A Closer Loot at Psalm 103 (Pt 2)

1. A Closer Loot at Psalm 103 (Pt 2) Praise Him all creatures here below (PS 103:8-18)

2. God’s mercy is contrasted with His justice (v 8-10)The Lord is merciful and gracious (vs 8) • The idea here is derived evidently from Exodus 34:6-7 - that great and glorious statement of God himself in regard to his own character. Our world is a different world under that statement from what it would be if that and kindred declarations had not been made…(Barnes’ Notes) • So he made himself known to Moses, Exodus 34:6, and so David found him to be, and therefore calls upon his soul to bless his name. God is "merciful" in the most tender and affectionate manner; he has bowels of mercy, which yearn towards his people, as those of a tender parent to its child, as the word signifies… (Gill’s Exposition)

3. God’s mercy is contrasted with His justice (v 8-10) Slow to anger and abounding in mercy (vs 8) • “Slow to anger - That is, patient; not soon excited; bearing much, and bearing it long…And plenteous in mercy - Margin, "great of mercy." The Hebrew word means "much," or great;" and the idea is, that mercy is not manifested by him in small or stinted measure. It is rich; full; abundant; overflowing; free.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “slow to anger, or "longsuffering" (d); even to wicked men, to the vessels of wrath…and plenteous in mercy; large and abundant in it, as appears by the various instances of it, and ways and methods in which he shows it; in election, in the covenant, in redemption, in regeneration, in pardon and eternal life; and by the abundance of it which he bestows on every one of his people; and by the vast numbers which do partake of it.” (Gill’s Exposition)

4. God’s mercy is contrasted with His justice (v 8-10) He will not always strive with us (v 9) • “He will not always chide - Rebuke; contend; strive; for so the Hebrew word means. He will not always contend with people, or manifest his displeasure. This implies that he may chide or rebuke his people, but that this will not be forever. He will punish them; he will manifest his displeasure at their sins; he will show that he does not approve of their course, but he will show that he "loves them," and does not seek their ruin.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “He will not always chide,.... He sometimes does chide his children, though never but when they have done a fault; always for their sins, in order to bring them to a sense and acknowledgment of them, and to depart from them; not for chiding sake, as some parents, to gratify their passion and ill humour, who correct for their own pleasure; but the Lord chides and corrects for the profit of his children, that they may be partakers of his holiness; he ever does it for their good, but he will not always chide, or continue it ever… (Gill’s Exposition)

5. God’s mercy is contrasted with His justice (v 8-10) Nor will He keep His anger forever (v9) • “Neither will he keep his anger for ever - The words "his anger" are supplied by the translators, but not improperly. The meaning is the same as in the former member of the sentence. He will not cherish hatred when the object of the chastisement is accomplished. It is not his character to retain anger for its own sake, or for any personal gratification.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “neither will he keep his anger for ever; though he does with the wicked, yet not with his own people; that endures but for a moment, and is rather seeming than real; and what does appear is soon turned away; he does not retain it long, he is quickly pacified towards them for all they have done, and smiles again upon them” (Gill’s Exposition)

6. God’s mercy is contrasted with His justice (v 8-10) He has not dealt with us according to our sins (v 10) • “He hath not dealt with us after our sins - All may say this, and this "is" a ground of thanksgiving and praise. It is a matter for which we should render unceasing praise that God has not done to us as our sins deserved. Who of us can fail to stand in awe and to tremble when we think what God "might" have justly done to us…(Barnes’ Notes) • “He hath not dealt with us after our sins,.... God deals with his people, and deals with them roundly, for their sins, reproving them by his Spirit, and by his ministers, and by his chastising rod; but not after or according to them, or as they deserve; in this David acknowledges himself and other saints, with whom he joins, to be sinners, to have been guilty of sins, as none live without them…(Gill’s Exposition)

7. God’s mercy is contrasted with His justice (v 8-10) Nor punished us according to our iniquities (v 10) • “Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities - That is, he has not inflicted suffering on us that could be regarded in any proper sense as a just retribution for what we have done; or, so that it could properly be said that the one fairly "measured" the other.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; had he, if every transgression had received its just recompence of reward, they must have been sent to hell; the lake burning with fire and brimstone must have been their portion; the wages of sin is eternal death: the reason why God deals not with nor rewards his people according to the due desert of their sins is because Christ has bore them, and the chastisement of them, and made satisfaction to divine justice for them;” (Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible)

