Psalm 103 Commentary
“The LORD has established His throne in heaven, His kingdom rules over all.” Verse 19. These words become heavier each time you think of the man who said them. In an age when kings ruled with absolute power, the temptation to think of themselves as gods was very high. But David knew better.
It is the message saints have always needed down the generations. “My kingdom is not of this world,” said the LORD Jesus Christ when quizzed by another human throne without the humility and blessedness of David.
Subjects of this special kingdom know better. When you become one, your goal post changes. We would guess the referee also changes. The rules of the game change. The LORD God becomes your countless fans cheering you on. You must perform to impress Him. Hopes, ambitions, and aspirations all change. Then you know you are under the rule of the Christ.
Let God’s creations praise the LORD. The angelic creatures who obey His word, the heavenly hosts, His servants who do His will, All His works everywhere in His dominion, and finally, humanity.
And why not? The fearful soul can always know that from everlasting to everlasting, the LORD’s love is with those who fear Him. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
This psalm is home to a number of poster verses that are universally acclaimed for their deep value to the needy soul.
Who hasn’t been here thinking about God’s impossible love even for them? “He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
You would imagine David sitting down and thinking about his own adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. He deserved death going by the law under which he lived. But David lived on and it is Bathsheba’s womb that would carry the heir to the throne. Who doesn’t think of God’s love and justice as an impossible combination to humanly resolve?
The psalmist likens God’s compassion to a human father’s compassion for his children. David is in the right position to make this comparison because he possessed a tender heart. Think of the way he mourned the loss of Absalom. He wished himself dead instead of Absalom. David was relaying a fact that lay in waiting until Calvary – the Father dying for you.
You would easily understand why David summons everything within him to praise the LORD.
Then he speaks to his own soul. Let it not forget the benefits of the LORD. Let the saint copy and paste this prayer. The human soul easily forgets. Instruct it to remember the goodness of the LORD. Sit down and run through your life. Recount the many blessings of the LORD over your life. This psalm becomes richer each time we reflect on the many interventions of the LORD in David’s life.
Your prayers can be richer when you dig deep into your archives and pinpoint specific interventions of the LORD. Count your blessings.
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