. The Lord does what is fair,
    and executes justice for all who are oppressed.
  2. He revealed his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel.
  3. Merciful and compassionate is the Lord
    slow to anger and abounding in faithful love [chesed].
  4. He will not always chide,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
  5. He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
3. LOVED — The grace he shows when we constantly fail him
  1. For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his faithful love [chesed] toward those committed to him;
  2. As far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
  3. As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those committed to him.
  4. For he knows our frame;
    he remembers that we are dust.
4. ETERNAL VALUE — He gives us immortality, and our lives will count in his kingdom forever
  1. A person’s life is like grass.
    Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
  2. but when hot wind blows, it’s gone,
    and no one even remembers its location
  3. But the faithful love [chesed] of the Lord is from eternity to eternity for his faithful followers,
    and his faithfulness to their descendants,
  4. to those who follow his covenant,
    who remember his commands.
  5. The Lord has established his throne in heaven;
    his kingdom extends over everything.
  Call for the whole universe to praise and bless the Lord
  1. Bless the Lord, you his angels of great strength,
    who do his word, obedient to his command.
  2. Bless the Lord, all you his heavenly warriors,
    you servants of his who carry out his desires.
  3. Bless the Lord, all that he has made
    in all the places of his kingdom.
    Bless the Lord, O my soul!

translation by Andrew Fountain

  • [chesed] – I preached on this back on the first Sunday in April
    “A love that will never let you go!

2. Have compassion on ourselves

Arguments used against self-compassion

  1. It’s self-pity
    • No, that’s something very different
  2. It’s not motivational to improve
    • In fact it is self-criticism that destroys motivation
  3. God wants us to repent
    • Misunderstanding of the word—it is not an emotion but a behaviour
  1. Some people fear self-compassion because they equate it with self-pity
    • looking at oneself as a pathetic and sorry excuse for a person.
    • That isn’t self-compassion; it is self-disdain.
  2. But isn’t repentance about putting on sackcloth and putting ashes on our head?
    • This can lead to a huge problem, e.g.

Isaiah 58:

  1. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself?
    Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
    Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?
  2. “Is not this the fast that I choose:… to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?…
  • But I am not a follower of Jesus today, I thought I had to repent and be sorry for my sin?
  • This is exactly the point. People think that if they are sad enough about their sin, God will forgive them
    • It is like paying for your sin with sadness and sorrow
  • But that is totally wrong—repentance is changing the direction of your life to following Jesus
    • You don’t even have the strength to do this yourself, but just come and ask God
    • He is the gentle father that is so glad to have you back!

Self-talk

  • My example
  • How to comfort others (as the text says)
    • This is a clear command, and ends with ourselves, so lets read that back into the early parts of the verse

Ephesians 4:29–32

Do not let any unwholesome talk [to yourself] come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others [+yourself] up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen [including yourself]. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness [against yourself], rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another [and to yourself], forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you

Psalm 103

  1. As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those committed to him.
  2. For he knows our frame;
    he remembers that we are dust.
  • A good parent is patient with their children, even when they are not doing what they are told
  • God is gentle and patient with us
  • A good example is Jesus with Peter:

John 13

  1. Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?”
    Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.”
  2. Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!”
  3. Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times!

John 21

  1. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
    “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these do?”
    He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you dearly.”
      `He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”`
  2. He said to him a second time,
    “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
    He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you dearly.”
      `He said to him, “Shepherd my sheep.” `
  3. He said to him the third time,
    “Simon, son of John, do you love me dearly?”
    Peter was grieved because he asked him a third time, “Do you love me dearly?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you dearly.”
      `Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.`
  • How did Peter respond? —Because of Jesus’ encouragement, his shame was taken away and he…
  • People who are harsh on themselves are usually harsh on others!

2 Cor 1:2–4

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

3. Continually sing and praise God

Bless the Lord, O my Soul
by Matt Redman

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before, Oh my soul
I’ll worship your holy name

  1. Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
  2. Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and do not forget all his kindnesses.
  • The reason I am going to go through the song is so that when we sing it, you will know that you are doing what this sermon is about

The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning;
It’s time to sing your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

Psalm 113
  1. Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore!
  2. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!

You’re rich in love, and you’re slow to anger
Your name is great, and your heart is kind
For all your goodness, I will keep on singing;
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

  1. Merciful and compassionate is the Lord
    slow to anger and abounding in faithful love [chesed].
  2. who satisfies you with good
    so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near, and my time has come;
Still my soul will sing your praise unending:
Ten thousand years and then forevermore!

  1. For he knows our frame;
    he remembers that we are dust.
  2. A person’s life is like grass.
    Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
  3. but when hot wind blows, it’s gone,
    and no one even remembers its location
  4. But the faithful love [chesed] of the Lord is from eternity to eternity for his faithful followers,
    and his faithfulness to their descendants,
  • Reflect on v.14 above and
    • Let’s bless God right now!