8. God’s mercy is illustrated (v 11-12)For as the heavens are high above the earth (v 11) • “The heavens - the starry heavens - are the highest objects of which we have any knowledge; and hence, the comparison is used to denote the great mercy of God - meaning that it is as great as can be conceived; that there is nothing beyond it; that we cannot imagine that it could be greater - as we can imagine nothing higher than the heavens.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “For as the heaven is high above the earth,.... Which is the greatest distance known, or can be conceived of; the space between the heaven and the earth is seemingly almost infinite; and nothing can more illustrate the mercy of God, which reaches to the heavens, and is in heaven; though this is but a faint representation of the largeness and abundance of it, and which indeed is boundless and infinite:” (Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible)

9. God’s mercy is illustrated (v 11-12) So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him (v 11) • “So great is his mercy toward them that fear him - To those who reverence and serve him. That is, His mercy is thus great in forgiving their offences; in imparting grace; in giving them support and consolation.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “So great is his mercy towards them that fear him, or, his mercy hath prevailed over them that fear him (a); as the waters of the flood prevailed upon the earth, and reached and overflowed the highest hills, Genesis 7:18, so abundant and superabundant is the grace of God over them that "fear" him. Which character is given, not as being the cause of their obtaining mercy, but as descriptive of the persons that partake of it; on whom it has such an effect, as to cause them to fear the Lord, and his goodness; and is mentioned to prevent obstinate and presumptuous sinners expecting it, or trusting to it.” (Gill’s Exposition)

10. God’s mercy is illustrated (v 11-12) As far as the east is from the west (v 12) • As far as the east is from the west - As far as possible; as far as we can imagine. These are the points in our apprehension most distant from each other, and as we can conceive nothing beyond them, so the meaning is, that we cannot imagine our sins could be more effectually removed than they are. The literal meaning of the Hebrew is, "like the distance of the east from the west" or, "like its being far." (Barnes’ Notes)

11. God’s mercy is illustrated (v 11-12) So far has He removed our transgressions from us (v 12) • “So far hath he removed our transgressions from us - That is, he has put them entirely away. They are so removed that they cannot affect us any more. We are safe from all condemnation for our sins, as if they had not been committed at all.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “So far hath he removed our transgressions from us; which removed men and angels from God, and set them at a distance from him; and which, if not removed, are such burdens as must sink men down into the lowest hell; and yet cannot be removed by anything that they can do; not by any sacrifices, services, or duties of any kind; nor in any other way, nor by any other person, than the Lord himself: and this is to be understood not of a removal of the being of sin out of his people, for that is not done in this life; rather of the removal of the guilt of sin, by a special application of pardoning grace and mercy;” (Gill’s Exposition)

12. God’s compassion is like that of a father (v 13)As a father pities his children (v 13) • “That which is referred to here, is the natural affection of the parent for the child; the tender love which is borne by the parent for his offspring; the disposition to care for its needs; the readiness to forgive when an offence has been committed. Such, in an infinitely higher degree, is the compassion - the kindness - which God has for those that love him.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “Like as a father pitieth his children,.... When in any affliction, disorder, or distress: the Lord stands in the relation of a Father to his people; they are his children by adopting grace, through the covenant of grace with them; by a sovereign act of his own will he puts them among the children, predestinates them to the adoption of children; and sends his Son to redeem them, that they might receive it, and his Spirit to bear witness to their spirits, that they are his children; and towards these he has all the affections of a tender parent.” (Gill’s Exposition)

13. God’s compassion is like that of a father (v 13) So the Lord pitieth them that fear Him-He has compassion on them. He exercises toward them the paternal feeling (v 13) • “He has compassion on them. He exercises toward them the paternal feeling.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “So the Lord pitieth them that fear him; not with a servile fear, which is unsuitable to the relation of children…And, as the fruit of his tender mercy, he looks upon his children in their lost estate, and brings them out of it; he succours them under all their temptations; he sympathizes with them under all their afflictions: being full of compassion, he forgives their iniquities; and in the most tender manner receives them when they have backslidden, and heals their backslidings.” (Gill’s Exposition)

14. God’s permanence is contrasted with our frailty (14-15)For He knows our frame (v 14) • “For he knoweth our frame - Our formation; of what we are made; how we are made. That is, he knows that we are made of dust; that we are frail; that we are subject to decay; that we soon sink under a heavy load. This is given as a reason why he pities us - that we are so frail and feeble, and that we are so easily broken down by a pressure of trial.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “For he knoweth our frame,.... The outward frame of their bodies, what brittle ware, what earthen vessels, they be; he being the potter, they the clay, he knows what they are able to bear, and what not; that if he lays his hand too heavy, or strikes too hard, or repeats his strokes too often, they will fall in pieces: he knows the inward frame of their minds, the corruption of their nature, how prone they are to sin; and therefore does not expect perfect services from them: how impotent they are to that which is good; that they can do nothing of themselves; nor think a good thought, nor do a good action; and that their best frames are very uncertain ones; and that, though the spirit may be willing, the flesh is weak.” (Gill’s Exposition)

15. God’s permanence is contrasted with our frailty (14-15) He remembers that we are dust (v 14) • “He remembereth that we are dust - Made of the earth. In his dealings with us he does not forget of what frail materials he made us, and how little our frames can bear. He tempers his dealings to the weakness and frailty of our nature, and his compassion interposes when the weight of sorrows would crush us. Remembering, too, our weakness, he interposes by his power to sustain us, and to enable us to bear what our frame could not otherwise endure.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “He remembereth that we are dust (b); are of the dust originally, and return to it again at death; and into which men soon crumble when he lays his hand upon them; this he considers,” (Gill’s Exposition)

16. God’s permanence is contrasted with our frailty (14-15) As for man, his days are like grass (v 15) • “As for man - literally, "Man; like the grass are his days!" The thought is fixed on man: man so frail and weak; man, not only made originally of earth, but man delicate, feeble, soon to pass away like the springing grass, or like the fading flower.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “As for man, his days are as grass,.... He himself is like the grass which springs out of the earth; continues on it for a time, and then drops into it; the continuance of the grass is very short, it flourishes in the morning, is cut down at evening, and withers;” (Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible)

17. God’s permanence is contrasted with our frailty (14-15) As a flower of the field, so he flourishes (v 15) • “As a flower of the field - As a blossom. It opens with beauty and fragrance, but soon fades and perishes. So he flourisheth - Rather, "So he blossoms." That is, he is like a flower that is fresh and beautiful, and that soon withers away.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth; which denotes the goodliness of man, and describes him in his best estate, as possessed of health, riches, honour, and all the gifts and endowments of nature; and yet, with all these, is only like a field flower, exposed to every wind, liable to be cropped by every hand, and to be trampled upon by the beasts of the field; and therefore flourishes not long: so very precarious and uncertain is man in his most flourishing circumstances;” (Gill’s Exposition)

18. God’s availability is assured for all people (v17-18)But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him and His righteousness to children’s children (v17) • “But the mercy of the Lord - The favor of the Lord; or, his loving-kindness Is from everlasting to everlasting - Is from the eternity past to the eternity to come. It had its foundation in the eternal decrees of God; it has its security in his purpose that where it is conferred, it shall not be withdrawn. It had no beginning; it will have no end… (Barnes’ Notes) • “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him,.... In opposition to the frailty of man, the stability and duration of the mercy of God is observed. This reaches from one eternity to another; it is from everlasting in the heart of God: it appeared in the choice of the vessels of mercy; in the covenant of grace, which is founded upon it, and filled with it…(Gill’s Exposition) • And his righteousness unto children's children; not the essential righteousness of God, but rather his faithfulness in the performance of his promises, which he will not suffer to fail: the justifying righteousness of Christ is here meant; which is an everlasting one, and is unto and upon all them that believe, in all successive generations…(Gill’s Exposition )

19. God’s availability is assured for all people (v17-18) To such as keep His covenant (v 18) • “To such as keep his covenant - To such as adhere to the arrangements of his covenant, or who are faithful on their part. God will be faithful to his part of the covenant; and where there is fidelity on the part of his people, the blessings implied in the covenant will be conferred on them and on their children. The promise is ample, and the fidelity of God is certain, but still it is true that in those promises, and in that fidelity, it is implied that his people on their part must be faithful also, or the blessings will not be bestowed…(Barnes’ Notes) • “To such as keep his covenant,.... The covenant of grace, which is peculiarly the Lord's covenant, as distinct from man's; and which he keeps himself, and is ever mindful of it. This he makes known to his people at conversion; his secret is with them, and he shows them his covenant…(Gill’s Exposition)

20. God’s availability is assured for all people (v17-18) And to those who remember His commandments to do them (v 18) • “And to those that remember his commandments to do them - Who do not "forget" his law. If they do forget it, they have no right to expect the blessing. Obedience and fidelity are our only reasonable grounds of expectation of the blessing of God.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “And to those that remember his commandments to do them; some read them and hear them, but forget them, at least to do them: these are like a man that beholds his face in a glass, and forgets what manner of man he is; so James compares one that is a forgetful hearer, and not a doer of the word, James 1:23. The commandments of God are best remembered, so as to be done, when he puts his laws into the minds of men, and writes them in their hearts, and puts his Spirit within them, to cause them to walk in his statutes, and do them,” (Gill’s Exposition)

21. Conclusion • A closer look at Ps 103:8-18 shows us • God’s mercy is contrasted with his judgment • God’s mercy illustrated • God’s mercy is like that of a father • God’s permanence as contrasted with our frailty • God’s availability is assured for all people